Eberspacher D5 heater fun

[bbarnes61]

Happy Holidays. After reading the numerous threads on diesel bunk heaters I am still in need of help.
I changed the igniter and screen on my ancient Eberspacher D5. Reconnected everything and it went through the cycle of trying to start without complete kicking on. I checked fuel supply and it seems fine. There would be momentary exhaust but it wouldn’t run. I rechecked and noticed fuel leaking out of the exhaust. So, I assume it’s getting proper fuel. Any thoughts?

 

[SteveK]

Was the fan running? with fuel leak out exhaust, sounds like it was not igniting.

 

[bbarnes61]

Was the fan running? with fuel leak out exhaust, sounds like it was not igniting.

Yes. It was about 3/4” unlevel also and remedied that. It’s still not kicking on.

 

[bbarnes61]

Yes. It was about 3/4” unlevel also and remedied that. It’s still not kicking on.

There was also some momentary smoke from the exhaust.

 

[SteveK]

Smoke suggests the ignitor not working properly. Is there good electric supply, if there is too much voltage drop it may be a cause. Finiky things that work great most of the time.

 

[bbarnes61]

There is good electric supply as I’m hooked to shore power.

 

[NWSeadog]

I think Steve has a good idea. It isn't how much voltage you have comng into the boat it is how much voltage gets to the igniter. You need to measure the voltage at th igniter. I had some poor connections which dropped the voltage to around 9V at the igniter which caused white smoke on start-up and failure to start at times.

 

[bbarnes61]

thanks great suggestion and I will check voltage and see what I get.
So, the next question would be, what would be the culprit for low voltage and did you go about fixing it?

 

[NWSeadog]

thanks great suggestion and I will check voltage and see what I get.
So, the next question would be, what would be the culprit for low voltage and did you go about fixing it?

My problem turned out to be a lousy spade connector right at the igniter.

 

[SteveK]

Yes a poor connection. BTW shore power is AC and the heater is DC off the batteries. The two are connected by a charger.
I suspect you are not getting enough power to the ignitor.

Not boating related, I currently came across a power cord issue 120AC to 12V DC that tested ok until it was plugged into device. The voltage/amps dropped enough to not allow operation. Change of power supply and it works as expected.

 

[bbarnes61]

I did not check the batteries. I’m not sure but I assume they run off the house batteries. I could run the boat for a while and see if I get a bump from it and try to start the heater.

 

[av8r]

The older Espars only allow a few failed start cycles before locking out the start. As I recall the control board won’t run the fuel pump but does everything else, so it’s maddening to troubleshoot. There is a way to read the error code that indicates the lockout but it takes the manual to track it down. If you haven’t hit the number of attempts yet you are probably close so it might be a good idea to look into that. My copy of that manual is about 5 hours away, unfortunately. There are quite a few of those heaters out there, maybe someone else has a manual.

 

[bbarnes61]

The older Espars only allow a few failed start cycles before locking out the start. As I recall the control board won’t run the fuel pump but does everything else, so it’s maddening to troubleshoot. There is a way to read the error code that indicates the lockout but it takes the manual to track it down. If you haven’t hit the number of attempts yet you are probably close so it might be a good idea to look into that. My copy of that manual is about 5 hours away, unfortunately. There are quite a few of those heaters out there, maybe someone else has a manual.

Thanks and yes you get two cycles and it locks out. I crawl under and reset it or stay down there and can reset it by unplugging.

 

[Greg QS]

Be care full To much fuel in the exhaust can cause ignition In the system. Boiler backfire Clean out the excess fuel.
I don't have one of these. I do have a hurricane. The systems are similar. You need air, fuel, spark and atomization. There should be a step by step maintenance guide for your system

My system as follows
Go through the system step by step.
Vacuum out burn chamber.
Fuel, and fuel canister filter, clean or replace the burn tip. Check the o ring and stone filter. Improper atomization or flow will not ignite.
check fuel pump
Air to clear the chamber. pre start
Compressor air to the chamber. Check the air filter . Mine has a stone if clogged will not ignite.
Spark. Glow plug you can test by putting to the apocopate voltage. You may see a site window to view the glow, Mine does .
air to clear the chamber should run after attempts to fire or after burn to clear the chamber from exhaust gasses.

 

[tpbrady]

I have a D8 that acted similarly. There was a control box near it where you could read LED flashes and could decipher error codes. In my case, it was a bad flame sensor. Replacing the flame sensor required virtually complete disassembly of the heater. ##//%$$ German engineering. After doing that if it happens in the future, I am going to cut a panel out of the side of heater, replace the sensor and then muffler tape it back on. They should have put a removable panel there.

Good luck, my guess it’s a flame sensor.

Tom

 

[bbarnes61]

Ok, no luck. Voltage is good, it’s getting fuel, new igniter and screen but no start. It will run through the cycle but does not fully ignite. Any thoughts?

 

[NWSeadog]

Ok, no luck. Voltage is good, it’s getting fuel, new igniter and screen but no start. It will run through the cycle but does not fully ignite. Any thoughts?

What voltage at the igniter did you measure when it was trying to start?

 

[magna 6882]

I have two of those and one gave me trouble since new.I had 2 mechanics on board for a couple days and finaley got it working with no true cause. It went down again the following season so i took it on myself. Two problems can up. On mine i had thermostat switch that had a reset button that let me look at codes. It showed the unit as having over 3000 hours so i set reset to zero and it started working. Shortly after it was still acting up and when i felt the fuel pump it wasn't pulsing like the other heater was so i replaced the pump and its been working fine ever since. It seems the pump is very accurate in providing different flows to the heater. it was helpful have two heaters side by side to compare. I think the pump has been bad since it was new.

 

[SteveK]

I had one of those. It has a circuit board, right. decades ago there was a circuit board repair done to keep it working. Today, it is a paper weight once it stops working. JMO

 

[Bmarler]

Those can be sensitive to blower speed. Also, at this point, I would pull it out and put it on the bench for a good disassembly and clean. The burner could be coked up and messing with the fuel atomization.
If you had access to the edith software and serial adapter you could see for sure what the problem is.

 

[Patrick4002]

we had a d7 and a d8 they worked fine but if you use then the whole winter (live aboard) the they need a yearly clean and some service parts depending on the type of fuel used. they worked great but we had every year a 400 till 500 euro service cost (bring in service) now we replaced it with a central heating its not so costly on a yearly base but also not cheap to install

 

[bbarnes61]

What voltage at the igniter did you measure when it was trying to start?

What should the voltage or amps be at the glow plug?

 

[bbarnes61]

If I replaced five screen incorrectly with the weld over the fuel hole could that be my issue?
This thing is so old the code is how many flashes the green light makes. I still haven’t found the correct code chart for it.
I know these things draw a lot of amps on startup I’m just wondering what the minimum voltage would be for this 80w 12v unit

 

[NWSeadog]

If I replaced five screen incorrectly with the weld over the fuel hole could that be my issue?
This thing is so old the code is how many flashes the green light makes. I still haven’t found the correct code chart for it.
I know these things draw a lot of amps on startup I’m just wondering what the minimum voltage would be for this 80w 12v unit

Not sure what an 80w unit is. I had a Eberspacher D4 that would not want to start if the voltage at the glow plug (igniter) dropped below 12v when attempting to start. It would put out a lot of white smoke then when trying to start then shut off. When it did start the white smoke (unburned fuel) would go away. While troubleshooting I switched from using the diesel tank to using kerosene. With kerosene it started first time every time.

Attached is a troubleshooting check list.

 

[Patrick4002]

i had to replace the glowplug and almost every year cles the burning chamber and replace the metal mesh around the glow plug

 

[Lepke]

John McK 47 is a youtuber that did a series of videos on the Chinese version of the Eberspacher. They're close enough copy that the parts cross fit.
Check out this video:

 

[magna 6882]

If I replaced five screen incorrectly with the weld over the fuel hole could that be my issue?
This thing is so old the code is how many flashes the green light makes. I still haven’t found the correct code chart for it.
I know these things draw a lot of amps on startup I’m just wondering what the minimum voltage would be for this 80w 12v unit

I seem to recall some specific details when installing the screen but am not sure where i saw it.

 

[RCook]

If I replaced five screen incorrectly with the weld over the fuel hole could that be my issue?
This thing is so old the code is how many flashes the green light makes. I still haven’t found the correct code chart for it.

I have a PDF of the troubleshooting manual, which includes the key to the blinking green LED. Could email you if you post or PM your email to me.

 

[bbarnes61]

Took the heater out and thought I would take it somewhere and have an expert test it. Before I took it completely out I took the glow plug out and compared it with the old one. The new one says 20 v E 105 the old one is a E 103. I’m assuming this is my issue since it was getting fuel and good voltage up until I tested the glow plug. I am going order a new one and see if that works.