who has installed a Webasto?
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pugslyyy
Expedition Vehicle Engineer Guy
I know that Diplostrat has one in his Tiger and had a few issues which resulted in him becoming very familiar with Webasto products and their installers/technicians. Might want to pick his brain a little.
DiploStrat
Expedition Leader
Not familiar with that model. I have a Dual Top which produces lots of silent heat and hot water. It does not connect to the engine coolant lines at all. You do have to be sure that you do not exceed the water input pressure limit which is much lower than the pressure put put by US standard RV water pumps or camp grounds. Tiger and Roadtrek use pressure reducers. XPCamper uses a lower pressure pump and no campground water inlet.
SkiFreak
Crazy Person
Assuming that you are talking about a ThermoTop unit (you do not actually say) then maybe I can help you out.
I installed a ThermoTop in my FG84 (equivalent to the FG140 in the US), tapping into the truck's cab heater plumbing. In my opinion, the number one thing to be aware of is that your connection can in no way affect flow of the engine's cooling system. This means making the connection in a section of the cooling system that runs in parallel with the engine cooling system. In my truck this means the cab heating circuit or the EGR cooling circuit. Putting the ThermoTop connection in series with the truck's cooling system could potentially prove problematic and it would not allow for easy isolation of the ThermoTop. Being able to isolate the ThermoTop is not mandatory but I think that it is an option that should be included.
If, like me, you end up making the connection in the cab heater circuit, be aware that to get good flow through the system you will probably have to open the heater tap (cab heater control on hot).
Should you be interested, you can read the article on my website regarding my hydronic installation. http://canter4x4.com/technical/heating-water-camper/
The plumbing setup in my installation allows for heating the calorifier when the engine is running, heating the calorifier via the ThermoTop (as a closed loop system) and heating the engine via the ThermoTop.
If you are only using the ThermoTop for engine heating, the plumbing would be greatly simplified, but it should still be in parallel with the truck's cooling system if you want to play it safe. Having the connection in series would probably ensure better flow of coolant, but I expect that this would create a serious problem by limiting the coolant flow to the engine, as the hoses for the ThermoTop are only 3/4".
Wow great write up but I got a little lost cause of the calorifier.
Is yours a 4m50?
Mike is just a deck truck looking for the webasto since I don't park near a plug in. So if I was just plumbing in a webasto where do you think I should plumb it into?
SkiFreak
Crazy Person
Yes, my engine is a 4M50.
The cab heater circuit is probably the easiest to tap into. I considered many tap in points but finally decided on removing the small hose that joins the end of the cab heater pipe to the truck's coolant pump inlet.
That worked fine for me and my setup, but if I were simply installing an engine heater then I would likely do it differently.
If you crawl under the truck you should see a rather large cavity next to the brake vacuum tank (your passenger side). It would be pretty simple to make a suitable bracket to mount the Webasto boiler in that location. Mounting the Webasto in that location would mean that your hose runs would be relatively short. You could then easily tap into the cab heater circuit in between the intercooler and the pipes that go into the cab. My recommendation would be to do this plumbing in series, as will give you the best coolant flow. Including isolation valves in a series setup is more complicated, but not impossible. Personally, I probably would not worry about isolation valves in an engine heating scenario. I would simply carry an OEM hose that could be used to put the cooling system back to "standard", should there be an issue. As mentioned previously, using the cab heating circuit as a tap in point would require that you keep the heater control tap open to get good flow.
The location near the vacuum tank would need to be protected a little to avoid excessive splashing of the Webasto, but I do not see that as a real issue. Alternately, if you were worried about the height of the Webasto, and wanted to give it a bit more protection, it could be located directly behind the cab. In that scenario tapping into the cooling system where I did would probably be easier.
The cab heater circuit is probably the easiest to tap into. I considered many tap in points but finally decided on removing the small hose that joins the end of the cab heater pipe to the truck's coolant pump inlet.
That worked fine for me and my setup, but if I were simply installing an engine heater then I would likely do it differently.
If you crawl under the truck you should see a rather large cavity next to the brake vacuum tank (your passenger side). It would be pretty simple to make a suitable bracket to mount the Webasto boiler in that location. Mounting the Webasto in that location would mean that your hose runs would be relatively short. You could then easily tap into the cab heater circuit in between the intercooler and the pipes that go into the cab. My recommendation would be to do this plumbing in series, as will give you the best coolant flow. Including isolation valves in a series setup is more complicated, but not impossible. Personally, I probably would not worry about isolation valves in an engine heating scenario. I would simply carry an OEM hose that could be used to put the cooling system back to "standard", should there be an issue. As mentioned previously, using the cab heating circuit as a tap in point would require that you keep the heater control tap open to get good flow.
The location near the vacuum tank would need to be protected a little to avoid excessive splashing of the Webasto, but I do not see that as a real issue. Alternately, if you were worried about the height of the Webasto, and wanted to give it a bit more protection, it could be located directly behind the cab. In that scenario tapping into the cooling system where I did would probably be easier.
The truck I have actually had a cargo box with a engine coolant heater in it..they just used the pipe for the heater core...plummed it to the back then through the heat exchanger then back up to the heater core..it's still all plummed back there..I could just tee in there...but I do like the idea of mounting it by the vacuum tank.
How did you do the fuel line? I had people plumb it into the engine fuel line with a check valve so it can't suck it out of the engine but rather the fuel tank.
How did you do the fuel line? I had people plumb it into the engine fuel line with a check valve so it can't suck it out of the engine but rather the fuel tank.
whatcharterboat
Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
No. Run a separate fuel spear. Webasto sell them. If you still have the original FUSO "Tokyo Radiator" diesel tank, it should have a spare 5hole round plate....same size as the sender flange......drill the spear through that spare flange.
SkiFreak
Crazy Person
I have a custom made fuel tank so, given that I knew I was going to run the Webasto, I included an additional pickup specifically for it.
A good rule of thumb for any of these types of additions/modifications is to leave the OEM setups as they are, unless there are no other viable options. Common rail fuel systems are not really things that should be messed with, so I totally agree with John that you should have an independent pickup for the Webasto.
As John mentioned, the standard OEM cylindrical fuel tank has a plate with 4 zinc plugs in it (an anode plate I believe) that is an ideal location to fit an additional fuel spear.
gait
Explorer
on FG649 I tee'd twice off the cab heater circuit close to the engine. So Webasto in parallel with cab heater.
Fuel take off for water heater and diesel cooker separate hole in one fuel tank (magnet to pick up any bits of metal while drilling).
My webasto wiring loom was overly complicated with wires for things I didn't need.
As well as engine pre-heat I have space heaters, hot water calorifier, heated towel rail, water tank warmers, run off webasto or engine. Lots of valves (basic engine heater valves, one for each "appliance") but once balanced there's only two to switch from webasto to engine as heat source.
Imagine it all like an electrical schematic with a pipe across the top and another across the bottom. Everything connected between top and bottom pipe - basically all in parallel for maximum flexibility.
If in Oz or similar climates the Webasto can provide too much heat. A buffer tank may be useful to reduce on/off cycling. They were originally designed for warming a car in cold climates not keeping a motorhome comfortable.
Fuel take off for water heater and diesel cooker separate hole in one fuel tank (magnet to pick up any bits of metal while drilling).
My webasto wiring loom was overly complicated with wires for things I didn't need.
As well as engine pre-heat I have space heaters, hot water calorifier, heated towel rail, water tank warmers, run off webasto or engine. Lots of valves (basic engine heater valves, one for each "appliance") but once balanced there's only two to switch from webasto to engine as heat source.
Imagine it all like an electrical schematic with a pipe across the top and another across the bottom. Everything connected between top and bottom pipe - basically all in parallel for maximum flexibility.
If in Oz or similar climates the Webasto can provide too much heat. A buffer tank may be useful to reduce on/off cycling. They were originally designed for warming a car in cold climates not keeping a motorhome comfortable.
SkiFreak
Crazy Person
As I understand it, the Webasto in this situation will be used solely for engine heating, so it's being used for what it was actually designed for, not for what both of us are using it to do.
Hey guys
Finally installing my Webasto engine heater couple questions
First what do you mean install in parallel with the heater core..I feel really dumb but I might need a picture
Also how far away from the engine is too far? I have the perfect spot behind the trans but is that to far?
Thanks
Finally installing my Webasto engine heater couple questions
First what do you mean install in parallel with the heater core..I feel really dumb but I might need a picture
Also how far away from the engine is too far? I have the perfect spot behind the trans but is that to far?
Thanks
SkiFreak
Crazy Person
Have a look at the installation article on my website. I have examples of both series and parallel setups.
My ThermoTop is located behind the transfer case and has a hose run of about 1.5m (each way). I do not have any issues with that length of run.