Webasto Heater Problem

woodster · Nov 19, 2014

don't much about theses heaters at this time but i would say your burner is either dirty or clogged up or your exhaust pipe is clogged up with soot ...it takes ignition,air and fuel to make theses things work another possibility is the fuel is dirty with trash in the fuel line or fuel regulator (carburetor)...if you have a fuel filter on the fuel line you may need to check or change the filter .....if you know some one in the trucking repair business that works on the over the road commercial tractors...you might contact them and make some inquiries ...they are used in most of the sleeper cabs now days

kloudie1 · Nov 19, 2014

Not familiar with that heater and it doesn't look like they offer downloads of the control schematic.. Normally, there is a flame sensor that, after the start sequence, tells the system to admit fuel to the main burner.. sometimes electrical, but mechanical in older systems. That flame sensor is what I would suspect first. the other prime suspect would be a sticky main valve that would not open even when the flame sensor says to..
There are sometimes air flow detectors that will stop the burner if the exhaust flue is clogged (birds or mice) or if the cabin circulating fan does not run..

Here is a manual for a newer unit.. Check out the troubleshooting guide and error code section..
https://us.binnacle.com/pdf/webasto_heater_manual.pdf

Hello Below · Nov 19, 2014

YVRguy said:
I posted this question once before and got crickets so trying once more. Our Webasto diesel heater no longer seems to pump out any heat. When I turn it on it goes through the regular startup cycle and I see a bit of smoke coming from the exhaust pipe - seemingly proof that fuel is getting to the heater. Yet after a while it shuts down and never does provide any heat. Any ideas?

Is your Webasto an Air Heater or Hydronic (Coolant) Heater?

Mark Maulden · Nov 19, 2014

Sure Marine in Seattle

Stretch · Nov 19, 2014

Hi Doug; How old is the unit ?
If it is hydronic, then the easiest check is the level of the coolant in the hoses.If the level is down, the pump will not cycle. Check the overflow container level. Cheap hose clamps are usually the reason for the leak. An old unit can have the exhaust pipe clogged or coked up. This is from crapin the diesel and no inline filter.
If the unit starts and stops without heating [10x with my unit] it will have to be dealer serviced to re set it.
If you have an air unit you should pm Heart of Gold, as he has an air unit, is an electrical engineer and he rebuilt his unit himself. And the same h34 as you.

Good luck and hope your heat works again.

Rick · Nov 20, 2014

YVRguy said:
I posted this question once before and got crickets so trying once more. Our Webasto diesel heater no longer seems to pump out any heat. When I turn it on it goes through the regular startup cycle and I see a bit of smoke coming from the exhaust pipe - seemingly proof that fuel is getting to the heater. Yet after a while it shuts down and never does provide any heat. Any ideas?

Kloudie gotcha on this one. I actually do know a bit about the diesel heater.. hehe.. Cheers mate! That being said, I sure hope he doesnt have anything like the one in your post because it reminds me of my Infiniti and you just have to take it to the dealer! OMG. Futuristic. Will see.. so here goes.

I have had this problem. I dont have the same brand and I am too tired to come up with the name of mine. But... I would think that they typically work the same way.

If it is making smoke, you are getting fuel and it is trying to light because it is getting hot.

If you can see the smoke then your exhaust is not clogged.

Mine goes through the lighting process three times and if it doesnt fire off, it shuts itself down and then you have to push a small reset button that is on the burner can. The fan keeps running but no heat. It will also trip if it senses and overheat condition. Mine has two wires going into it. Presumably from the thermostat and switches associated. It will not lite with this "breaker" popped.

The cause of this EVERYTIME has been a gummed up and faulty glow plug. I keep two spares.

Try the reset button if you have one. And order a new.. no TWO replacement glow plugs. They just unscrew.

Best of luck.

Wait my senility was just defeated. I have a Ardic diesel heater.

Here is a pic and I would think yours is similar unless it is like the guys afor mentioned. The glow plug is right under the side exhaust header. The reset is the farthest aft. Its a button on a little plastic sensor right before the main heater difuser near the back where the two electrical lines are attached. Google yours up for specifics.

From memory.

On a side note, when we surveyed and bought the boat we went " a diesel heater"! How stupid in San Diego! Joke was on us. In the winter, that central heat makes for a cozy salon! 1.5 amps. What a bargain. One of the best additions to the boat for sure. And I love the white noise it makes for drowning out the transom slap on the can in Catalina!

Cheers

kloudie1 · Nov 21, 2014

Good note, Rick.. Ya right.. The ignitor can be a problem lots of times... Very similar to home gas furnace operation or gas clothes dryer..

Maine Sail · Nov 21, 2014

Mostly these issues are either related to fuel or glow plug. On the fuel side folks often use a pick up tube that is simply too large. When heeled on a low tank the fuel drains back out. These units do not use "fuel pumps" like your engine does but rather a fuel metering pump that moves very, very little fuel and simply maintains a pressure on the output side. If you were to disconnect the fuel line at the heater, aim it into a Pyrex cup, and then cycle the heater on you would be shocked at how little fuel actually comes out of the ticking pump. If it loses prime this can take two or more cycles on some boats...

These pumps do not do well being fed from the main feed of the fuel tank and many installers make this mistake. If you do need to do this, tap into the main fuel feed, the tee needs to aim down. They also do not do well pulling through a fuel filter, especially a 10 or worse yet a 2 micron primary filter. If you use a fuel filter it should be dedicated to only the heater and be 30 micron for the least restrictions. Ideally, if you have an in-line filter, you don't want the heater filter shared with the main engine...

Fuel leaks can also drain the fuel lines of the heater feed and can take a lot of time for the system to prime. I know when I do new install/commissioning on Espars etc. it can take 5+ cycles to get fuel to the heater. The further the distance between tank and heater the longer it takes.On Espar you lock out at three tries and need to clear codes.

If this turns out to be priming issues one trick is to install a ball valve at the tank end of the heater fuel circuit. Close it when done and you will hold prime better. These heaters are finiky when it comes to fuel supply. They like clean, low to unrestricted flow and fuel pick ups done correctly.

Some of these pumps also have a screen in them that needs to be cleaned on occasion.

If you are smelling or hearing spurts of combustion then it may not be a glow plug and is likely fuel related. When installed properly and fed clean fuel these units are extremely reliable..

Sailor Sue · Nov 21, 2014

Since no one has mentioned the CPU...

The Espar heater in our boat worked fine one evening, but at some point in the night quit. When I tried to restart it the fan would come on, it would ignite briefly, but then eventually shut down. I bought a new glow plug, and tried several other things that the extremely helpful customer service rep in Canada suggested. When it still wouldn't run he suggested I send the whole unit in. Turns out the CPU was bad. Certainly not a cheap solution, but maybe something to check.

Rick · Nov 21, 2014

Maine Sail;1164862 These pumps do not do well being fed from the main feed of the fuel tank and many installers make this mistake. If you do need to do this said:
properly[/I] and fed clean fuel these units are extremely reliable..

Great add on Maine. I developed a fuel leak on mine right at the feed to the little engine. It was also letting air so the prime took quite a bit. Good news it is just automatic and when it sees a prime it initiates the lighting cycle. My feed is set up exactly as you stated. Straight from a tee line with ball valve right before engine filters in my case. My pump makes a clicking sound after it primes and starts the light off cycle. It only has fan noise while it primes. Would probably take six months of continuous operation to drain my fuel tank!

Also as you said Maine, mine has a screen which I cleaned. I put in new glow plug and it fired. Then I put old glow plug back in and it wouldnt stay running. Only trying to isolate problem there. In my case, it is a 15 yeaer old heater so I was happy about life of original glow plug.

As stated, these little guys are basically bullet proof, and just need some simple time change mx to run.

Gotta be something simple.

Best of luck.

Don Crowther · Nov 22, 2014

YVRguy said:
As an afterthought I'm interested to know how you H34 owners deal with servicing items that are mounted in the aft storage space accessed through the starboard lazaret. I didn't realize how deep down in there my heater is mounted. I guess I'm going to have to find someone small enough (and not claustrophobic) to go down.

I've cut the wall between that area and the aft bunk and put a door in there to service the batteries. Once you open that up you can get at the fuel tank and the entire area in the starboard lazaret.

kloudie1 · Nov 22, 2014

H-34 Pit Access

YVRguy.. Claude Auger has a picture of his access door .. Nice clean job:
http://forums.hunter.sailboatowners.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=70465&d=1385420618

I have not cut mine through yet, but I am facing adding a tank clean-out port and I see the panel access as an easier way to do it.

Rick · Nov 25, 2014

Re: Resolution

+1

kloudie1 · Nov 25, 2014

Good Job, Stretch ya got that one on it being a Hydronic heater instead of forced air furnace as most are..

Hello Below · Nov 26, 2014

YVRguy said:
Thought I would share what I learned from this situation. It turns out that my heater uses a mixture of water and coolant that is circulated via plumbing along the length of the boat to the 3 cabins. To my embarrassment, the fluid levels were way down and simply topping the reservoir up with water was enough to solve the problem handily. Learned something new.

Now that begs the question as to where the original coolant has gone? This is a closed loop system and unless there are leaks in the plumbing very little should escape from the loop. Have you noticed coolant in your bilge of recent?

Webasto Heater Problem

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