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vito
Member Since: 26 Apr 2005
Location: Southern Italy
Posts: 21
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| smoke from the pre-heater! |
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Today something scary happened! 
I was parking the car, when a cloud of smoke appeared from the front left side of the car, with an intense smell of burned diesel fuel. I looked in the engine and the smoke seemed to come under the Webasto pre-heater.
The pre-heater was apparently working, with a low continuous noise. After few seconds of the engine running on idle, I heard a strange, louder, bubble-like noise coming form the heater, and smell and smoke were coming out again. I called the dealer, fearing of a fuel leak possibly leading to a fire. He said that is the normal functioning of the pre-heater. 
I am a little concerned, since the air temperature was 9 degree Celsius above zero , the engine was already warm, and I don’t know why the pre-heater was actually working. Moreover, I never experienced smoke or smell in 8000 kilometres so far, even in temperature much colder.
Please let me know if the dealer is right or I better run for help. 
Greetings from Italy, Vito
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 4th Jan 2006 9:09 pm |
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DG
Site Moderator
Member Since: 12 Dec 2005
Location: The Gaff
Posts: 50934
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Mine does the same at up to about 7oC - doesn't smoke sometimes as much as others - I understand that a bit of smoke is normal - it is a 'fuel burning heater' after all  21 year LR veteran > D2 GS 2003 > D3 S 2006 > D3 HSE 2009 > D4 HSE 2013 > D4 HSE 2015 > D5 HSE 2018 > DS HSE R-Dynamic P300e 2021
Last edited by DG on 4th Jan 2006 11:33 pm. Edited 1 time in total
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| 4th Jan 2006 9:15 pm |
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BN
Member Since: 18 Mar 2005
Location: Here
Posts: 6463
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It is an oil burning miniature heater. The smoke is exactly the same as a normal house central heating system exhaust (chimney), when cold it smokes a little and can smell of diesel.
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| 4th Jan 2006 9:48 pm |
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vito
Member Since: 26 Apr 2005
Location: Southern Italy
Posts: 21
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Thank you for the replay dickgriff,
it has been very reassuring: maybe the unusual smoke was due to some low quality diesel fuel. However, I am still surprised why it was working after a one hour drive, being indeed a pre-heater.
See you, Vito
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| 4th Jan 2006 9:51 pm |
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vito
Member Since: 26 Apr 2005
Location: Southern Italy
Posts: 21
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Thank you too, BN, this is exactly what the dealer told me.
However, I almost reached for the fire extinguisher! 
Looking forward to see you in Ciociaria somehow in the future!
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| 4th Jan 2006 10:06 pm |
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Smarticus
Member Since: 01 Jan 2005
Location: Northumberland
Posts: 655
 
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Sorry to have a negative voice here Vito, but it doesn't sound right to me that the webasto is firing up when the air temperature is 9 degrees AND the engine is already hot. The manual says the webasto is programmed to fire up when the engine is cold and the external air temperature is below 5 degrees. I guess the webasto must have a temperature sensor in it to "know" what the external temperature is and it sounds to me as if that may be faulty on yours. I don't imagine the heater coming on when it is not necessary is dangerous, but it will use more fuel and create more exhaust than is needed, so if it continues to do that I would take it to the dealer to get it checked out. Disco 4 TDV6HSE
Defender 200TDi CSW
RR Evoque
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| 4th Jan 2006 11:19 pm |
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DG
Site Moderator
Member Since: 12 Dec 2005
Location: The Gaff
Posts: 50934
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I agree with smarticus - my heater only comes on for the first few minutes or so after starting from cold - not 1 hour later - worth a check up with Dr.Landy I think 21 year LR veteran > D2 GS 2003 > D3 S 2006 > D3 HSE 2009 > D4 HSE 2013 > D4 HSE 2015 > D5 HSE 2018 > DS HSE R-Dynamic P300e 2021
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| 4th Jan 2006 11:30 pm |
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10forcash
Member Since: 09 Jun 2005
Location: Ubique
Posts: 16534
  
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The pre heater *should* switch on at 8 degrees and below AND if the engine coolant temperature is 75 (ish) degrees and below, anything else may indicate a sensor fault, the FBH running at other times won't cause any danger but will waste fuel
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| 4th Jan 2006 11:32 pm |
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BN
Member Since: 18 Mar 2005
Location: Here
Posts: 6463
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vito wrote:Thank you too, BN, this is exactly what the dealer told me.
However, I almost reached for the fire extinguisher!
Looking forward to see you in Ciociaria somehow in the future!
My pleasure, should be in Italy in a few weeks time.
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| 5th Jan 2006 12:27 am |
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johnflavell
Member Since: 01 Aug 2005
Location: South Wales
Posts: 78
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vito
I am led to believe by a good friend of mine [YOSSER 395] that the pre heater with continue to work if the internal car heater is up high thus taking heat from the engine on a cold day[up to 8 degrees]. Check MPG on cold and warm days??? TDV6 Se Zermat. 07
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| 5th Jan 2006 5:21 pm |
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simon
Member Since: 11 Jan 2005
Location: Shropshire
Posts: 18296
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johnflavell wrote:vito
I am led to believe by a good friend of mine [YOSSER 395] that the pre heater with continue to work if the internal car heater is up high thus taking heat from the engine on a cold day[up to 8 degrees]. Check MPG on cold and warm days???
Could explain the lousy MPG at the moment - 27 ish now and not 30 ish
-s
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| 5th Jan 2006 5:43 pm |
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BN
Member Since: 18 Mar 2005
Location: Here
Posts: 6463
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The FBH will use a lot of fuel especially in cities when tickover and slow running. The FBH is an addition to the main heater, so turning up the heat does not necessarily mean it will keep running. If the engine is not warm enough it will and as LR's cool quite well at slow speeds again in cities it may run far more.
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| 5th Jan 2006 5:48 pm |
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Wildrover
Member Since: 19 Jul 2005
Location: Walkabout
Posts: 628
 
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My FBHeater is constantly on when temperature below 5degrees even when engine warm. From previous posts I get the feeling the engine runs cold and the thermostat to turn of the FBH should be set to 75degrees. Is there anyway to manually control it on. My fuel economy stands at 24mpg now as alot of short journeys and FBH always on.
Cheers
2.7 S+ manual
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| 6th Jan 2006 11:26 am |
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vito
Member Since: 26 Apr 2005
Location: Southern Italy
Posts: 21
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Thanks folks
Today I noticed that the pre-heater stays on even after a long trip, when the engine is definitively hot (althoug the air temperature was rather low for Italy satandards). It also remained turned on for maybe one minute after turning the engine off.
The fuel consumption seems to be somehow increased lately(in the first 7000 km it stayed on 10,7 km per liter, while after resetting 1000 km ago, now is set on 11,8 km per liter), but I’am not sure if this can depend on various driving conditions.
However, I should take the car to service in a few weeks (they have to replace both headlights because of water leaks), and I’ll talk again with the technician. When I phoned reporting the smoke, he asked me the air temperature (it was 9°C), but he said everything was normal.
Bye, Vito
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| 6th Jan 2006 11:36 pm |
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P. Bianchi
Member Since: 11 Dec 2004
Location: Oltrepo' Pavese, Italy
Posts: 59
 
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vito wrote:
The fuel consumption seems to be somehow increased lately(in the first 7000 km it stayed on 10,7 km per liter, while after resetting 1000 km ago, now is set on 11,8 km per liter), but I’am not sure if this can depend on various driving conditions.
Hi Vito. Are u sure those figures are actually km/L and not L/100 km instead? if you went from 10,7 to 11,8 km/L your consuption has decreased, not increased, and these are excellent figures btw, on a Tdi i only did 11,0 km/L on average.
ciao
P. Bianchi P. Bianchi, D3 TDV6 HSE - manual, nav 4x4 info, electric roof, rear diff, EGR blanked, EPB actuator changed 3rd times --> twirling balls, compressor twice, no longer MSV-2, Oltrepo' Pavese Hills, Pavia, Italy
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| 16th Jan 2006 3:31 pm |
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