Eberspacher D3L issue

[Mort]

Hi, Have an issue with my Eberspacher D3L. I've learnt the hard way that "needs a service" on the sales sheet actually means knackered!

The D3L will turn on and run fine for ventilation, but will not turn on for heat. Thanks to everyone who has written on here before which I have read and looked at the guides from Eberspacher. The heater is situated in the cockpit locker and with me not being very slim, I am struggling to reach and work on the unit wedged in the locker upside down!

I have fitted a new glow plug, tested to reset switch which is ok, and took the fuel pump home and it tested ok. The Thermostat appears to be ok and set at high temp to require heat. If I turn the switch to heat, I do not hear any clicks of the fuel pump and nothing appears to happen. I am getting to the point of ripping the whole system out and taking it home to work on (not having funds for a new heater), does anyone have any suggestions of anything else (apart from diet or get someone thinner!) I can try before doing so, thanks,

 

[duncan99210]

Might seem obvious but have you checked the voltage at the heater under load? It might be that the wiring has got a bit of corrosion in it and you're therefore not getting a high enough voltage at the heater to get it going but it's high enough to run the fan in ventilation mode.

 

[Murv]

Probably not much help to you, but my experience of a D1L and a D7L which both did exactly the same thing was most likely down to ECU failure.
I couldn't get a definitive diagnosis as the ECU being down meant that the fault codes couldn't be read, but I wasn't prepared to throw any more money at them.

In both cases I replaced with reconditioned units from ebay, a D2 for the D1L and a D4 for the D7L.
The D2 is still faultless some 3 years later, and the D4 is unknown as I only fitted it yesterday (but it works)

There's a very useful link here to fault-finding, may be of some help? http://www.letonkinoisvarnish.uk/Eberspacher_Faults_2.html

Good luck!

 

[dom]

How do you know the controller/thermostat is okay? I assume you've tested voltage and all of the electrical contacts. Also (David will have cleared this up before so just google for thread) do you have an external temperature sensor, as I do on a slightly bigger unit? If anything is either wrong with that, or with the controller then the heater won't even commence it's ramp-up procedure. These are not that expensive and the chap on letonkinvarnish (?) explains how to make Heath Robinson replacements with a few bits from Maplins! Prob worth a try before rip-out.

Failing that it might be an ECU, which can be sourced a lot cheaper than from main Eber dealers.

 

[Mort]

Thanks for the quick replies, I had hoped it would be down to a bad connection somewhere, but all the connections I have found and cleaned have made no difference, spent a lot of time with the fuel pump and its tubing and connections. Thanks Duncan, not sure about the heater under load, I'll have to find out where to check that. Thanks Murv, Someone told me that if the ventilation works then the ECU is probably ok, maybe that's not the case then. Hi Dom, I did look on the letonkinvarnish site a few times, maybe I've not found the right page as I don't remember that, the thermostat is like the domestic home one in the cabin,

 

[dom]

Hi Dom, I did look on the letonkinvarnish site a few times, maybe I've not found the right page as I don't remember that, the thermostat is like the domestic home one in the cabin,

Try this link (assuming you have an external temperature sensor):
http://www.letonkinoisvarnish.uk/Eberspacher_Sensor.html

and near the bottom of this one:
http://www.letonkinoisvarnish.uk/Eberspacher_Control_1.html

And best of all -- this work won't need to be done hanging upside down like a bat in the stern locker

Edit: what I should have added is that rather than messing around making a pukka temperature sensor, obviously test the existing one in relation to the resistance chart for the Eber one (in the manual). If in doubt, just read the prescribed resistance for say 0 degrees C, then just purchase the appropriate resistor and connect it to the Eber in order to fool it into thinking that this is the ambient temperature.

Oh, and prior to rip out you might want to also purchase a little 801 controller (c. £50), which I think is compatible with your model, as this will give you a handy digital fault readout code and has a built in temp sensor.

 

[Martin_J]

In the initial startup sequence, the ECU will make checks on the glow plug, the flame
sensor, the overheat sensor and if fitted, the safety thermal sensor. These are done by a resistance measurement.

Since you've said that the pump never clicks, you really need to check resistance across the glow pin, the flame fail sensor and the temperature sensors just as the ECU does before it even tries to energize the glow plug and pump fuel.

Expected values are probably given in the earlier linked to troubleshooting guide but you will need to disconnect their respective plugs and measure carefully across their terminals.

 

[Mort]

Here is my set up, reading from the Le Tonkinois site, I cant fit an external temp sensor or an 801

Thanks Dom, I'm beginning to think about just saving up for another one but its still a challenge atm,

Thanks Martin, not sure if I can get to where I need to measure but I'll read up a bit more

 

[dom]

Oh dear, final two steps I'd recommend prior to binning:

1. Try a quick pm to David2452 - he's the serious expert on this kit here.
2. Are you sure the 801 won't work? You might want to give these guys a call to confirm and possibly also get a second opinion: http://sales.butlertechnik.com/

Hope it all works out.

 

[Mad Pad]

I have an Eberspacher on board which ran(we are now in the Med and have had no need to repair it yet again)6 radiators and 3 blower units,
Always failing,F this or F f.....king that...all far to complex,
Why can't someone design a simple drip feed boiler with a circulating pump...and NO chips please?????
Answers on a postcard please......
PS Who on this board remembers postcards and the Home Service?

 

[pcatterall]

The D3L is pretty ancient, and there are lots of things which can go wrong.
Once you have exhausted the obvious then I feel removing it and giving it a good work over may be the best option in the long run.
One ray of hope if the ecu is the problem is that they can sometimes be repaired. When I worked on these older heaters I found that the trace on the edge of the circuit board was often corroded through.
Quite easy to see or trace and fix.