Your brave, I’ve been doing mechanical work all my life, but I don’t think I will take on this challenge. I’m going to remove mine and send it in for service. Great job great video, you convinced me not to do it myself!
It is actually quite simple to do, but if you are more comfortable having someone else service it then why not? It is not the cleanest of jobs. Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for getting in touch
@@SailingYachtSaltyLass I've got a sneaky way of cleaning the soot out - need to be out in the open - spray brake cleaner into all the cavities and light it. Let it burn off the soot. spray it down again and light it up. Spotless! I've got an oil stove too. To clean that I pour in a generous dose of meth's and light it. All the soot burns off in a few min's. Sat by my D4 right now! _CHEERS._
I'm pretty sure you will know this by now but you can use your battery drill/driver to hold screwdriver bits like a torx bit and then either press the trigger or use the whole unit as a big heavy screwdriver! Excellent explanation on the servicing of that heater. All lorry drivers are familiar with them since they are generally fitted in sleeper cabs. 🥵 I KNEW I should have waited till the end...!!! 😂😂
Good luck with it. Remember to order a bottle of full-fat CocaCola as well. It makes a great cleaner and you can even drink some if you need a sugar rush! 😆 Also, do not forget the fuel filter. You will need two spanners for that and a pair of needlenose pliers to yank the old one out.
@@SailingYachtSaltyLass I used to love the cold, but these days no. And my two dogs would be most upset if no heat was there for them. I would have a mutiny on my hands
Hi, your video could not have come at a better time as I am about to service my own D4 Eber. You certainly know your way around these heaters, it will make my job a great deal easier, Fair winds and following seas
Sadly for us, experience has been a great teacher. We are glad that you find it useful. BTW - if you come up with a better method of soot removal, we would love to hear about it
Thank you very much. I used your video to do exactly as you have, service our heater. What could have cost many £ and a lot of stress was easy and really satisfying, thanks very much👍.
This video couldn’t have come at a better time! I have a RU-vid channel 2 about personal finance. Thank you so much for sharing your perspective about saving money!!
Just had a quick look at your channel and for your audience then the best idea that we would recommend to save money is a thermal cooker. We discuss thermal cookers in our video called gas leaks and thermal cookers ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-G_sb1QkIukI.html The one we use is called Mr D thermal Cooker mrdscookware.co.uk/ There is also a product called a wonder bag, which is a different product but does the same thing. With Mr D's thermal cooker, you basically bring your food up to the boil and then put it in a thermos flask for a few hours. It does really good food, long slow cooks, but at a fraction of the cost
Well done service great vid , our heater failed and was beyond repair ,so we replaced it with a cheap Chinese unit and I must say at £120 it’s incredible and if it fails I’ll probably throw it out and get another, although it’s identical to yours and all the parts are available. Thanks again enjoying your honest Vlogs👍
Thanks for the comments. I am glad you got a solution that works for you. I am told that with the Chinese versions, the exhaust hose is the weak point, but if you have issues with it they are not that expensive to replace.
Sailing Yacht Salty Lass yes very much inferior exhaust but I was fortunate to be able to reconnect to the existing eberspacher exhaust, so far I must say it’s an impressive wee beastie. Enjoying your vlogs I’m across the water from you in Clyde marina (just up the coast from Troon)
Sailing Yacht Salty Lass you may be thinking of James watt dock further up the Clyde ardrossan is literally just across the bay from Troon ,I know you’ve been to Largs and Troon,Clyde marina is the other main marina between the two ,the other big crane you may be thinking of is the two ore terminal cranes next to Largs that have just been removed.
The big crane was at Greenock, but I recall the Largs cranes that we went past last summer. Adrossan used to have a ferry service to Belfast and when we came past it from Milport we heard the Habourmaster on the VHF broadcasting boat movements for some vessels. CalMacs perhaps? You have brought it all back with that comment. I had sort of fogotten it, but it has come flooding back :-)
That particular video will be out on Tuesday. The only thing is that apart from Sail Cruising Northern Ireland, we will not publish it on any of the facebook groups that we are in. However if you click on the bell, then You tube will notify you when it is out
@@SailingYachtSaltyLass I purchased the kit from your link thanks. I will see if this sorts it and if not I think It may need a new fan. £££££ ! Loving your videos by the way! Really good !
@@yachtrubysailing3344 - We wore out our fan and - yes - it was ££££, but it took 5 minutes to fit once we had pulled the unit. Glad you are enjoying the vids and thanks for the feedback 👍 It sometimes takes a couple of goes to restart after the service because the fuel line will be partly empty.
@@yachtrubysailing3344 - BTW, if you need to print off written notes as a guide, use the article on our website at www.saltylass.co.uk/eberspacher-service
@@SailingYachtSaltyLass Hi, so after putting it all back together it done nothing and was very disappointing but I worked out how to get up fault codes on the 7 day timer. Mine came up with 031 which is fan blower! I purchased a new one fitted it today and wow working so well and will be keeping me warm for when I relaunch my b36 Ruby end of March ! Thank you for you video and help ! I am a ‘Salty Lass’ fan now for sure !!
That is a really good video how to! Gona share on our FB page. We have an Avro M5 which is basically a Makumi (Japanese) diesel heater. They work in the same way but the glow plug is from a diesel car (Easy and cheap to replace) and they have a brushless motor (no brushes to wear out). So the top tip from the supplier in Southampton was every spring run it on paraffin at full tilt for an hour to burn off all the internal carbon. Seems to work! If you do this it never needs a service until it stops working and then it either the glow plug or the overheat sensor! Sure enough 5 years on and one overheat sensor replaced at £40 shes been 100% and never a full service! We also found a trick to wire in a switch so the blower runs and the heater does not. Its good for cooling the boat when your down south. I think you can do this with your heater too. May be worth a google? Thank for sharing cracking video!
I thought when I was doing this that it would be dry-as-dust of interest to mechanical types only. I have been blown away by the reaction. It seems I got this one right. I am not an engineer, but I did a lot of IT support, development and training for 30 years so I can usually explain stuff well once I understand it. Please feel to share it if you know someone it can help. I have heard about the paraffin fix but we have no easy way to plumb the paraffin in and I am reluctant to cut/splice the fuel line. The Eber does have a "ventilation" setting built in. We did use it to ensure that we could work it, but that was once about 18 months ago. I am glad you enjoyed it
@@SailingYachtSaltyLass Just out of interest do you have a Co2 alarm fitted on Salty Lass? We did a how to publication for the Bavaria Owners a few years ago (we were Vice Commodore and Treasurer at the time ) One of the top things we recommend was Co2 Alarm with any fossil fuel heating source. To be sure, to be sure. Gas and Smoke alarms too. All from B&Q cheap as chips but ensure you dont wake up dead 😉Just test them once a month as part of your monthly checks. Temps dropped her now we are down to 17 c so the heating is going on. 2 Kw fan heater with a tilt cut out if it gets knocked over. Again Lidl €15. Better than using or Diesel thats €1.47 a Ltr here!!!!!! Again, a great video! Looking forward to watching the rest...Sail Safe Ant, Cid & the Pooch crew.
@SV Impavidus (Ant & Cid Sailing) - 17°C? I would love for it to be as high as that. I might consider a T-Shirt. It is a balmy 6°C here. We have not had a lot of luck with alarms, so the boat is kept well vented, even at night. We never have her totally enclosed and "locked down" tight and we always open the main hatch and companion way when using the cooker. We have had the gas system tested a few months ago and a safety certificate issued. The port lazarette has been converted to a vented locker and extra gas bottles and a small container of unleaded are stored in approved containers in there. You do what you can.....
some people say running it on high with kerosene will clean it out since it burns so clean on its own. another youtuber showed you can run these on alcohol. they run terribly but the water content should steam clean it. you can also adjust the air fuel ratio by adjusting the min max fuel and fan speed in the advance settings. you should be able to get it to burn cleaner that way. I dont think you really need to clean the burn chamber since that stuff shouldn't affect anything unless its quite literally jamed full.
Hi Jim - I am not sure how we would adjust those settings, but we know how to scrub things clean 😄 I have heard about the kerosene, but given the configuration of our boat and fuel systems, installing a separate kerosene feed is not really feasible. To pull the unit for servicing every so often is something that we can do fairly easily. I am glad to report that it is still running happily and is warming my feet as I type this. It is 3°C outside with a wind chill that takes it down to -2°C
Just a quick note on using the glow plug removal tool, you don't need it. Remove the fan unit first then you can use a normal 12mm spanner on the glow plug.
Mine stops working unless its on high. Probably beacuse the airways are blocked. Thanks for the excellent video. Did the slotted socket come it the gasket kit?
The slotted socket we made by cutting a 13mm long socket with an angle grinder, but then we got the proper one from someone who had a spare. I think your diagnosis of a blocked airway is correct. When it happened to us, it was a piece of pipe that we had accidentially crushed flat. We cut the flat bit out and joined the two ends together and it has been fine ever since.
I think you have it backwards - the chinese heaters look exactly like an Eberspacher. I think the patent lapsed and so copies abound. 😃 I know the exhaust pipes are a good fit as are the ducting pipes so maybe the other bits might be as well. It would be a bit of a gamble....
great video. I have no heating on my boat and need to make a plan for the winter later this year. With the Chinese brand heaters doing a similar (with respect to eberspacher) job. would you recommend the extra cost to install one of these over the Chinese ones? I'm trying to keep my budget modest. But if the heating fails on me, liveaboard in the UK could be deeply unpleasant.
I have not come across the Chinese ones so it is very hard for me to comment on them except to say what others have told us. Firstly, if you buy the Chinese ones then do NOT use their exhaust hose or the exhaust silencer as these are reputed to be of very poor quality and leak carbon monoxide. Buy an Eberspacher or Wesbasto exhaust hose of the correct size as these are not expensive. Also buy the rock wool lagging and put it around the exhaust hose as it makes a huge difference to safety because that exhaust gets REALLY hot. Better still, buy twice the length you need and double it up so it is twice as thick. Secondly, lag the airducting going to the cabins so that you heat the cabins and not the lockers and duct spaces. The lagging is expensive but the diesel you will save will pay it back. Next, make sure the air intake for the cabins is well away from the exhaust. You do not want to be sucking exhaust fumes in. This has killed people due to Carbon Monoxide poisioning but if you just make sure that the intake and exhaust are (say) a few metres apart then you will be fine. Lastly, the price difference between an Eberspacher and a Chinese one is considerable, but there seems to be an intermediate option - an Autoterm/Planar heater. I have heard good things about these and know some people who use them and there are agents/dealers in the UK I hope that helps. Do get back in touch if you feel I have missed something
They do have a new additive to add with the fuel eliminate the carbon in the diesel fuel it's like a catalyst they call it maximizer mileage you can go to Pittsburgh power. Com and order it it is a little bit pricey but you only use 1 oz to every 25 gallons I started using it in my truck which I have the same heater and it works wonders
My eberspacher boat heater stopped working all of a sudden. I don’t think it’s the control box as I replaced that a few years back. What’s the most likely cause do you think? It’s approximately 17 years old and I have never had it serviced. Some people mention the glow plug and mesh but I wonder if there is a Nozzle which injects the diesel. I have a similar arrangement on my oil boiler at home and I replace that every year. I was also thinking about whether there is a fuel filter somewhere on the unit. Any thoughts? Thanks, Michael Edit - apart from the things you did! I’ll try to cover all eventualities when I remove it all at the same time!
Hi Michael - when you say "stopped working" what exactly do you mean? Totally dead - nothing happens? Starts up, blows smoke then stops? Also, do you know the model of eberspacher?
Thanks , Eberspacher Airtronic D4 is the model. It’s been awhile but as far as I can remember it basically doesn’t even go through the start up initiation (I seem to recall that when it did work there were a few clicks and then the fan cut in) so it could be a fuse or something possibly. I think I’ll take it off and have a look anyway.
There should be a fuse near the battery, check that first. Eberspachers should not go through the boat's main switch panel as they should never be turned off suddenly, so the power lines to the Eber usually have their own fuse. Blocked gauze or a blocked airhole will result in the Eber starting up and blowing clouds of unburnt diesel smoke because the mixture will be wrong. If it is dead in the sense of "nothing running" then I would suspect an electrical fault.
I also opened my D4S Eberspächer. I have it on Vw Crafter van for only in rear cabin. In summer it only smoked a lot and not started great. Now the blower works only. I can't hear the sound of the fuel pump any more. I tried with 12v and it worked. And checked the glow plug with 12v and cleaned the whole unit. I haven't yet tested it. I don't know is my timer broken because when I turn the key to on position or start the car the timer also start. I don't know why because this is not for the motor (what is bad thing) it is just air heater for the rear cabin. Any ideas what to do?
If you cannot hear the fuel pump, it may not be pumping fuel. Also the fuel pump contains a small strainer that should be changed every so often, but I would expect to hear the "tick-tick-tick" of the pump. Get a voltmeter and check that when the system is turned on, 12V is showing at the pump. If there is no voltage at the pump then you have an electrical problem. Many Eberspachers have a fuse near the battery. Check that if there is no power getting through. Since the blower works the fuse is probably OK. If the pump works separately then the chances are a bad electrical connection somewhere. You will need a voltmeter to find it. Just start at the panel and work towards the blower/pump and you will find a loose or corroded connection somewhere
@@SailingYachtSaltyLass Thank you very much for the answer. I installed it back and tried it. It started normally and worked normally I think so. But when I set for example 20min cycle for warming it will not stop after that 20min. I think it drops power but it not still stop. It stop only when I turn key to off position or press timer on/off switch. I have to test will it shut down if I don't turn key to on position. The lcd light turn on always when I turn the key to on position. Is there some automatic system or is my timer broken or can't I use it the correctly ? I haven't yet tested timer functions but I think otherwise it is okay. It's just the problem it not shut down on itself.
@@ahsell1598 - On our Eberspacher, when we press the "Off" button, it takes about 5 minutes for it to shut down. The reason for this is that it has a series of steps to go through that stop it sooting up. If you just turn it off at the breaker, it will soot up very quickly. Let it do its own thing and you might not need to service it for years
A few months running it 24/7 or about 2,000 hours of continuous use. It is not really made for it but it is the only heater that fits our boat. Diesel stove type heaters take up too much room
Don’t use WD40 on the bolts, it’ll dry them, use a tiny bit over copper grease, they will come out much easier next time. Motor on mine has dying bearings, I’m going to rebuild and see how it goes
Our motor went as well. We looked at pulling it apart but it went in December and Xmas was messing up deliveries and such and it was cold.... so we just splurged on a new motor which took less than an hour from pulling the unit to having back and running again.
For some reason, this comment and about a dozen others has only just turned up in our comments section so I apologise for the late reply Our impending "failure" was fairly obvious - on start-up a vast plume of smoke out the exhaust during start-up and then it failed to start. It is getting that way now after two years so we will pull the unit and service it before we go off this year
Don't use cheap supermarket diesel. Too much biodiesel in the fuel. It causes the unit to soot up. Too much soot build up on the glow plug and the diesel won't ignite. Adding diesel additive will make the unit burn hotter and burn off any soot build up.
We use supermarket diesel when the marina fuel pontoons are shut because of COVID or if we are at a marina where they do not do diesel. We ALWAYS add a fuel conditioner whether red or white.
good job you girl's did,,, but!,,, just to save you some money,, the glow plug is NOT a serviceable item!,, so you do not replace it on a service unless it is not working!, (just clean it off with a scouring pad to remove any carbon build-up on it!),, but you DO change the gorse and the heater's diesel fuel filter!, so all way's carry a spare glow plug a diesel filter/s and a gorse/s!, and when changing the gorse, all ways clear out the very small air hole (just inside the glow plug hole above the gorse) because ""ALL"" the heaters combustion air has to go through this very small hole, and if it or the gorse (or fuel filter) is even a little bit blocked the heater will do one of two thing's,, it will either not light up and burn,, or it will half light up and then smoke like a battle ship on full throttle!,, as for fully stripping down your heater,, why?,, if its running leave it be!,, don't go stripping it out because you think you have too!,, just change the gorse and leave it be!,, a word of advice though,, if you only have your heater ""ticking over and not running flat out!"",, (and they were built to run flat out 24/7, not to tick over!),, then you really should give your heater a good two hour run ""on full throttle"" at least once a month,, that will really slow down the build up of ""soot!"" inside your heater and extend its servicing time by at least twice and maybe even three time's!,, it also go's without saying,, you must only run your heater on "CLEAN FRESH DIESEL!" as dirty old fuel and blocked filter's ""WILL"" causes far more problems that you can imagine,,PS
Great advice - thank you! The main reason that we remove the unit is because we found it nearly impossible to change the gauze filter due to the way the unit is mounted. It is impossible to see what you are doing and after 2 or hours of frustration we were no further forward. Removing it takes 10 minutes and we can see what we are about.
I understand what you are saying, but I was trying to say you don't really need to strip the heater right out to service it, just change the fuel filter and the gauze, is all you need to do, and don't even do that unless you really need to!,, most heaters will play up if you only have them ticking over because they need to be ran flat out to burn away any soot in the burner tube! as for the glow plug, on a normal service that is not to be replaced unless it stops working, ie: its burnt out! like it's dead and not heating up at all!,, so just have on board all the tool's and the parts you may need to fix it,, and let the heater be until it really stop's working,,, so in short,,, follow the golden rule,,, """if it is not broke,, then don't fix it!"""
