Diesel - Inline heaters

[roamingyak]

Does anybody have any experience or knowledge of In line Fuel heaters (for
Diesel)?

I'm off to Mongolia for 3-4 months which will also involve going in and out
of Siberia at either end of that period and then travelling through Central
Asia towards India as winter sets in. And sometimes Mongolia skips its
summer which can be cold as the average altitude of the country is 1800
metres.

I have a Land Rover 2.5 n/a diesel and Land Rover do a heater but its at the
engine end, whereas I need something in, on or near the tank end (webasto
engine preheater for the engine side for things). The Russian truck drivers
tend to stay in heated overnight truck stops or light a fire under the tank.
I believe I can also put some petrol into the tank to stop it waxing but
thought I should research a nicer option and then see how it sits in cost
wise.

Any thoughts or insults welcome...

[Roman]

Hi DJ,

Unless someone tells me I am wrong, there are two types of heaters - cabin or engine. Hard to say which is better because the purpose of each of the two is different. I have a feeling you may need more a heater to improve creature comfort than one to prevent your vehicle from turning into an ice cube.

As for Webasto, I have an Air Top 2000 heater. It is mounted undere the passenger's seat. Because it is not waterproof it would be prone to damage while wading in deep water, so I fitted it in such a way that it can be quickly removed and stored in a Pelican case. A Webasto quick disconnect kit is not available from any Webasto dealers, but thanks to Paul Gofton from Webasto Truck and Van Dept. (tel. 01302 381 109) I've managed to secure one. Paul is a nice fellow ready to help with installation tips.

Check Bat Man UK based in Branchflowers, Somerset, for a quote. They are on http://www.batmanuk.com/.
They are extremely efficient and deliver the goods next day free of charge.



------------------
Roman (UK)
www.polandrover.com

[roamingyak]

Hi Roman,

Many thanks for the tips and info.

I already have a Webasto Engine pre heater fitted in the engine bay and more cabin/passenger heating capacity than I know what to do with as the landy is a ex MOD winterised deep wader, so I have huge heating bars inside. The biggest problem I have with that is getting too hot (no thermo - just an on/off switch :-)
see http://www.roamingyak.org/lr/110.htm etc

What I was asking about was a way to stop my Diesel waxing in very cold temperatures (ie: -15)

The webasto and the like will only heat things at the engine end. I need a way of heating the rear fuel tank area and fuel lines so that I can get some diesel to the engine from them.

Hope that explains it better?
Darrin

[Terry Davies]

What you want is a Fuel Line Heater.

Eberspächer make them, and I believe that Webasto do as well. Most UK trucks are fitted with them.

Try contacting Auto Electrical Services in Leighton Buzzard, tel: 01525-372330.

You might also want to carry some Stanadyne Diesel Fuel Conditioner or Gunk Diesel Fuel Anti-Gel. These are diesel additives which prevent, or at least slow down, the formation of paraffin crystals (more commonly called waxing) at low temperature.

In an emergency you can use petrol, but once the crystals have formed you have to heat your tank/fuel line/what-ever to get rid of them.

Warning to everybody reading this: Waxing starts when the ambient air temperature falls below 0ºC. So if you are returning back through Europe in the Winter months full of cheap North African diesel remember that you are carrying Summer diesel which does not contain any anti-waxing additive.