What is this exhaust/muffler thing on my NCV3?

I'm predicting one or more of you folks can answer a question I've got and so far can't find an answer to.

This weekend, I climbed underneath my 2007 2500 170 wb cargo van in preparation for planning a wiring route to the driver's seat base for an underhood auxiliary battery I'm planning to eventually install when I noticed an exhaust pipe that I had never noticed before. Granted, I don't spend much time underneath my van but this thing looks like nothing I can even BEGIN to describe or expect its role to be. In fact, outside of the occasional Espar air heater installation posting, I can't even think of another posting in which something looking like this muffler beneath my van was ever shown or discussed.

I've since spent some time searching online (including this forum), to no avail, for any hints, clues and answers to answer my question of "what the heck is this thing on the driver's (left) side near the fuel tank?"

They say, "Curiosity killed the cat" and this puzzle has me feeling like on my third or fourth life!

Thank you for any help you may provide to this very curious Sprinter owner.

That's your Espar 5kw Hydronic diesel heater.

https://www.mercedes-benz-lonestarcalgary.ca/2016/12/16/sprinter-5kw-auxiliary-heater/

http://www.onceagreenberet.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/HydronicHeater.pdf

rollerbearing said:

That's your Espar 5kw Hydronic diesel heater.

https://www.mercedes-benz-lonestarcalgary.ca/2016/12/16/sprinter-5kw-auxiliary-heater/

http://www.onceagreenberet.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/HydronicHeater.pdf

Click to expand...

Thank you rollerbearing for such a prompt response to my query!

Currently, my van is in off-site storage and will have to verify these options out when I get back to the garage. I wonder if the parts in the picture were included but the option itself was not activated. The reason I say that is because I have seen any indication of the an auxiliary heater starting when I've pressed buttons similar to the ones showing in the MB docs you shared.

In the meantime, I checked out the Data Card I have for the van's VIN and below you will see the options I found related to "heat":

HH2 ELECTRICALLY POWERED HOT-AIR AUXILIARY HEATER
HH9 SEMI-AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLED TEMPMATIC A/C
HZ9 HEATER BOOSTER, DIESEL
KL1 FUEL-LEVEL SENSOR FOR AUXILIARY HEATER

It's all Greek to me and I'll continue to research how to activate the diesel heater and hopefully be able to determine if the system works in my particular van.

Sprinter Bob said:

Thank you rollerbearing for such a prompt response to my query!

Currently, my van is in off-site storage and will have to verify these options out when I get back to the garage. I wonder if the parts in the picture were included but the option itself was not activated. The reason I say that is because I have seen any indication of the an auxiliary heater starting when I've pressed buttons similar to the ones showing in the MB docs you shared.

In the meantime, I checked out the Data Card I have for the van's VIN and below you will see the options I found related to "heat":

HH2 ELECTRICALLY POWERED HOT-AIR AUXILIARY HEATER
HH9 SEMI-AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLED TEMPMATIC A/C
HZ9 HEATER BOOSTER, DIESEL
KL1 FUEL-LEVEL SENSOR FOR AUXILIARY HEATER

It's all Greek to me and I'll continue to research how to activate the diesel heater and hopefully be able to determine if the system works in my particular van.

Click to expand...

Heater booster diesel is what your looking at in this picture.
The button on the left side of the steering wheel operate it. But in order for this unit to turn on the ambient temps out side need to be below 39F degrees other wise it wont run.
Or tonhave xentry and you can run it using that.

gulum1804 said:

Heater booster diesel is what your looking at in this picture.
The button on the left side of the steering wheel operate it. But in order for this unit to turn on the ambient temps out side need to be below 39F degrees other wise it wont run.
Or tonhave xentry and you can run it using that.

Click to expand...

2007 will work at any temperature
Or - my 2014's D5 booster and aux with remote control works ,thanks to 25 cent resistor . Lots of threads here
See photo

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gulum1804 said:

Heater booster diesel is what your looking at in this picture.
The button on the left side of the steering wheel operate it. But in order for this unit to turn on the ambient temps out side need to be below 39F degrees other wise it wont run.
Or tonhave xentry and you can run it using that.

Click to expand...

Also need at least a quarter of a tank of fuel in order for it to run.

And set HVAC temperature dial to heat.


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