High-Octane Diesel and Night Heaters??

[Minkey]

So, reading a few facebook posts about differences people find using normal and hi-octane diesel got me thinking.

Being a skinflint and it's only a work van with occasional camping use, I've just fitted a chinese diesel heater. I've read that the only thing they generally suffer is the occasional coke up if you don't run them hot enough and a genuine Eber/Planar glow plug fixes this.

But... Anyone found any differences using the better diesel??

 

[andys]

That sounds like the sort of spoiler rumour started by the makers of more expensive units...

 

[oldiebut goodie]

All heaters will suffer premature coking if you have over-specced it and run it at minimum heat all the time. It is better to run a smaller heater flat out all the time. I bought a couple of Webasto Air Top 5000 5Kw heaters of a guy that had had them both failing - when I checked the ecu details they had both been run at only the lowest heat all the time, never at medium, high or boost. They were both completely coked up! Don't put a 5Kw one in a T6 as you will never run it hot enough for long enough to avoid premature coking. I only fitted a 3.2Kw Webasto to my Merc 508D exbus which is easily twice the volume of a T6 and there is no sign of coking up after 8 years use.
Grade of diesel makes no difference to them. Type of glow pin has nothing whatsoever to do with coking - it is only used at startup - there are some very strange ideas espoused on social media (Which is why I will never use it )

 

[DXX]

If you install a Wallas XC Duo you will burn off most of the residual carbon in cooking mode.

 

[oldiebut goodie]

Not worth it when he has installed a cheapo Chinese heater already and is a skinflint. ( As an aside - I wonder how skinflint came into being as tight - I can understand as far as using a flint instead of a knife for skinning may be construed as being tight)

 

[andys]

Not worth it when he has installed a cheapo Chinese heater already and is a skinflint. ( As an aside - I wonder how skinflint came into being as tight - I can understand as far as using a flint instead of a knife for skinning may be construed as being tight)

Wiki

From thieves' slang one who would skin a flint for the sake of gain or economy. (Source: Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language: College Edition, Cleveland and New York, The World Publishing Company, 1962, p. 1367.)

 

[oldiebut goodie]

Aaah but I do try to speak English not American! I could understand it if its origin was from tanners and skinners being very ancient and vital professions to the leather and fur trades which far predate the American colonies and the evolution of their tormented version of the English language. I should think that the word originated from this side of the pond.

 

[andys]

Aaah but I do try to speak English not American! I could understand it if its origin was from tanners and skinners being very ancient and vital professions to the leather and fur trades which far predate the American colonies and the evolution of their tormented version of the English language. I should think that the word originated from this side of the pond.

Sorry I didn't quote the whole article, yes the Yank dictionary took the definition from 18th C England.

 

[oldiebut goodie]

That's very modern - I would have expected the origins to be 12th -13th century era. The origins of words are very intriguing at times, I wish that I had studied much more widely when I was younger!
Skinflint could be viewed thus - skin that has been inadequately (cheaply) dressed/tanned and has become 'hard as flint' - interesting to think for one's self and not accept what is deemed correct by others and see what transpires. This is where the internet is handy as you can bounce ideas off others over a period of time rather than in a classroom type scenario where you have to think quickly and get a view across.

 

[Minkey]

Off on a proper tangent then boys...

Only going on a few YouTube vids of people saying they fixed the coking with better plug. It does come back on just before shut down to help ignite as much unburnt fuel as poss before cool down.
Looks like this is where they are saying it helps with better plug.

 

[oldiebut goodie]

Yes they do come on briefly to burn off the last of the unignited fuel but I have been using Chinese replacement glow pins in Webastos for years and there are no differences in performance over the genuine manufacturers offering, they either work or they don't. If they are going out of the resistance range the heater will soon throw up an error to let you know. You will find that so much is produced in the Far East and badged for the big manufacturers that you would be hard pushed to tell the difference without the logo on it. I speak from years of refurbishing Webasto air heaters rather than just one.
There is a lot of misinformation contained in those youtube vids - I have cringed when I have seen what some people's videos show others what to do on an installation or service of Webastos.

 

[Minkey]

Ah happy days. If you worked on lots of these, then I'll bow to your experience.

Hard to find the right info on the www and lots of van enthusiasts shun the Chinese ones.
For me, this is a work van that we might camp in two or three times a year and usually in the summer so can't justify the spend on a branded heater that I migjt only use on frosty work mornings.
Especially as you say the branded ones are becoming the same as Chinese now.

I have at least got the 2KW as I know it needs to be run hotter.

Question then... is it worth messing with the settings to make it run leener with higher fan speed or leave well alone??

 

[oldiebut goodie]

With the amount of use that you are going to put it to I wouldn't worry about it at all. One thing that some people have said that they do is before shutting off is if they have been running their heater ( of any brand) for a while at low heat output is crank it up to full heat for ten minutes first to try to burn off any light deposits, anecdotally this does appear to be effective.
On older Webastos if you run them too hot and lean you can begin to melt the burner tube that contains the flame - you cannot adjust this on the latest models though.
One thing that does need to be done is run your heater once a month at least throughout the warm season when you wouldn't otherwise use it - this keeps the fuel pump supplied with fresh fuel and prevents seizing up of the components. A lot of people don't follow this manufacturer's recommendation and leave it unused for 6 -8 months and it doesn't work at the first sign of frost in the next cold spell. I don't know if these Chinese heaters have a very comprehensive manual that specifies this - any documentation that I have seen is very poor at the best and full of the terrible translations that we are all familiar with. ( this is why the youtube vids have had to be made by people frustrated with the lack of information, at least with Webastos there are comprehensive workshop manuals available to anyone)
Personally I will not touch the Chinese ones - a guy asked me to have a look at his that had failed but I couldn't do anything as I don't have spares for them. It had only lasted 2 months! He bought a 2nd hand Webasto from me on recommendation from his mate who has run 2 heaters of mine for years on his live-aboard boat (on virtually constantly) and has never looked back.

 

[zombie_T6]

But you will use the Chinese plugs you say, is it just the Chinese mechanicals that put you off then?

 

[oldiebut goodie]

I just have my hands full with Webastos, I don't touch Eberspächers, Planars or Mikuni ones either. I don't want to build up a stock of spares for them all. A dealer gave me a couple of the Chinese motors to play with that were supposed to be replacements for Webasto motors but they would not function without the Chinese ecu and therefore their controller. The castings were a direct and very precise copy of the Webasto one though but just don't 'feel' right. They are lying in a box in the workshop gathering dust! I am doubtful as to their longevity as they haven't been on the market long enough to tell, but they are cheap and in today's throwaway society people will buy them for that reason alone.