guy009 Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 Hi all, I've had a thermotop c fitted under the drivers wing. It takes an hour to reach temperature. Most people seem to think theirs heats up in 15 mins. Is that normal? If so any ideas why mine may take so long? The chap who fitted it seems pretty straight up but admits this is the first time he's done anything other than modern vw campers. Mine is a 200tdi conversion. Engine heats up pretty quickly when driving. I've not noticed if eg the thermostat is stuck open but temp gauge reads steady on everyday driving. Thanks for any advice or details on how your heater performs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howitzer Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 I have a Thermotop Z i intend to fit on my 200tdi. I was going to mount it above the fuel pump as it gives a very straight run to the heater pipes. Is yours plumbed directly into the heater pipes at the passenger side of the bulkhead? Dave! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guy009 Posted December 19, 2013 Author Share Posted December 19, 2013 Hi Dave, I can't remember, i'll have to take a look when i get home. Its possible it is plumbed with new pipes going across behind the rear of the rocker cover to the heater matrix. Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guy009 Posted December 19, 2013 Author Share Posted December 19, 2013 just a thought, the webasto pump is high up in the wing, behind the heater, and is connected to the fuel lines down by the injector pump. I've heard these pumps have problems 'sucking' - as in they create positive pressure to pump the fuel well, but the vacuum power to suck fuel from the tank is not so great. Could that be a valid problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howitzer Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 If that was the case I think it would flame out and log a fault. My Eberspacher is pretty keen to log a fault when everything is not perfect, I'd guess the Webasto is the same but I don't have any direct experience of them. A picture would be good. Dave! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Member Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 Can you post a photo of the coolant hoses to see how it is setup. What do you exactly mean by it takes an hour to heat up? They heat up to 65 C before they start to throttle down to the lower settings. At 0 C, I would say mine has everything up to that temperature and is started to reduce to the lower settings in 10 to 15 minutes. What are you trying to achieve with it? One is to get the engine "warm" for starting, say +10C. The other it to provide cabin heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guy009 Posted December 19, 2013 Author Share Posted December 19, 2013 I'll get some photo's tonight. It takes 1 hour to reach its temperature (i am told 70*C) and half its duty cycle I want cabin heat, longer term i want to add a second hot air heater matrix and a water heat exchange in the rear. I am tempted to create a standalone circuit independent of the engine coolant system, but i thought this is how the VW's did the cabin heaters, heat the coolant circuit and use the blowers? I did a bit of research prior to getting it fitted and i'm pretty sure barge owners are using the same kit to heat radiators and hot water - am i dreaming? I can get it swapped for e.g. a D2 or a webasto dual top if i need to. My 110 is a camper conversion. In the summer i am going to kit it out in a similar style to a t5 camper, but for the immediate future, i just wanted to be able to run the heater, heat the heater matrix/coolant circuit and have heat through the blowers - so i can get out and use it immediately without weeks of camper conversion. I appreciate an air heater is faster but i wanted a system that could do both heat and hot water, and in colder areas preheat the engine although i hear thats not a huge issue with starting a 200tdi. Up until last night i'd never heard of a 'dual top' so hadn't considered that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Member Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 Okay. Let's see the actual setup. I have one in my 90 and have hot air from the heater in minutes and it gets properly cold where I live. On the subject of interior heat, I have a heater that has three times the heat output of a stock heater. There are some fairly low cost options for better heaters if you can do a bit of fabrication. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guy009 Posted December 19, 2013 Author Share Posted December 19, 2013 Hi Red, once I've solved the slow thermotop issue i'd be very interested in hearing about the improved heater options as i'm very aware once the thermotop is heating properly the heater/blower still sucks! I tried the heater again this evening (last test was in too much of a rush and out in the sideways rain) and set my alarm for 30mins. Went out after 30 mins and the pipes going to the heater matrix were just warm to the touch. The heater was whirring merrily away and blowing hot ish exhaust gasses. I could smell typical diesel burning smell but no visible smoke and not excessive smell. I am going to attempt to upload pictures from my gallery. excuse the poor quality, iphone in the pitch dark... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jad Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 Could an airlock in the coolant system cause these problems? Jad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Member Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 I can't tell what is going on there. You need to make sure it is piped in the correct direction with the outlet of the Webasto going to heater. Is the line going to the heater hotter than the line going to the engine? Does it sound like a jet engine running? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Member Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 Could an airlock in the coolant system cause these problems? Jad If it has an airlock, it won't work at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Member Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 The one picture shows the hoses pinched with a zip tie. Make sure the hoses are not kinked or pinched anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Brock Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 This is how mine is plumbed in.... If it helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guy009 Posted December 20, 2013 Author Share Posted December 20, 2013 Hi i'll check for pinching tonight/tomorrow. To answer some questions, the heater sounds ok to me, it activates almost instantly, turning the pump, then the fuel pump starts to click, the clicks and the jet engine noise get gradually faster and louder until it just blasts away sounding like a small boiler. Not sure if the pics are clear but the hoses seem to route as follows, heater outlet > matrix inlet, matrix outlet to horizonal inlet on what appears to be the inlet or exhaust manifold, then out of a vertical outlet next to the horizontal outlet, and off to the heater inlet. Is there a reliable method of testing the heater, such as bucket of water and see how long it takes to heat the water by sucking it out of the bucket and pumping it back in? I;m not sure if the line from the heater to the matrix is hotter than then return, i'll check this tonight and post up. To rule out fuelling could i block the T piece and then put the feed pipe into a e.g. 5l jerry can? The heater may be on its side, is there any problem with the units orientation? or is that more Eberspachers? Cheers guys for your help, i'm off on a trip to scotland for new year and was hoping to get this up and running before that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JST Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 where are you and whats the ambient? turn the interior heater fan off and try it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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