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Webasto rebuild service
In then whole time we have owned our bus the Webasto hydronic heating system has been less than a paragon of reliability. Even though we have paid a variety of “Webasto specialists” to service the unit it would work for a while and then fail to fire when we really needed it. Each of them replaced different parts they said were bad and claimed to have fixed it the pattern was the same. We live in mild climates in southern Oregon and Yuma, AZ, so our need for coach heating doesn’t come up all that often but when it does, we really need it!
Finally out of frustration I started looking at buying a whole new unit. During the hunt for a new unit to buy I came across a complete rebuild service offered by Louisville Engineering. They said if I removed the whole burner unit and shipped it to them they would completely rebuild it with all new parts, some they claimed would be improvements to the original Webasto parts from the late 1990s when our bus was built. After researching them and finding they also make and sell diagnostic and test equipment to the Webasto repair folks, I decided to go that route and am very glad I did.
I also sent them my control box (which had been replaced in one of the earlier “repairs”) and all the sensors for them to test and replace if necessary. They were quick, courteous and communicative throughout the process. A little over a week later my rebuilt unit returned looking for all the world like a new unit with the control box and sensors all tested good. It installed easily and so far performs flawlessly.
They found several things that might have accounted for the previously poor reliability. Webasto Webasto recalled the igniter holding clamp 20 years ago which was causing interference issues and issued a redesigned part. That part had never been replaced on my unit by any of the previous repair folks. The previous repair persons had iall nstalled a 40 micron inline plastic filter which was way too course for the 5 micron Webasto spec and all of then had just pushed the fuel hosed onto the flair stubs on the burner inlet and return line fittings instead of replacing the metal to metal flair fittings Webasto called for. The inlet screen was nearly clogged with bits of rubber off of the interiors of those fuel hoses when they were pushed onto the flair subs and clamped down. None of the other repair folks had ever said or done anything about that and all had used the same in line plastic fuel filter. My unit also had a knockoff nozzle installed. Apparently some years ago the market got flooded with a cheap knockoff of the original Webasto spec nozzle that was sold for a lot less than the original at places like Amazon and a bunch of the big box stores. According to Louisville Engineering those clogged up much more quickly and easily than the proper nozzles. So, it appears that fuel and fuel line cleanliness issues may have been major contributors to my previous reliability issues.
So far I can highly recommend Bill Boris and Louisville Engineering. 502-553-8210, lengineering@att.com.
Jerry
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9 Replies
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I also learned that Webasto sells the replacements circulation pumps for a lot less that the online Webasto service folks charge. They are widely used in school bus applications. My guess is the online Webasto service folks simply buy them from Webasto, mark them up and resell them to unsuspecting customers like me.
Jerry
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Congrats on a very successful fix. I applaud and admire folks that can diagnose and fix the burner.
Early burners in Aqua Hot heaters came with hose barb fuel banjos requiring push on and hose clamp connections. They were also equipped with Hago stainless steel colored Hago nozzles. The control units, brain box on side of burner that runs the burner, were silver colored also from Webasto.
Later burners from Webasto came with compression fitting fuel banjos and the control unit was replaced with black plastic Sperios boxes made in the Ukraine. Aqua Hot replaced the Hago nozzles with Danfoss brand brass colored nozzles to solve nozzle problems. They replaced the very troublesome Sperios control units with a new solid state fully encapsulated control unit.
It is interesting the two nozzles are listed as Danfoss Hago brand nozzles.
And, all Prevost burners installed by the converter that I have seen have the fuel filter provided by the converter.
My 2001 Aqua Hot heater with a 50K btu 2010 burner has hose barb fuel banjos and a silver control unit. The igniter clamp has never been replaced and all are working fine. I replace the plastic clutches yesterday and think will replace the bearings after it warms back up. I have replaced many of these parts in 14 years of working on the 2010 50k btu burners.
Some Prevost motor home Webasto Heat Exchangers are equipped with 2010 24 vdc burners and others are equipped with 80k btu burners. I have no experience and parts for the 80K burners or what has been replaced or recalled on those burners.
I buy my burner parts from folks that are able to purchased them from Webasto Germany. I do not know of a direct way to purchase direct from Webasto. So, the provider has purchased them, marked them up and sold them to all of us.
“Ain”t it great” to have a burner in a heat exchanger or heater when it is frigid outside.
2000 Featherlite H3-45
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Leesburg, FL -
Rudy:
Marry Christmas and thanks for sharing your years of knowledge on our Aquahot/Webasco system.
Chuck
P.S. The gentleman I work for just bought a new boat that has a Webasco air-conditioning system in it. Never knew they did a Aircon system. It works good but getting service is a nightmare. They only have one authorized repair person on the entire east coast & the poor guy is spread thin
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webasto fuel filter- 5 micron
do you have a part number and source for the filter? a search doesnt show micron level listed on ebay etc.
Thanks
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Webasto recommends a 10 micron. For perspective 10 micron filtration removes particulates down to ~004″. I am not sure the nozzle orifice size but even if it was 040″ (~sheet of paper) that is 10X larger than the filtration spec. Lower micron numbers put more stress on the pump mechanisms.
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For my Liberty:
Webasto Fuel=Fleetguard#FF5059, Wix#33225
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Don, that is a much better setup than I have, I have seen other busses like this and will be switching over soon. My system still uses the two plastic ones from Napa.
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I used an R12T marine water separator and fuel filter. Cartridges widely available. Easy to see/drain clear bowl at the bottom. Purchased mine from Amazon.
BTW, I cut open that plastic filter and was surprised at how little filter material was actually in there and how dirty it appeared to be.
Jerry
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The R12T Racor is what Aqua Hot always used
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