Fuel Burning Heater

Hi wonder if anyone can help my FBH is on and working but not heating the cab any suggestions??

make sure it is actually firing up, check exhaust for heat as they can still make a noise when just running the fan

imray said:

Hi wonder if anyone can help my FBH is on and working but not heating the cab any suggestions??

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it doesn't heat the cab it helps get the coolant up to temp quicker...

markyzs180 said:

it doesn't heat the cab it helps get the coolant up to temp quicker...

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Not so, its primary function in this application is to heat the cab. The FBH outlet is piped directly to the heater matrix where its heat can be given up for cabin heat. It will have a secondary effect on engine warm up time though.

The poster may have a partially blocked or air locked heater matrix, or even a faulty thermostat if the engine takes ages to get warm.

It is working as there is exhaust fumes coming from under the bumper and can hear it not just a fan. Car is getting up to temp quite quickly so I am guessing that rules out thermostat?
"The poster may have a partially blocked or air locked heater matrix" what is this and how would I check or fix?? garage I purchased from have never dealt with these before and I get the impression are not keen on fixing I have stamped my feet and told them it has not work as intended since I got it so waiting for reply from them.

I just wondered if it was an easy fix I could look at it myself? unfortunately for the garage it has been cold hence why I knew it was not working as it should.

The heater matrix is the radiator core (or heat exchanger) in the heater. It's heated by engine coolant and air is blown across it to heat the cabin.

The garage will be familiar with this, it's a standard heater design. Older vehicles can suffer from reduced coolant flow through the matrix due to blockage but first they should check that no air emits from the bleed screw on the upper heater hose connection. Check there are no kinks in heater hoses and also renew the pollen filter to maximise air flow into the cabin.

Chaser

Thanks very much for your help still waiting for a reply from them will update you with outcome but I will have a look myself

Hi , I've just bought a 2005 Td4 sport premium ,and have discovered by accident it has a fuel burning heater, was wondering ifsomeone in simple terms could explain how it is meant to work?

Also I noticed it had one as I was investigating the strage noises it gives out and the chugging from the little exhaust when I turned the engine off, but I'm sure it was around 10 degrees when it is operating reading the back posts it's not meant to operate unless it is 5 or under also talk of temp sensor has any one pictures of its location and can I access it without bumper removal and how much do they cost and from where. Sorry for all the questions just want to make sure it's working 100%

Apparently I also have a FBH, but the mechanic couldn't get it to power up from the diagnostic computer. The computer said the FBH had a power interrupt fault logged, and he suggested the fuse may have been removed to save diesel. Later on I checked F5 in the engine compartment fusebox, it seems okay, but the one next to it (F3) was missing. I wondered if perhaps the MY2004 has F3 for the FBH instead of F5? I ask as my "RAVE" .sio is for MY2001. I guess I could take the bumper off and see if the power gets to the sensor too, but I'd rather just put a fuse in to make it work...

I guess you should be careful what you wish for. I removed the F5 fuse for 5 minutes exactly, and refit it. Went to get my lad from after school club, and I guess the temperature must have dropped as when I started the landy to come home, the FBH kicked in as we were leaving - wow that was a LOT of smoke, like the red arrows display team. Got home, and the smoke seemed to have calmed down a bit, and started to make a bit more even after the engine was shut down, but the cabin heater was definately warmer on the way home. I am guessing the FBH needs a service ? decoke/nozzle/clean whatever. Sort of smelled a bit like burnt plastic and nothing like our home oil heating. got a slight headache from the fumes now...

A good way to decoke the Webasto is to burn kerosene for a few hours.

teddywood1 said:

my engine warms up quite quickly about 2 and a half miles and it upto tempature
with the fbh it was the same I pulled the plug as I got fed up with it running on and on and people telling me my car was on fire

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I am having the same trouble with mine running on and on and on as long as the engine is running, when engine is turned off it take about 3-4 minutes to stop running, do we know why this is please.

Its complete guesswork, but I would say it should have some kind of temperature sensor that shuts it down when the coolant is up to temperature and yours is not working for some reason.

Your hawkeye screenshots in the other thread dont tell much, just that the coolant pump, air fan and fuel pump are working, which is obviously the case as the heater is burning well.

Arctic2 said:

I am having the same trouble with mine running on and on and on as long as the engine is running, when engine is turned off it take about 3-4 minutes to stop running, do we know why this is please.

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According to the intel' I have gathered, once started the FBH runs until the engine coolant temperature is above a certain level or the alternator signal disappears. If your thermostat is lazy, and the engine never gets above 1/4 of its operating temperature, then I would expect the FBH to run constantly, or at least until the FBH body temp probe exceeds a safety limit.

JRNORWAY said:

A good way to decoke the Webasto is to burn kerosene for a few hours.

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Well, our household kerosene tank might get raided. I am hoping that the webasto software will let me run the FBH with the engine off. I guess I would need to intercept the diesel feed to the ping pump. ?

dave21478 said:

Its complete guesswork, but I would say it should have some kind of temperature sensor that shuts it down when the coolant is up to temperature and yours is not working for some reason.

Your hawkeye screenshots in the other thread dont tell much, just that the coolant pump, air fan and fuel pump are working, which is obviously the case as the heater is burning well.

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landyhaze said:

According to the intel' I have gathered, once started the FBH runs until the engine coolant temperature is above a certain level or the alternator signal disappears. If your thermostat is lazy, and the engine never gets above 1/4 of its operating temperature, then I would expect the FBH to run constantly, or at least until the FBH body temp probe exceeds a safety limit.

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Thanks for the input on the thread, and for the two above, I will attempt today to try taking a video of the FBH working while connected to the Hawkeye, also link to the other thread that is going at the same time.

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f9/webasto-fbh-help-me-diagnose-failure-267466-5.html#post3388747

landyhaze said:

Well, our household kerosene tank might get raided. I am hoping that the webasto software will let me run the FBH with the engine off. I guess I would need to intercept the diesel feed to the ping pump. ?

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In Webasto Thermo Test you can start/stop/set it up as parkingheater or aux. heater. So no problem to start it with the engine off.

Yes, under the rear wheel arch are the dosing pump. You need a 4mm ID fuel hose, 1 fuel hose clip and ideally a filter. You can bleed the feed via the software.

JRNORWAY said:

In Webasto Thermo Test you can start/stop/set it up as parkingheater or aux. heater. So no problem to start it with the engine off.

Yes, under the rear wheel arch are the dosing pump. You need a 4mm ID fuel hose, 1 fuel hose clip and ideally a filter. You can bleed the feed via the software.

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The FBH started by itself this evening on the way to parents evening, but not on the way back. I've ordered an OBDII plug, and I will have a go at making the interface and running the software on my toughbook. So 0.6 Litres/hour means I only need 1.2 litres of kerosene for a 2 hour burn -out ?

What do we recon on this working? http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=201278156873&alt=web

Despite what the ad suggests, its not a Webasto-specific kit, its just a generic remote control unit. It will work though, but all it is is a remote way to switch on the power supply to the Webasto.
I have one on mine which I bought from Maplins. Mine is a 2 channel system though so I can use it to turn on something else too if I could be bothered to wire it up.