yet another eberspacher problem

[David2452]

A restriction in the exhaust usually results in a non start acompanied by loads ofwhite smoke rather than a shut down but try it anyway, bubbles apart from a very small amount will affect the running of the heater but without actually seing just how many and how big they are it is impossible for me to comment further, you judge whether you think they are too much, I aim for none. If you have access to a flue gas anayliser it will confirm if the burn is too lean and causing an overheat, as will checking the tempeature in duct outlet of the heater with a probe if you can borrow one. A little white smoke on start up and shut down is not usually a cause for concern, it is simply unburned fuel. Do the values of the reheostat match the correct values too.

 

[bertiebasset]

David, Thanks, must admit I never checked the rheostat, ,,,,yet another thing to check the list is growing again...

 

[fireball]

Check for collapsed heating duct.
If the blower encounters resistance in the ducting it can't shift the heated air. It then goes in to overheat mode and shuts down.
Try running without the outlet duct connected.

I'd try running the heater without either inlet or outlet duct - just open the locker ... and see how long it will run for ...

Ours would shutdown after 15 minutes - reducing the load on the unit by shortening the intake duct resolved this...

 

[bertiebasset]

I'd try running the heater without either inlet or outlet duct - just open the locker ... and see how long it will run for ...

Ours would shutdown after 15 minutes - reducing the load on the unit by shortening the intake duct resolved this...

have run with only the exhaust pipe connected and results are the same, shuts down after around 5 mins of heat output so am discounting problems with combustion inlet duct and hot air inlet and outlets.

 

[fireball]

Just to be sure - do you have a meat temperature probe? You could measure the temp of the hot air outlet to ensure it isn't actually going over temperature ...
Ours was rising to ~115°C then shutting down .. it doesn't now ..

 

[David2452]

Just to be sure - do you have a meat temperature probe? You could measure the temp of the hot air outlet to ensure it isn't actually going over temperature ...
Ours was rising to ~115°C then shutting down .. it doesn't now ..

I already advised that in my last post.

 

[fireball]

I already advised that in my last post.

Sorry - so you did ... I just didn't see it in the paragraph ...

Still - no harm in the OP thanking me for my excellent advice is there?!

 

[David2452]

Bugger, if I'd kept quiet I could have had a proper Lakesailor.

 

[bertiebasset]

Thanks for all the usefull info. I will be down the boat again either next week or week after, seems I cannot relaunch until the 45ft barge is moved from in front of me. I will be trying all the above advice and will let you all know how I get on and which solution cleared the problem.

 

[rob2]

There seems to be some confusion as to the function of the rheostat and the various temperature sensors in this discussion. My understanding from studying the manuals and installation instructions is that the rheostat sets the demand temperature and the internal sensor governs the setting of the output (burn and fan speed) to achieve that temperature, so if the heater air is drawn from outside, the heater will always run at full tilt until Summer! A remote sensor can be added to measure the actual cabin temperature as the control for the output.

But then, what do I know? I have a d1lc sat on the Workmate and so far I've failed to get it going. There's always the possibility that the old battery I'm using isn't up to it and there is some confusion as to whether this particular model uses a switch or thermistor for the overheat circuit - and it meters as short circuit. I would use the diagnostics signal through the rheostat LED, but neither of the LEDs work!

Let us know what happens, please - it could well help us all.

Rob.

 

[PabloPicasso]

I has a similar problem with my eber. Also had the dreadful fuel bug which blocked that very small fuel feed pipe to the eber. Later gummed up primary fuel filter and stopped the engine.

listen for the ebers' pump. If it is working you'll hear a steady click click clcik.

treat with a proprietry fuel treatment and again whenever you fill up.

It worked for me

 

[bertiebasset]

Hi all, Rob2, that is my interpretation of the rheostat which is another reason to take the air from the cabin so the heater can actually monitor the temp. My unit starts up, and heats up then goes through a full shut down process. I am an ex trucker and have used these units extensively and know the sounds they make. this one seems not to run the fan up nor make the jet like noise which i remember from trucking. the hot air is blown through to the cabin but it just shuts down again. If i switch it back on straight away it goes through the same cycle. My only thoughts now are maybe the exhaust is blocked (maybe in the silencer)somewhere which will restrict the flow in the fire chamber thus causing an overheat shutdown very quickly. so next visit is to remove the exhaust pipe, check it is clear then fire it up disconnected from the silencer (i think the fuel supply pipe runs too close to the exhaust outlet and would not wish to melt the pipe) I have had many suggestions and will go thru them all one at a time and will put my results on here. Hoping to sort it out before needing it in summer

 

[bertiebasset]

Well, just to let you all know, I went to the boat this week (actually moved her to a swinging mooring on the North Norfolk coast) and tried to get this heater working. Changed all the rubber joiners and jubilee clips - no change. Removed exhaust pipe and checked clear to silencer, no change. Put end of pump into pot of fresh parafin - no change. All it does is run for about 5 minutes then shuts down. Think I will take it off and bring it home to check out properly then put it in the hands of engineer.
Just a thought, if it is an overheat problem, would it be safe to take off the overheat sensor and run it up ??
Rob

 

[alahol2]

Without going back to check over the thread, have you looked at the rheostat LED when the heater shuts down? If it shuts with a fault, the LED should flash a 'morse' type light sequence which can be interpreted as the reason for shutdown.
Are you also aware of the '5 fails and your dead' on the D1Lc?

 

[Heckler]

Just read your reply to Alahol2.

A previous thread discussed the dangers of recirculating heating air from the cabin. Most seem to recommend heating air to be fresh not from the cabin - I agree.

There are no dangers from recirculating air from the cabin, have done it on both my boats. It is if anything safer to do this because if you get an exhaust leak (which happened to me) the heating air intake sucks in fumes from the locker or wherever it is fitted. The only percieved downside is that re circulated air is not fresh and allegedly contains condensation water. A load of bollox is what I say, i bet there is more humidity outside when it is raining!
Stu

 

[Ben Dockrell 22]

Hello

I would really consider is this heater worth the time and money ? i just went through the entire thread and it would do my head in to keep that heater because its going to continue to cost money.

I have recently bought a project boat, my first 12 or 13 nights onboard were bitterly cold and i shivered so much even my prolific almost constant swearing could,nt keep me warm

Seriously when i found an argos in plimpton i spent £14 on a 2 watt fan heater which came with the standard one year guarantee.

I remember all too well how heating appliances were not so cheap and my mother paid £400 for a new gas fire 15 years ago.

But heating appliances are made and sold far more cheaply now.

I would bung that old heater and just get a cheap leccy heater, i could have afforded to get two with one for back up.

I wish you success in your chosen endevour and hope you stay warm

 

[bertiebasset]

Thanks Ben but unfortunately I don't have mains leccy at wells.
So far it has cost very little compared to a replacement at nearly a grand. As there are so few parts involved, checking and repacement is still cost effective (especially as summer is coming, and I have just landed a delivery to Majorca where the sun should be shining). am gathering my gear tomorrow so will remove heater and bring home to check thoroughly. Oh yes, I drove HGV's for over 30 years, both in UK and abroad and most have eber's fitted for night heating so am aware of their limitations but most of the ones I had worked very well for long periods of time. They are safe if the fitting instructions are followed correctly, and when using a rheostat controller, the heated air should be taken from the heated area to enable the eber to check temperature. Should you take air from outside, the heater will run at full throttle (or whatever setting you dial in) until you turn it off as the air outside will be a lot lower than in the cabin. If I were to take air from the locker where it is mounted, should the exhaust break, I dread to think how long I would last with the poisonous fumes being blown into the cabin. My heater has been fitted by a professional, so why move all the pipework. It must be a failing with a sensor somewhere.

 

[DogWatch]

Hello

I would really consider is this heater worth the time and money ? i just went through the entire thread and it would do my head in to keep that heater because its going to continue to cost money.

I have recently bought a project boat, my first 12 or 13 nights onboard were bitterly cold and i shivered so much even my prolific almost constant swearing could,nt keep me warm

Seriously when i found an argos in plimpton i spent £14 on a 2 watt fan heater which came with the standard one year guarantee.

I remember all too well how heating appliances were not so cheap and my mother paid £400 for a new gas fire 15 years ago.

But heating appliances are made and sold far more cheaply now.

I would bung that old heater and just get a cheap leccy heater, i could have afforded to get two with one for back up.

I wish you success in your chosen endevour and hope you stay warm

Good plan, I might do the same. Do you think the other harbour users will be annoyed if I use floats every 2m or so to get the cable the 50m or so ashore, I could rob leccy from a lamppost I reckon!

 

[enterprise]

Hi, Been to the boat recently and found the eber D1lc heater not working. ordered service kit and yesterday fitted the parts but same result. If i can explain the problem hope someone may shed some light on it...... purchased boat last year in the summer and really cannot remember if i ever used the heater and during the winter i thought it failed due to low voltage as it cut out after about 3 or 4 minutes, however I recently replaced house bank and fitted bm1 battery monitor, but in replacing house bank had to remove panel on top of fuel tank which meant disrupting fuel uptake for heater. Now when I turn on the heater (rheostat) it draws around 22 amps and can hear the blower start, pump start pumping, (have watched it and there seems to be minute air bubbles in supply of fuel from pump), amps draw is lowered and hot air is blown from outlet. smoke from exhaust wich clears. after around 5 minutes, the pump stops, amps rises in pulses and after 10 mins blower stops. If I restart immediately the same thing happens. It seems to actually start up and blows heat so burner starting then goes through a complete shut down. The tank is on port side and heater inside stbd cockpit locker which I can just fit inside. My thoughts are air in fuel creating a flame out but have ordered new rubber and jubilee clips so awaiting them. Changed glow plug gauze and foam ring inside, cleaned and new gaskets (no gasket on glow plug) also found fibre washer and thought it came from top of glow plug so cut down from gasket to make a new one so top of glow plug is now nut, gasket washer, cable assembly. i know it goes on but nearly froze last night and would really get to the bottom of this. Please help

Ok you have perfectly described the exact same scenario we had on a D1Lc, in the end we removed it and replaced it however I didn't give up on it and instead took to pieces at home.

The outcome of which resulted in it being reinstalled on a friends boat, been there for a season without fault now so think I could say it was a successful fix.

As you mention the heater shuts down on overheat, or that is what the ECU interrogation suggests but have you checked the fuel flow through the pump?

What seamed to be a good flow turned out to be less than the CC's required to satisfy the burner, the heater would shut down.

I wired it together back at home and it worked for a while but the same fault again emerged after a while, I had a new burner so fitted that, replaced the glow plug and gauze, had the ecu tested for faults etc.
Everything checked out ok, only the fuel output from the pump had not been determined.

So I measured the fuel pump output which turned out to be low, so I removed the small gauze screen from the pump to test run without it, guess what no more problem, the filter looked blackened and I guess was 50% clogged.

I decided the filter in the pump was inadequate so replaced it with a small outboard inline fuel filter just so we could keep an eye on it and it's worked perfectly since.

Caution: Pump screen removal, watch you do not undo the wrong end of the metering pump, this is how the pump is calibrated, the output can be altered to give more or less fuel by turning the output nozzle, if you overfuel it, it will overheat.

Use a measuring cup to measure the quantity of diesel being delivered by the pump as shown in the manual, check it's correct before looking elsewhere.

It was easy to forget the pump and concentrate on the heater itself and it cost us a new D2 but at least I managed to fix the D1.

Hope this helps.

 

[claymore]

Nobody seems to have mentioned it but have you checked out the control unit?
When you go through the fault list and the troubleshootiing section of the manual an awful lot of problems seem to stem from and be cured by changing, the control unit.
I just had mine replaced, an auto-electrical engineer came to the boat, plugged a new one in and it all worked fine. It was a 10 minute job to diagnose and fit. Sadly they are an expensive component which accounted for most of the £400 bill. My Eberspacher is about 6 years old - the control units were manufactured by Eberspacher at that time but the new improved unit is made by Varta I believe - well, thats what the man told me!