Eberspacher Airtronic D4

C

CHI

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Hi ,
My Eber D4 has developed a problem. I have the standard round thermostat and switch control unit. When i switch the unit on , the red and green lights show. With the temperature dial at the highest position the fan starts blowing cold air. After a minute or so the pump starts pulsing. The fan starts to rotate faster and the pump pulses quicker.
However after a minute or so the unit shuts down.
The batteries are fully charged and the boats fuel tanks are full?

Has anyone had the same type of problem?
 
CHI said:
Hi ,
My Eber D4 has developed a problem. I have the standard round thermostat and switch control unit. When i switch the unit on , the red and green lights show. With the temperature dial at the highest position the fan starts blowing cold air. After a minute or so the pump starts pulsing. The fan starts to rotate faster and the pump pulses quicker.
However after a minute or so the unit shuts down.
The batteries are fully charged and the boats fuel tanks are full?

Has anyone had the same type of problem?
Click to expand...

A couple of things to check. Firstly how much fuel in your tank, as some heating installers don't put long pick up pipes in the tank, and anything below 1/4 full can result in fuel starvation.

Also have you checked the in line fuses, the D4 uses two, one for fan and pump, the other for the glow pin, so if the latter has blown you won't get ignition.

Neil
 
As well as the other suggestions have you checked if the small filter/gauze in the fuel pump is clean? If it's ok then at least you can cross it off your list.

dansar
 
I'd suggest a glowplug failure.

If it tries to start by doing all the initial routines and the flame sensor does not confirm that it's running it will do excatly as you describe.

Lack of fuel would cause the pump to go at high pace all the time in an attempt to prime the burner (like after running out).

Glowplugs certainly has a limited service life...:(

If you do not have a manual, you may get it here:
http://www.eberspacher.com/downloads/technical-documents/airtronicD2+D4_technical.pdf
 
To paraphrase cool hand Luke, what we have here is a failure to ignite. The plug is either not glowing, glowing poorly or the evaporated fuel can't contact the hot surface which could be for a number of reasons including something as simple as corroded terminals in the supply reducing the capacity to draw enough amps to the control board not telling it what to do and when with other possibilities in between, the most likely of which is a bad or coked plug. Fuel starvation is another possibility but contrary to previous advice the pump will click at the same rate despite having no fuel in it, it is a solenoid dosing pump not a simple supply pump and relies on the signal from the control board for its rate of pulse, the OP description of its operation is just as it should be. Another possibility is a blocked exhaust or combustion ait intake, though it would have to be quite bad and would probably have been symptomatic prior to complete failure to start.
 
Check the exhaust while the pump is clicking. If it is getting fuel, but not igniting you will get white smoke out of the exhaust. Not igniting may well be caused by being sooted up. What fuel are you burning?
 
Eberspacher problem

Many thanks for all your eplies.

I will check condition of Glow Plug and the fuel pump filter.

I will also check exhaust for smoke as the pump is pulsing.

I will also check the fuses.

The unit was serviced about 14 months ago.

I am burning standard Red Diesel from the main tanks.

The eber fuel valve is open and both my fuel tanks are full.

Many thanks to you all again.
 
Last edited:
My reason for asking about the fuel, is that recently I was having trouble getting my D4 to light, and having changed the glow pin and cleaned out its innards, I have been advised as follows:

"All marinas dispense "Red Diesel", which the general public believes is road diesel (BS EN590) with red die in it. It is not, it is gas oil, a poorer quality product which has a higher flash point which prolongs ignition time, has a lower cetane rating which affects combustion and more sulphur. The net result is premature carboning of our heaters......"

For this reason I am at present installing a separate tank for my Eberspacher, and will use road diesel, or possibly paraffin for it. You may be experiencing the same problems as I had.
 
Im worried about my ebo Iv had the boat now for 7 years and not touched it, its working better now than its ever done, It didnt work unless I had the engine going at one time, then I had a bad earth on the engine, when that was fixed, it starts now without the engine on, so could be an earth problem.
 
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