Diesel Heater

[RBBailey]

So....

I don't live in the coldest of areas, but even when I'm on a long distance trip, the Defender just never warms up. If I'm on the highway, the air leaking into the cab (which is much better than some other Defenders) takes away from whatever the heater is able to do. I have recently figured out how to improve my heat flow into the cabin, but this really only works for a short period of time. If I leave the fan running, it cools the heater matrix down enough that it is very mild heating at best. I then shut the fan off for a minute or two, let the matrix the nice and hot, then I can turn the fan on again.

Anyway, I'm seriously considering one of these things:

Amazon.com: 5KW 12V Diesel Air Heater 10L Tank LCD Thermostat Monitor + Remote Control + Silencer for Bus Van Boat Trucks: Automotive

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I've looked at a lot of the YouTube reviews, and I'm thinking of mounting it under the pax seat box. So, do any of you have any direct experience with these?

I understand that it takes a bit to fire up and warm up, but on the cold days, that would be worth it. On the long trips, I could see this being totally worth it.

 

[javelinadave]

That is the Chinese version of Eberspacher/Webasto heater that many people install in their rigs. For the price I don't think you could go wrong unless it leaks carbon monoxide and kills you. Not to be morbid but my uncle died of CO poisoning from a brand new heater in his RV that failed fo vent properly.

 

[RBBailey]

Wow... You hear about things like that...

Yeah, I've thought of that, and the only way it could happen with this is if the combustion chamber case is actually cracked. Also.... I'm pretty sure a moving Defender has enough fresh air coming in, it may not matter.

 

[Uncle Douglas]

If your truck warms @ traffic lights but cools quickly when moving, its not that cold is leaking in, its that the door seals are sealing so poorly the heat is being pulled out by vacuum. Stationary the cab is pressurized by the heater fan.

 

[Napalm00]

I have this for my girlfriend, works great.

Gerbing Heated Jacket Liner - 12V Motorcycle

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[LiquidMoose]

I've got one in my 110, looks just like the one you posted. I debated the Chinese vs the Eberspacher/Webasto choice, $150 or $1000, China won.
On a recent cross country trip I would fire it up when outside temps were 25-40 degrees, it take 3-4 minutes to start blowing warm air and I kept it near to the lowest setting and it kept the interior very comfy, no Gerbings jacket needed, which I brought along just in case this old California wussy feared freezing to death.

 

[RBBailey]

If your truck warms @ traffic lights but cools quickly when moving, its not that cold is leaking in, its that the door seals are sealing so poorly the heat is being pulled out by vacuum. Stationary the cab is pressurized by the heater fan.

I'm sure there's some of that, but it actually cools at stop because the engine drops to 150 degrees in a few minutes at idle. The temp of the air coming out of the heater box is about 130 degrees at top, and about 120 by the time it comes out the vents. If I run the fan for a few minutes, that temp drops by about 10-15 degrees.

The only time I get comfortable heating is when I'm driving for over 30 minutes and under 45 mph. This is when the engine stays above 185 or so. When the temps are in the 40s, it can still be comfortable in the truck like this, but a long highway drive over the mountains at night gets cold. The drive in October was with 10 degrees ambient temp. Would have been nice to have that heated jacket. It was about 30 degrees in the cab. For three hours.

 

[mgreenspan]

I personally suggest replacing all your stock original likely 25+ year old heating parts, ensuring the connections are all tight and sealed, ensure your door seals and doors are fitted correctly, ensure your fan blower is operating and not just making more noise, and ensure your venting ducts are in fact clear before going for an expensive heater option. I also suggest removing any snow cowls or anything blocking or fitted over your heater intake. The moment I put one on I got significantly less air blowing and removed it.

I drove a 110 daily for almost eight years and a 200tdi 90 for 3 years before that. The heaters were magnificent and regularly run on lower fan settings. Yes it’s a giant box that you have to heat but you should be comfortable in the front seats at least.

Don’t underestimate the airflow that is dramatically improved when the vehicle is moving. It should be less effective at stops and slow speed because the fan is the only thing moving the air through the system rather than the fan plus the air flow through the wing top intake. If you want it even better get/fab a wing top intake scoop rather than the flat cover.

 

[Uncle Douglas]

I personally suggest replacing all your stock original likely 25+ year old heating parts, I also suggest removing any snow cowls or anything blocking or fitted over your heater intake. The moment I put one on I got significantly less air blowing and removed it.

Couldnt agree more. The entire ducting setup back to the heater is bs. It is designed such that it catches rain water and if the drain gets clogged with any debris that comes in from the wingtop the ducting fills with water and forces that into the heater box.
Removing the entire plastic duct to the wingtop allows the heater to pull unrestricted air from under the wingtop as is done on most other makes. One can only assume rover went with the ducting to keep passengers from having to smell engine fumes from their poorly designed and leaky engines.

On my personal trucks I have removed the plastic duct to the wingtop, opened the bulkhead apperture to match the heater box, and removed the two deflectors on the lower dash that direct the heat to your feet. Those three changes make a large improvement in warm air flow into the truck.

Ben on your truck it sounds like the thermostat is stuck open if your coolant temp is never getting up around 190. Coolant is held in the engine until it reaches a temp that opens the thermostat. This should certainly happen well in advance of 45 mins of driving. Only after the thermostat opens is coolant allowed to go from the engine to the radiator to be cooled. If you are never getting to temp clearly your coolant is circulating when it should not be.

 

[RBBailey]

OK, everything the two of you just said has already been done, except for the disconnect of the ducting to the wing top; which I'm not sure I want to do, since I have one of those leaky engines, and I'm sure I'd have unpleasant smells going on. I'm also using a cover over 75% of the radiator. I did try a "scoop" on the top of the wing for a while, to see if I could get more fresh flow during the summer, and found that the air flow was actually restricted.

Currently, the airflow is acceptable. Even when I have no heat, the fan will demist the windscreen. However, when I have anything more than the fan set on low speed, the air temp in the vent ducts will drop within a few minutes as the cold air is pushed through the heater core, it cools it down to the point where I have to turn the fan off to rewarm the core. I've tested the flow on both sides of the heater matrix by disconnecting the hose while engine was at idle -- sprayed all over the place.

The coolant, hoses, heater core, and some of the ducting is all new (15,000 miles). When I put the dash together, I duct taped as many of the joints as I could find, although most of the ducting is in the form of a maze in the guts of the NAS 110 dash system.

The door seals are new, or in good shape, however, two of the doors do not close 100% tight becuase of the doors themselves being too warped.

Am I missing anything? I suspect that my heat is getting 'lost' in the dash ducting after it comes through the bulkhead. But it never is very hot anyway.

As an example of this: If I coast down a hill, It will go from a running temp of 185 degrees to under 150 degrees in about 30 seconds. Having the radiator covered does help to keep the heat in, but not by much. An easy down hill run from out of the mountains will bring the temp down to 120 or so no matter what the engine is doing during that time.

EDIT:
By the way, I've heard from a few locals that the 5kw heater is too much. The 2kw heater should be more than enough. Lots of people are putting them into campers and such. A few people are putting them in their Defenders in this area, and Series-Defender Outfitters has a series of products for installing diesel heaters in the cab of Defenders.

Personally, if I do get one of these, I'm currently thinking of installing it under my passenger seat. Another guy is installing it under the rear seats, and protecting it with a home-made box. And a guy in Idaho has it set up to heat his cab, as well as to heat the engine coolant in his 300Tdi.

 

[erover82]

As an example of this: If I coast down a hill, It will go from a running temp of 185 degrees to under 150 degrees in about 30 seconds.

This should not happen if the thermostat is working.

 

[Red90]

Yes. Your thermostat is leaking.

 

[RBBailey]

I keep thinking that. I'm on my third one in 15,000 miles. I tested the last two before putting them in.

 

[Red90]

Maybe you are not installing it right. What engine is this?

 

[RBBailey]

300Tdi. Seems a simple thing, but I certainly could make a mistake!

 

[Napalm00]

Maybe hose routing too ? I'm just spitballin

 

[BarryO]

On a recent cross country trip I would fire it up when outside temps were 25-40 degrees ...

These days where I live now, that just means throwing on a sweatshirt.

Back in the day when I lived in SoCal, anything under 60 was cold. All depends on what you're used to.

 

[BarryO]

For the price I don't think you could go wrong unless it leaks carbon monoxide and kills you. Not to be morbid but my uncle died of CO poisoning from a brand new heater in his RV that failed fo vent properly.

'sounds like an RV CO detector is a good idea with one of these.

 

[RDavisinVA]

Have been driving our British Red Cross 110 with the Chevy 250.
It had a summer thermostat and before I swapped it out with one that lets the engine get warmer, the temp stayed below 160 deg F on the highway when it was in the 20s and 30s outside.
The colder it was outside, the lower the temperature.
This was a particular nuisance because in order for the Holley Sniper to learn the temp has to be 160 F or higher.
Below 160, on the highway the heater was luke-warm and the air leaks were enough to keep the interior cold.
When stationary, the temperature would climb up to above 160 and the heater would warm the interior identical to what RBBailey described earlier in this thread.
After changing the thermostat, the engine now stays warm enough to produce a steady supply of warm air sufficient to make the interior a lot more comfortable.
I think this is proof of concept with the thermostat advice from UD in post 9.

 

[brdhmltn]

I went down the rabbit hole on youtube a couple nights back and found this series. The CO problem with diesel heaters seems to be way overstated. Good info in the videos.