Nov 13
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Here is a (certainly not exhaustive) list of error codes for the Eberspacher Airtronic D4 air heater. If you know of others please let us know so we can add them to the list for the benefit of others.
011 – Low Voltage
031, 033 – Blower motor not running
051 – Check fuel supply (this can indicate a whole range of problems including no fuel or the unit being sooted up…)
You have had your Eberspacher D4 for years now and haven’t had many problems with it until now. Intermittently the heater won’t start. When you turn it on you can hear the click of a relay (if the unit is mounted near enough for you to hear it) but that is it. Does this description sound familiar?
If your error code on the control panel is showing 31 or 33 then it is likely your blower motor is worn out or to be more precise the coals on the electric blower motor are worn out. In another article we list a few other Eberspacher error codes.
When the coals are worn out on a DC motor then in certain rotary positions the motor won’t start. You can test this and turn the fan slightly from the front of the Eberspacher D4 before trying to start it again.
The solution here is to get a new Eberspacher blower motor from a dealer and replace the old one. Eberspacher sell these as modules that include the fan and housing for the motor. Buying an Eberspacher blower motor for an airtronic D4 will set you back almost £300 unfortunately, but at least by doing the job yourself you can cut down somewhat on the cost compared to getting the dealer to do the work for you. And because these units are well engineered and easy to service it’ll only take half-an-hour or so to complete the job.
Nov 15
Dutch barges are flat bottom boats, originally used for cargo carrying in the Netherlands, many of which have now been converted for pleasure or residential use. Originally made of wood and powered by sail, most of the existing barges are made of iron or steel and powered by diesel engines.
Source: Wikipedia
The number of licensed boats on canals and rivers managed by British Waterways (BW) was estimated at about 27,000 in 2006. There are perhaps another 5,000 unlicensed boats kept in private moorings or on other waterways. Most of the boats on BW waterways are steel cruisers popularly referred to as narrowboats.
Source: Wikipedia
Nov 15
A butty boat is an un-powered boat traditionally with a larger wooden tiller as the steering does not have the force of water from the propeller.
Source: Wikipedia
Nov 15
A boat is a watercraft of modest size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland (lakes) or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is something small enough to be carried aboard another vessel (a ship). Some boats too large for the naval definition include the Great Lakes freighter, riverboat, narrowboat and ferryboat.
Source: Wikipedia
However reliable and efficient the Eberspacher Airtronic D4 heater is, one problem that can occur is that it can get sooted up. It seems that under certain conditions (perhaps when running on certain quality of red diesel) soot can start to build up in the heater. Eventually the heater will have so much soot in it that it can’t function anymore.
The heater will go through the startup cycle but soon cut out when it can’t keep the flame alive. While in the startup cycle and when the burner is trying to burn, only a small amount of air will go through the combustion chamber and at the exhaust there will be just a gentle stream of smoke coming through.
However, if you have this problem and found this page – fear not – we will explain how to fix it. The Eberspacher Airtronic D4 heater is easily servicable and it doesn’t require a lot of skill, time or effort to fix this problem.
First you need to unplug the unit – unplug the electrical connection, air-ducts, exhaust pipe, and fuel line. While doing this kind of job it is really helpful if you have a good head torch as you can use both hands to do the work.
Ultralight LED head torch
Once you have removed the unit you need to remove the outer casing. Remove the top plate by undoing the plastic hinges. Then, in order to get the actual heater out from the bottom plate you need to remove the rear lid. Use a screwdriver to push the catches while carefully levering the rear lid out of the bottom plate.
Now you have got the heater separated from the outer casing. If your heater is coked up you will probably see the soot built up just at the exhaust pipe.
Next you need to remove the electric control box and the blower motor. Unscrew the single torx-screw that fixes the electric box, and then unscrew the screws the hold the blower motor to the body of the combustion chamber. Be careful not to damage the seal that sits between the blower motor casing and the combustion chamber.
You will now need to remove the glow plug (connected with a brown and a white wire) and remove the torx-screws from the plate that holds the glow plug to the combustion chamber.
Open up the chamber and remove the soot that has been built up.
That is all that is required once the unit has been put together again. We would suggest running the heater on white diesel for a while as this will help to remove any left over soot in the heater.
