Front Auxillary Heater Leaks

I have the factory installed diesel fired heater, the one that goes behind the left headlamp. It leaks. The hoses are not leaking, the hose to heater connection are not leaking. But there is antifreeze leaking from the heater. A new heat exchanger is $97.46 + 2 seals at $5.34 & $ 16.73. Or I can get a Heater Assembly for $462.46. All heater parts are from Germany, 7 to 14 days transit.

Has anyone had any experience with repairs on the heater core or heater assembly? At $97.46, the heater core is resonably priced. Any idea how much time this job would take.

This is on the 2005 Sprinter, 120,000 miles
 

bc339

New member
I removed mine last year for repairs. It's a pretty straight forward job. It took about two hours from start to finish. You should be able to remove it in about half an hour. I took mine out for troubleshooting and cleaning.
Disassembly is simple, but take care removing the end cover with the data plate. The electrical connector inside has release tabs for the wire harness. Those must be released for the cover to come off.
There is a section in the service manual on heater repairs as well as several pdf's posts for the Espar manual. The Espar site has downloads, too. www.espar.com/help
I posted this last year - I have more images if you need any.
https://sprinter-source.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8119&page=2

The parts are available from Dodge or from Espar of Michigan at ExpeditersOnline.Com. http://www.expeditersonline.com/sub/espar/
Bruce
 
I ordered the heater parts today. $14.oo for 3 day shipment from Germany. I also ordered a new heater motor, mine makes a noise sometimes. Is the heater motor build by Bosch and is it the same as a VW heater motor?
 
hi,

mine leaks too. I do not see any coolant coming out but when I turn it on I see some vapor that does not go away. Where did you order the parts? The dealer or internet? thank you,

narcis
 
I ordered my parts last Wed, paying an extra $14.00 for expidited freight from Germany. the parts came today. One week from Germany is pretty good service.
 

maher01

08 Passenger/work 144 van
I just had my 2008 unit replaced because of leaks. On the 08 its behind the dash. They took out the dash and broke a few plastic parts on re-install. What a pain, they didn't tell me they broke plastic parts, now they don't want to replace them, says part of the job?

Its working well now, first time in over a year that I can use it, never worked more than an hour when new, always went to fault!

Good luck,
Tom
 

talkinghorse43

Well-known member
I ordered my parts last Wed, paying an extra $14.00 for expidited freight from Germany. the parts came today. One week from Germany is pretty good service.
I'm rebuilding my booster/aux heater too. The heat exchanger doesn't leak, but I want to replace the seal between the two halves of the heat exchanger while I'm at it. However, I can't figure out how to separate the two parts and don't want to break anything. How are the two halves (inside and outside) held together? Does the inner screw into the outer? If yes, LH or RH thread? TIA
 

bc339

New member
Part 40 is on the outside surface of 25. It's a seal or gasket for the plate that contains the nozzle, screen and igniter that mount to 25. In the diagram, it looks like two seals, but is actually one. The other ring is part of the plate assembly (35 contains 20 as one part). I believe 25 is pressed into 10. I would not recommend trying to remove the outer portion of the combustion chamber - there is no replacable seal. Removing it may cause a leak.
Here's a slightly different manual. Same parts, different view, may help.

Espar has very good technical support. I had problems with mine last year. Replies were quick and helpful.
http://www.esparparts.com/contact_us.php
 

Attachments

Last edited:

talkinghorse43

Well-known member
Part 40 is on the outside surface of 25. It's a seal or gasket for the plate that contains the nozzle, screen and igniter that mount to 25. In the diagram, it looks like two seals, but is actually one. The other ring is part of the plate assembly (35 contains 20 as one part). I believe 25 is pressed into 10. I would not recommend trying to remove the outer portion of the combustion chamber - there is no replacable seal. Removing it may cause a leak.
Thanks, but according to Ray at Espar of Michigan, there IS an O-ring sealing the "jacket" to the "heat exchanger". He said the 2 parts should just "pop" apart. He also sent a link to a very complete manual showing those details. I apologize if this manual is already referenced here somewhere.

http://www.esparofmichigan.com/techsupport/pdfs/Hydronic 4-5/Hydronic4_5.pdf
 

bc339

New member
Thanks for the update. Please keep us posted of your progress.
I took mine apart last year. the electric coolant pump quit, which caused the heater to overheat. It warped the top plastic cover and caused the insulation to break down and crack on the sensors.
Bruce
 

talkinghorse43

Well-known member
After much soaking, prodding , poking, attempted twisting, pulling and tapping, I decided to cobble together a puller to separate the heat exchanger from the jacket so I could replace the O-ring seal. The two pix below show the puller I put together from pieces/parts I had on hand (used two small, long nose clamping pliers clamped to diametrically opposed fins to resist the pulling force) and the pieces finally separated. Everything looked as new internally, even though they have been in service for over 8 yrs in my '02.
 

Attachments

Last edited:

Oilburner

2004 2500 140"cargo l/r x 2
Today, I started my van and was curious if espar will heat up coolant. After start-up, dense white smoke came out, then some sparks! I guess it should have spark arrestor! Very surprised!
Then, finally cleared up and noticed leak, right were the flex tube is fitted. No leak from the top. Any idea, what that can be?
Thanks.
 

Top Bottom