You could probably use a small 9V battery to check the glow plug with. I don't think the motherboard feeds the plug the full 12V.

@@kirkwalsh1932 Yeah... A 9V battery wouldn't have enough amperage to make it glow. With a 12V battery it will be obvious within a few seconds if it is working or not 🤟

Yeah, the reason I made this is that I often get people saying that I given then the confidence to do a repair or clean their heater... So I made a video about this specifically. If you tinker with this often, you sometimes forget that the average person does not.

Apparently this is pretty common. They are often not tight, or just finger tight from the factory.

Yeah, I should have specifically mentioned that it must not cover the flame initiation holle. I did say to push it all the way into the hole, but could have been clearer.

I used a 5/16 carriage bolt for the screen. It works like a dream.

Nice trick... I'll have to give that a try.

Nice. ..

That's also a good way to ensure you will never need to replace one... If you don't have a spare, that's when it will fail ! haha.

I figured this would be less interesting to my regular fans, but helpful to a lot of people over time. I'm glad some of my regulars enjoyed it as well !

Haha... Great observation ! I tend to see the deeper story in this like this as well. It has seen its share of experiments, cussing and even some successes !

Someone pointed out that you don't even need to uninstall it... You can spin the nut off, remove the lid, and if you have the special tool, you can pop it right out... Pretty cool.

@@loweredexpectations4927 Nice!

Yeah.... I made this because I know there are lots of people who want to do this but are afraid to do so... I hope this gives them the confidence to do so.

We are probably a long way from there... but that would be nice.

@@loweredexpectations4927 I'm still in either way!

Hah... yes. My framing went a little out of whack on this one.... I was rushed and didn't catch it.... I use a GoPro and it does have a front monitor that I keep on for filming in my shop, but like you say, try not to stare at it as it comes across odd . The 5M exhaust video should be out Saturday👍

Yeah, that's why I made the video. Probably not a video that's going to go viral, haha... but I wanted to give people the confidence to do it themselves.

I was really surprised by the results of my test... video will be out Friday or Saturday .

I think it might be to unplug it glow plug from the back of the ecu. Let's see if I'm right. 🤟🏻👑

He said you didn't have to but it made it easier. I didn't even know the location of the glow plug until he took the ECU off.

I took it off because most people who watch this video will be able to figure out that that is not necessary, if they are confident with releasing the connectors. For those who are not comfortable with the connectors, it is better to remove it and reduce the chance of breaking something👍 Thanks for the comment and like... I appreciate it.

For those who aren't used to removing these connectors, they will be less likely to break them.

Yes.... You don't' have to do it, but a lot of people who have perhaps never touched a screwdriver in their life may watch this, haha.... I want to make it as fool proof as possible.

Hey ! Sweden ! Welcome, from Canada !

If you had enough of them.... YOu should check out Dave McLuckie's video on the self powered heater.

A few people have pointed out that a carriage bolt works well. I hadn't thought if this. I have used the same mesh in my heater for 4 months of waste oil testing and I think replacing them is over rated.... but maybe that's just me... my heater have never had mesh issues.

Haha... this video is for everyone who needs a little encouragement to get in there and have a look 👍

@loweredexpectations4927 thanks man. Your videos have seriously been awesome lol keep it up!

@@plainandsimple1 Thanks !

To check if a glow plug is faulty just remove it from the heater and connect the 2 wires to a 12 volt battery or DC power supply. It will get hot and glow if it is working properly.

@howardosborne8647 I needed the tool to remove it because I was too lazy to completely remove the entire set up from where it was screwed down. 😂 but also, my ecu was giving me the error code for faulty plug. Which is either the ecu or plug. But I'll definitely check that when I get home.

Won't work.. the radiation of heat from the drum far exceeds the maximum in the exhaust (around 1 -2kw.,) condensation will bock it quickly. Yoo get far better heat recovery using pcfans on my CONSTANTLY GOING DOWN HILL OR STRAIGJT DOWN exhaust.

I love the idea .... I don't think it would have enough energy to boil the water... . 45 gallons will take a lot of heat energy and it will lose a lot through the walls of the barrel .... I think it would lose energy faster than it can add it (at a certain point) and not reach boiling. it would be fun to try though. Perhaps on a smaller barrel.

Yeah..... Not enough power .... if you did try you would have to have the holes exit the side of the barrell.

Hi The water in the Barrel doesn't have to be Boiling, just Hot enough for a Bath and 40 gallons of Water is about the right amount you need Hoping you will give it a try in your next Video or tell me where I can get that really long exhaust pipe so that I can try it myself@@loweredexpectations4927

@@johntrek9236 I won't be trying this any time soon, but yes, depending on the ambient temperature, you should be able to get the water to heat up to 40-60 C. Insulating the barrel would help a lot, and the exhaust would have to exit out the side so that the condensation could run out ... but it could work. Amazon sells exhaust that is 1.2 meters long.

Thanks.

Thanks !

I can't say for sure, as stranger things have happened, but I suspect no, because that much power is required to ignite the fuel reliably. To remedy this, you can put a small 12V battery in parallel with your power station and it will provide the extra amps on start up.

Something like this... but you may need a charge controller of some sort so it doesn't overcharge. www.amazon.ca/EnergyKing-Standard-Security-Rechargeable-Two-Year/dp/B0CDCR6W84/ref=asc_df_B0CDCR6W84/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=579246844797&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2933791810227099329&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001314&hvtargid=pla-2245049365409&psc=1&mcid=f964ca8a5c763e4aa68218defef91f83

No, the ones I have seen are not threaded.

thanks !

Vevor doesn't have any parts as far as I know. I have never had to replace one, so I can't say. I would check with Trail Traveller as he replaced on on his heater and made a video about it. I will try to post the link to his video below.... He linked the pump.

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/h554n5SXtbC6nKs.html&ab_channel=TrailTraveler

The 2kw has a 60mm air outlet hole / hose. The 5 and 8 (from almost every manufacturer) are the same at 75mm outlet / hose. If it tells you fuel consumption in litres per hour it's easy math. .5l/h is 5kwh (5kw heater) The 2kw is about 1.8, the 5kw is around 4.3 and the 8kw is also usually just a 5 with different stickers. Some will increase pump hz to pump more. Maxspeed and Hclroy (or whatever) sell heaters with 90mm heat outlets / hoses that claim to be 8kw and the claimed fuel consumption is .7l/h so 7kw ...... I just got one but have not taken it out of the box yet.

Yes. All of mine do.

You can find these parts from Webasto, Planar and Espar.... You will have to visually match things up (likely) and the parts will be at least twice as much. If you Google search, you may find a local business selling parts.

Yeah... If your heater is installed upright, this doesn't really matter. As long as it is sitting in the hole, all is well. If you mount your heater is a way not recommended by the manufacturer, you may have issues with diesel coming out around the threaded section, if it is loose.

@@loweredexpectations4927 Another thing the first time I tried to wind the plug in with just turning the plug with the wires gently it snapped jist like yours did, they arnt very strong.

@@martinpanks992 The plug snapped ? I had a close look at the one of mine that snapped, and it appears to be because of the way they crimp / attach the threaded section to the plug. When this is done properly (evenly 🤷‍♂) they are quite strong.... but you don't know until the snap, haha.

@@loweredexpectations4927 Mine broke right at the end of the wires just where the metal starts..

@@martinpanks992 Yeah, mine too. If you look into the hex part you can probably see an uneven crimp... if the ceramic washer is removed.

If you have the "special tool" you can change the glow plug, by just screwing the end cap off and removing the cover 👍 I have several heaters and most of them are not permenantly installed in anything, so that didn't even occur to me.

@loweredexpectations4927 OK thanks for your quick response! , & that's really going to save me hours vs going through my 4" custom turret in a 5th wheel Camper floor. 🙌

@@hickboy3067 Awesome ... good to hear.

There are many many different heaters with different start sequences, but from all that I have seen, the start sequence is a separate program in the ECU. This is on a timer for all that I have seen. The ECU is dumb and just follows steps for a few minutes... if it doesn't see a temp over 60C (for example) after 2 minutes, then it shuts down. The ECU does a self check when the fan starts turning, and if anything is detected, out of range (disconnected or short) the ECU will throw a fault code. If you are not getting a fault code, and it doesn't cycle the pump, this seems to me like a programing glitch. It is possible that the ECU detects something is not quite right (glow plug resistance or pump resistance) and decides to try again, but I have never heard of this. All that I have seen will throw and error code. I have had an ECU that won't drive the pump at all, but never one that sometimes does and sometimes doesn't. I'm not sure what you are asking about "what starts the combustion process" The plug turns on for a minute, then the pump starts and puts fuel in the glow plug area. The fuel then spreads into the combustion chamber.. Perhaps you mean how does the fuel get in there if it is burning. Not all of it burns. It dribbles into the chamber while burning. Based on what you say at the end, it sure sounds like an ECU glitch... it just never passes the line of code telling it to move to the next step. if there is no error code and the plug just stays on, that is an indicator that the program just stops at that point.... very interesting.

Hi some people have mentioned low voltage as being the cause however I don't get a low or under voltage error. But I thought I would tweak the voltage on my power supply to 13.5V. I tested the voltage going into the heater plug, and it is the same with the heater powered on but not started. When the heater is started, the display on the heater LCD shows approx 1 volt lower than the supply at the rear of the heater, so the volt drop is internal in the heater (It is the same at the power supply and going into the heater when starting). It has started successfully a few times, but it has not been like this long enough to draw a conclusion. Everyone says that on shutdown, the heater plug is energized to perform a self clean, but by monitoring both voltage and current I can say this does not happen on the heaters I own, however they are all Maxpeedingrods, so maybe different to others? They are 2* MXR-3M (Dumpy all in one) and 1* MXR-2Y (Tall all in one)

​@@anthonynewton5055 I think you are perhaps making this too complicated. The ECU is very stupid. Once you hit the power button, you start a line of programming, that does a few checks, and then performs lines of code based on time. The first thing the ECU program does is check for components being attached, and reading the correct resistance. If it detects the fan, pump, heat sensor and plug are connected, it spins the fan. The sensor detects the fan spinning and it starts the startup sequence. Once the startup sequence is started the ECU starts ramping up power to the glow plug, and starts a timer. The glow plug will stay on for a predetermined time, and after a predetermined time, the fuel pump will start and follow a predetermined pump sequence, again after a predetermined time, the ECU will check the temp of the exchanger. It it is not hot enough, (usually over 60C) it will either try again (on most heaters) or give an error code. If the temp is high enough, the heater will end the start up sequence, and follow the input from whatever setting you have chosen on your heater. If the fuel pump isn't turning on, it is either not being told to turn on (programming glitch) or the pulse generator isn't functioning properly. Once you hit the power button, the time it takes for the pump to turn on is predetermined. The ECU has no idea what temp the glow plug is, it doesn't monitor amp draw or voltage drop (unless it drop below a predetermined level), so if the pump isn't turning on, this is a bad pump, bad pulse generator circuit or programing error. I'm not sure how you are testing amperage, but yes, all heaters that I have seen turn the plug on at start up and shut down. You should see a voltage drop at the heater and the amps should jump up to almost 10 when it is powering off. Generally, the plug indicator will turn on on the screen, if equip.

@@loweredexpectations4927 HI, thanks for your reply. I love your logic and the way you carry out your experiments and like you, I don't believe anything unless I can recreate it myself! If someone says you cannot do this because X would happen, I have to try it myself. I would like to highlight your sentence; "Once the startup sequence is started the ECU starts ramping up power to the glow plug, and starts a timer. The glow plug will stay on for a predetermined time, and after a predetermined time, the fuel pump will start and follow a predetermined pump sequence, again after a predetermined time, the ECU will check the temp of the exchanger. It it is not hot enough, (usually over 60C) it will either try again (on most heaters) or give an error code". I would agree totally and if I were writing a PLC program for the start up sequence I would do the same, the problem is, my heater gets to turn on the glowplug but after another 30 minutes of the glowplug being on does nothing (The pump icon does not come on and the pump does not start). No error nothing! yet if I cycle the power it always starts. Since tweaking the voltage to the power supply it has not happened again however it did not always do it, so maybe to early to make any conclusion. The heater does have an under voltage fault code which has never come on. It is interesting to see all the videos about the different controllers on these heaters, and they do vary a lot. I'm tempted to purchase a new CPU, remote and LCD screen and see what happens. Anyway, its great to chat to someone and as the saying goes "Every day is a school day" (Meaning you learn something every day). If the Chinese were not such thieving B******* on other peoples designs we would be bored :) By the way, I check the shutdown cycle with a clip on ammeter and a voltmeter and can say 100% the glowplug does not come on during shutdown. Maybe some controllers do and some don't?

​@@anthonynewton5055 It's funny that your heater is doing this ... a few months ago I had a friend with a dishwasher that was doing the same thing... I would start the cycle and then just stop. I she just cycled it again, it would work perfect but never the second time. I had an ECU that decided not to cycle the pump ever after two weeks of use. Just before it happened, it would run for a while and then cycle it really fast for a few seconds and stop. They are not the best quality electronics. I can see how low power could cause a glitch, but like you say, no error code and just keeping the plug on is beyond strange... Obviously the ECU is stuck or it would do the check for the temp increase and shut down. Yeah, you can get the CPU / ECU and controller sets relatively cheap... That is 100% of your electronics that would be related to this issue... it would be freakishly odd if it continued to happen, haha. It could be that some glow plugs come on, and some don't. Nothing else is standardized, why should that be ...

No real need to change the plug unless it throws an error and won't ignite. There is a mesh around the glow plug that can be changed every few years, but the plug itself may last forever. It is a ceramic heater.

You can make your own from gasket paper. Gaskets cut from flat cardboard and greased before fitting also works just fine. My heater has run with homemade greased cardboard gaskets for the last 2 years.

@@howardosborne8647 thank you, I might try that.😁👍

Yes, as howard says, I have made many gaskets from cereal boxes. The smaller size is for the 2kw, usually you can select what ones you get. The 5kw parts are usually listed as 5 / 8kw or 5 and 8kw

Haha.. I think some would probably work.

7 dollars for the part and 18 for the shipping from China

I'm guessing you don't have a degree in economics ? haha First off... this is CAD and the heater is almost $200 CAD Secondly is that the glow plug don't cost $25, a glow plug kit with a tool, gaskets, mesh etc, doesn't even cost $25 ... Having all of this next day from Amazon cost $25 I could make my own for just a few cents, or order one from China for a few bucks.... The value of something is usually not totally in the product itself.

and a month wait time 👍

Healy coil

This is very tricky because the plug has a taper seal, as does the chamber. What stripped ? The plug or the chamber hole ? You could use a thread repair insert, but unless you already have the kit, it's cheaper to buy a new chamber and glow plug (or one or the other. If your heater is mounted in an upright position, and not mobile (in a vehicle or trailer) The plug does not need to be terribly secure in the hole.... ir it is in there, it will work. You could technically drill it out and set it in or use some exhaust sealant, JB weld etc.... This is not the proper way, but if you don't' have the money do do it properly, it will work. If your heater is not mounted with the exhaust and inlet pointed down, diesel can run out of the threaded area if it is not sealed.

@@loweredexpectations4927 hey thanks you guys for helping. I accidentally cross threaded the plug into the hole and it's all messed up. I ended up buying another heater but I still have the other one.

@@mikewalsh511 In that case, head on to aliexpress and shop around a little ... You can get a chamber for $20 ish shipped and a glow plug for a few bucks. It will take a month or so to get the parts, likely, but then you will have a working backup.

If it is broken (you get a fault code) or if the heater makes a lot of white smoke on startup, and you have changed the mesh, and it doesn't solve the problem. If the heater is running properly, the mesh and plug should be fine for many many years, unless it is faulty. I would not change this as part of heater maintenance.

Thanks. It only starts if I leave the van running whist it goes through the starting process, because the relay switch packed in so thought that was part of the problem and changed leisure batteries and still won't start without van running !! No one seems to know why .....

@@paul2241xx The glow plug draws about 10 amps... so you need to be connected to / with some large wires ... preferably 12ga ... Even with a battery connected directly to the heater power wires, you will see a significant voltage drop during start up. Voltage drop seen by the heater, not by the batteries. I recently reinstalled my heater, and decided to connect to an accessory outlet, and the wires are too small. My voltage drop is all the way down to 9 volts ... I saw as low as 8.9, once. While the accessory plug is fused at 14 amps, the wires are way too small, apparently, so I will have to redo mine soon.

Hah... yes, basically. I recently made a video talking about this. Unfortunately, most people don't know. It's more helpful, in most situations to just say " 2, 5 and 8 " The title of that video was "Diesel Heater Deception ! MaXpeedingRods MXR-1F "8kw" Teardown & Inspection" I will try to link it below, but YT likes to delete comments with links.

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/pNxon9WbptfZZ4E.html

There is no such thing as 8 kw heaters, but they are listed as 8kw and many people have heaters that they think are 8kw, or that have 8kw decals on them. I honestly wish that everyone knew this... but they don't. When people search how to repair their 8kw heater, this will make it easier for them to find, and the fact that it isn't actually 8kw isn't relevant here. Every video can't have a 5 minute explanation of the reality, kinda like when a 5L Mustang it's actually a 4.9L ... but because it is known as a 5L Mustang, if you started calling it a 4.9 it wouldn't be helpful for anyone trying to find info, haha.

@@loweredexpectations4927 Thank you.

Why didn't you tell me that BEFORE ! haha.

@@loweredexpectations4927 well, you know you have to have a spare. Otherwise it will break. Won't happen if you have that spare...

@@loweredexpectations4927 did you get the bigger body heater yet?

@@sjococo HAHA... yes, this is the perfect safety net. Buy 4 spares and you will have 4 10 years from now.

@@kirkwalsh1932 It arrived yesterday... Still in the box... I was trying to film something today and the power went out... was out for 2 hours and then I had to do other things. I should be able to unbox it in the next few days.... The life of a KZfaqr... Can't open a box unless the cameras are rolling !