Chinese diesel heater woes.

[rusty69]

After being initially very pleased with my diesel heater, I am now  troubled with the ever so common error 08 code. Error 08 appears to indicate:-

E-08    Flame out 

 

Low fuel or air in fuel lines 
Check fuel filter is full

Check for blockages in fuel supply
Check all fuel connections are good

Though some suggest it's a low voltage error, and some others suggest altogether different things.

More often than not, usually when it is running at full lick, it will shut down after 10-15 minutes.
Sometimes, when it is on its lowest setting, it will run fine until manually shut down.

This to me indicates, it is a possible fuel problem, and perhaps the pump is not able to supply the correct amount of fuel on the highest setting.

Things I have tried:

1. Replaced the fuel pipe for a rigid nylon pipe.

2. Added an inline fuel filter before the pump.

3. Changed the pump angle through various degrees to near vertical.

I notice that some air bubbles exit the pump, which some people say is quite normal, and is due to cavitation, whilst others say there should be no air. The will air often travels to the top of the pipe, at the exit of the pump. No air bubbles are visible before the pump.

So, the questions are:

Is any air after the pump acceptable, even in small amounts? 

Will an airlock cause fuel starvation at higher pump speeds? 

How can I test and fix the problem, short of buying random parts for the heater in the hope that changing one or more of them fixes the issue?

This last method appears to be the way many people attempt a fix of these units.

Thank you. 

[MtB]

1 hour ago, rusty69 said:

Is any air after the pump acceptable, even in small amounts? 

 

I'd have thought no. 

 

But it would take quite a prolonged stream of bubbles to actually put it out.

 

Have you rules out water or diesel bug in the fuel?

 

[peterboat]

1 hour ago, rusty69 said:

After being initially very pleased with my diesel heater, I am now  troubled with the ever so common error 08 code. Error 08 appears to indicate:-

E-08    Flame out 

 

Low fuel or air in fuel lines 
Check fuel filter is full

Check for blockages in fuel supply
Check all fuel connections are good

Though some suggest it's a low voltage error, and some others suggest altogether different things.

More often than not, usually when it is running at full lick, it will shut down after 10-15 minutes.
Sometimes, when it is on its lowest setting, it will run fine until manually shut down.

This to me indicates, it is a possible fuel problem, and perhaps the pump is not able to supply the correct amount of fuel on the highest setting.

Things I have tried:

1. Replaced the fuel pipe for a rigid nylon pipe.

2. Added an inline fuel filter before the pump.

3. Changed the pump angle through various degrees to near vertical.

I notice that some air bubbles exit the pump, which some people say is quite normal, and is due to cavitation, whilst others say there should be no air. The will air often travels to the top of the pipe, at the exit of the pump. No air bubbles are visible before the pump.

So, the questions are:

Is any air after the pump acceptable, even in small amounts? 

Will an airlock cause fuel starvation at higher pump speeds? 

How can I test and fix the problem, short of buying random parts for the heater in the hope that changing one or more of them fixes the issue?

This last method appears to be the way many people attempt a fix of these units.

Thank you. 

Plenty of you tube videos on these things, mostly they seem reliable, often they are running on waste oil and running well on it!

[Mad Harold]

Do you have the correct thickness of wire for the length of the run from battery to heater.

It does sound like voltage drop as it runs ok on a low setting, but not at a high setting.

Some of these heaters have a top feeding tank and the pump will suck the fuel out, and others have bottom feed tanks which gravity feed to the pump.

If yours is a top feeding tank, if the fuel level is a bit low, and your boat rocks when you move around or a speedster causes movement, it might slosh the fuel around and your pump may suck air.

Might be worthwhile checking for water in the exhaust as happened to me.Although it showed error code E10.

Edited December 11, 2022 by Mad Harold

[rusty69]

11 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

I'd have thought no. 

 

But it would take quite a prolonged stream of bubbles to actually put it out.

 

Have you rules out water or diesel bug in the fuel?

 

 

 

I'm pretty sure the fuel is clear. 

[peterboat]

1 minute ago, rusty69 said:

 

 

I'm pretty sure the fuel is clear. 

I think a multimeter and watching what happens is the best idea, if its low voltage you will see it 

[rusty69]

11 minutes ago, Mad Harold said:

Do you have the correct thickness of wire for the length of the run from battery to heater.

It does sound like voltage drop as it runs ok on a low setting, but not at a high setting.

Some of these heaters have a top feeding tank and the pump will suck the fuel out, and others have bottom feed tanks which gravity feed to the pump.

If yours is a top feeding tank, if the fuel level is a bit low, and your boat rocks when you move around or a speedster causes movement, it might slosh the fuel around and your pump may suck air.

 

I have the cable that it was supplied with.I realise that this is probably less than ideal, so have been running it with and without the batteries on charge, whilst measuring the voltage at the unit end which is over 13 volts (whilst charging). It still cuts out either way.

 

I have filled the tank to full capacity.

19 minutes ago, peterboat said:

Plenty of you tube videos on these things, mostly they seem reliable, often they are running on waste oil and running well on it!

I realise that, but there seems to be so much disinformation on the subject, I thought I would ask the people whose answers I trust.

22 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

I'd have thought no. 

 

But it would take quite a prolonged stream of bubbles to actually put it out.

 

Have you rules out water or diesel bug in the fuel?

 

Right, short of replacing the pump, I will go and reduce the number of connections in the system and see if that helps the situation.

6 minutes ago, peterboat said:

I think a multimeter and watching what happens is the best idea, if its low voltage you will see it 

I've already done that, though I may have neglected to say so in my original post.

Edited December 11, 2022 by rusty69

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, rusty69 said:

The will air often travels to the top of the pipe, at the exit of the pump. No air bubbles are visible before the pump.

That suggests to me you may have a slight air leak either in the pump connections, most likely the inlet connection, or possibly the pump body.

 

Can you rig up a temporary gravity feed from a higher tank and see if that solves the problem?

Edited December 11, 2022 by David Mack

[rusty69]

1 minute ago, David Mack said:

That suggests to me you may have a slight air leak either in the pump connections, most likely the inlet connection, or possibly the pump body.

 

Can you rig up a temporary gravity feed from a higher tank and see if that solves the problem?

The pump body does look like a candidate, though it did work when I first got it for a number of weeks. Looks like the two halves are crimped. Although I have checked the connections a number of times, I think its time to remove some of them. I am reluctant just to go  and buy another pump unless it is a better quality one.

 

Do you mean remove the pump altogether, will that work?

[peterboat]

7 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

The pump body does look like a candidate, though it did work when I first got it for a number of weeks. Looks like the two halves are crimped. Although I have checked the connections a number of times, I think its time to remove some of them. I am reluctant just to go  and buy another pump unless it is a better quality one.

 

Do you mean remove the pump altogether, will that work?

No it won't, the pump is the flow controller like on the whispergen, you could try liquid steel on the joints, that might seal it?

[Tracy D'arth]

42 minutes ago, David Mack said:

That suggests to me you may have a slight air leak either in the pump connections, most likely the inlet connection, or possibly the pump body.

 

Can you rig up a temporary gravity feed from a higher tank and see if that solves the problem?

That will not work, the pump is the fuel regulator. It could be very dangerous as there will be no flow control.

[rusty69]

A good video here with some things to investigate:

 

 

[ronnietucker]

Can't remember where I got this, but maybe it's the temperature sensor??

 

[rusty69]

2 minutes ago, ronnietucker said:

Can't remember where I got this, but maybe it's the temperature sensor??

 

 

 

Great, thanks. Any idea how to test a temperature sensor?

[peterboat]

9 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

 

 

Great, thanks. Any idea how to test a temperature sensor?

Laser temp gun? Point it and read it?

[rusty69]

So, I have removed the fuel tank and put it below the heater, reduced the amount of connections and now have a slope upwards to the burner with the pump angled at 45 degrees. Still see bubbles present after the pump. Still getting error code 8 on full power.

 

I guess its time to look at the temperature sensor.

[mrsmelly]

You could up grade your boat to proper, tried and tested, work on 99 percent of boats and cars, batteries. Google  " flooded lead acid " for your research 

[peterboat]

17 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

You could up grade your boat to proper, tried and tested, work on 99 percent of boats and cars, batteries. Google  " flooded lead acid " for your research 

I have heard that they are really good for weighing in at the scrap yards! Normally after a few months used with new boaters! After they have replaced them a few times they normally learn and buy nice reliable Lifepo4s 😁

[blackrose]

I had 10 years out of my first set of flooded lead acid batteries. As with any battery including Lifepo4s they need to be looked after.

[peterboat]

9 minutes ago, blackrose said:

I had 10 years out of my first set of flooded lead acid batteries. As with any battery including Lifepo4s they need to be looked after.

I know, however how many on here destroy batteries in that first year? I looked after batteries when I joined the Army and I used to see the same with different detachments and battery life

[blackrose]

18 minutes ago, peterboat said:

I know, however how many on here destroy batteries in that first year? 

 

Probably the same number who would destroy Lifepo4s if they had them in their first year.

 

if we see more reports about destroyed or failed flooded lead acid batteries or sealed lead acid batteries it's hardly surprising since there are probably more of these types of batteries installed on boats than any other type.

Edited December 11, 2022 by blackrose

[Alan de Enfield]

56 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

Probably the same number who would destroy Lifepo4s if they had them in their first year.

 

if we see more reports about destroyed or failed flooded lead acid batteries or sealed lead acid batteries it's hardly surprising since there are probably more of these types of batteries installed on boats than any other type.

 

 

.....................................  it's hardly surprising since there are probably more of these types of batteries installed on boats than every other type combined

[StephenA]

And off we go - another topic sidelined into an argument about batteries.

[rusty69]

4 minutes ago, StephenA said:

And off we go - another topic sidelined into an argument about batteries.

That's the nature of communication, it tends to wander. 

[mrsmelly]

44 minutes ago, StephenA said:

And off we go - another topic sidelined into an argument about batteries.

What kind of toilet have you got?