Webasto Thermotop Troubeshooting help please

[Trident]

The heater has been working great for months but has suddenly just decided not to work this morning. It cycles, it pumps fuel but it just blows out continuous white smoke for a couple of minutes (without igniting) and then shuts down. I have checked that it is pumping fuel through to the unit and that the voltage available is sufficient but when I try to troubleshoot from the manual it just says if continuous white smoke remove and bench repair…

Which would be great were I not half way down Biscay France.

Any one have any ideas what might cause this and how I can fix it on the move...

Thanks

 

[david_bagshaw]

Dont know for webasto, but probably similar to ebberspacher, there is a heater to vaporize the oil and a sparker to light it, in the ebb it is a one piece spark plug heater.

Perhaps it is shorting out, or the spark generator has failed.

remove clean and try again.

 

[David2452]

There is no heater or spark generator on any Eber or Webo heaters, well not of the size we discuss on here anyway, that arrangement is reserved for the larger pressure jet boilers of 15 kilowats up. Classic on the Webo TTC, time for a service, the glowpin is probably masked with carbon which makes it impossible for it to properly ignite the fuel, coupled with a carboned up evaporator to compound the problem all you get is vapourised diesel I.e. white smoke.
The reason the manual says bench repair is because that is what it needs, it is not possible to do it in situ, best solution for a sure result is a new combined burner and pin, especially if it has not had one for four or five years.

 

[david_bagshaw]

Perhaps I should have indicated my experience is only on the D7. of mid 80s vintage!

 

[charles_reed]

Glowplug either failed or masked by carbon.

When I had an Eber it used to regularly foul-up, and I had a spare, and regularly cleaned it.