Considering fitting Eberspacher in place of rear heater unit

[Simon Jones]

I'm looking into removing the rear heater unit and replacing it with an Eberspacher heater and was wondering if anyone else has done this? I've previously had one fitted in a Bongo in the usual place under the passenger seat, but as I now have a V6 there is a bit less room under there. Obviously I'll need a small fuel tank for the diesel, but as the consumption is quite low, I could probably get away with 1 or 2 litres.

In terms of the hot air outlet, I would fit one into the side panel where the current heater has it's inlet, but I'm also considering fitting a diverter flap so I could put some or all of the hot air thru' the top vents. I seem to recall this has been discussed before as to whether the plastic ducting would take the heat. I've acquired a few pieces of Bongo vent ducting so can have a play first to see if it melts.

For the exhaust, I plan to route the pipe thru' the holes left vacant by removing the coolant pipes. I've got 2 complete DL1C heaters with all the controls, fittings, silencer, etc so I've got everything I need already. I have considered trading these bits in for a petrol version, but most of the ones that come up for sale on eBay tend to be pretty old units so I think I'll stick with what I've got.


One question which has been discussed before is what to do with the current coolant pipes and there are 2 options: block the end of each pipe or replace them with U-shape piece to keep the circulation going. Also, the aircon pipes would need to be capped off which I've seen done before by crimping the ends over and then filling with chemical metal.

Any thoughts or suggestions on this idea? Thanks in advance.

[mikeonb4c]

I would love to see someone use a diesel water heater and use the Bongos coolant system and radiators as the distribution system, plus make hot water. If anyone can do it, you can Simon

[teenmal]

Hi,

The only thing that I would be concerned about, fitting the burner in that position is that it will be in the vapour area of the Petrol tank.

Cheers keep warm.

[Northern Bongolow]

hi simon, just one thought of the safe operation/ fitting of the unit really.
on the fitting instructions on the eberspacher site for the units i have seen it states that the cold air in and hot air out pipes should always slope down away from the heater unit itself, this is incase the unit floods with fuel then is ignited creating a very serious problem,
please check that the prefered method of installation is followed with your unit.

[Simon Jones]

Mmm - good points about the safety side of things. Will read up on this a bit more, especially with regards to proximity to fuel tank. That's why it's good to bounce ideas around first.

[haydn callow]

Why not fit a petrol Eberspacher....Had one in my VW Caravelle and it was fine

[Simon Jones]

That would be the logical thing to do . I guess I could sell the 2 diesel ones & put the money towards a petrol one. Trouble is they are quite rare second hand & most of the ones I've looked at are the old model with the external control box.

[teenmal]

Hi,

It wont matter whether you use a Derv or Petrol burner it still amounts to the same thing as far as the safety aspect is concerned.

I would imagine that to fit the burner in the position that you want,would be near ZONE O,

Contact your Insurance Company (Not the Broker)and ask for advice.

Cheers.

[winchman]

Not give this much thought really but would it not fit near the spare wheel underneath in a box?
I have a propex gas heater its the size of a shoe box and cant find a hole to fitit in either

[Simon Jones]

I need to leave the area by the spare wheel free for LPG tank. Plus I'd prefer to keep the heater out the way of all the muck and water from under the vehicle.

The installation instructions show several mounting locations including under the rear seat of car (inside or out) and that would be very close to a typical fuel tank: http://eberspacher.com/downloads/techni ... hnical.pdf

[apole]

Hi Simon,

Ebay germany is a good source for the petrol heaters, they seem more common there.

I did in the past buy a water eberspacher petrol, plan was to use it as an engine pre-heater with an additional 12v water pump. Didn't do it in the end.

Regarding the safety, you should be fine so long as the exhaust doesn't go too near fuel pipes/vents and you have the option also to lag these to reduce radiated heat.

One issue I didn't get to the bottom of was the fuel supply. The petrol bongo has a pressurised system. The heater has it's own fuel pump. You can't simply tap into a fuel hose as the supply to the heater needs to be non pressurised. So that left installing another take off in the tank.

I'm sure it's all possible but I didn't have the time to persue further in my case.

Anyway, good luck and keep us posted.

Andy

[Simon Jones]

Thanks Andy - good point about the pressurised system. I have noticed that when I take the filler cap off I get a rush of air coming out and as you say that would cause a problem. That would not be an issue if I stuck to plan A and used a diesel heater with a small separate fuel tank.

The heater has a sealed combustion chamber and is designed to be using in the vicinity of fuel tanks and lines so should be inherently safe. The exhaust on any vehicle reaches several hundred degrees in normal operation and usually runs right past the fuel tank without any issues.

I will contact Eberspacher and confirm there recommendations for proximity to the main fuel tank.

What about the coolant pipes: block off or make a bypass circuit?

[helen&tony]

Hi Simon
Are you talking of the Bongo coolant...if so, I by -passed mine a year or so back until I got around to replacing the rear matrix.
I bought 2 metres of coolant-rated hose at a good pressure rating from a tractor shop, clipped it to the rear of the supply pipe driver's side, passed it alongside the existing pipework through the chassis and clipped it to the return pipe passenger side after trimming to length...thus only using 2 clips...works a treat!
Cheers
Helen

[Northern Bongolow]

kirsty has run hers for years with the rear BLANKED not looped simon, with no ill affects to the coolant system or the now shortened aircon.
this rear loop is considered an add on anyway especially on the diesel, may be slightly different on the v6 though not sure.

[mikeonb4c]

So what you do is reassign the rear heater for use with a water heating diesel heater, arrange for warm air convection, add a hot water tank (which can also be allowed to leak heat as a radiator), and the jobs done. And you don't have that nasty noisy dry air stuff. Jobs a good un.