DIY hydronic repair

In detail: do-it-yourself hydronic repair from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

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You may be unpleasantly amazed, lost in conjecture, why the hydronic does not start, and the methods of repairing this device will also start to bother you a lot. So, you have installed a pre-heater on your car, a device that is not cheap anyway. Most likely, it was not installed for you for free - but that's not so bad.

The most important thing is that problems are revealed already with the onset of cold weather, when the hydronic is needed for normal driving. It is unlikely that you will discover the whims of the heater before, because you did not need it so much in terms of heat.

We do not think that the problems will begin soon after installation: this equipment is produced by the German company "Eberspächer", and these guys are responsible for the fruits of their labor. But do not forget that the heater is a complex system, and the more intricate the design, the more of its components a breakdown may threaten.

Why Hydronic does not start and how to repair the device, the most reliable and fastest way will be determined by specialists. If you still have him under warranty, it is better to immediately go to them - amateur performance will instantly liquidate their obligations towards you. If the warranty has expired, you can try to find out where the trouble happened: some of them are available for elimination on their own.

If you decide to carry out the initial diagnostics on your own, and you do not have specialized equipment, take into account the most probable factors that prevent the heater from starting.

  • Case one: you press a button and find a complete lack of response. Most likely, somewhere in the circuit, a contact is open, either due to oxidation of the terminal, or due to broken wiring;
  • A weak reaction to the button is observed, but so insignificant that the heater is not able to provide ignition. Diagnosis: either the battery is hung up or is too low-power;
  • Hydronic tries twice to start, but ignition fails. Most often this happens due to the lack of fuel supply;
  • The heater seems to start, but it turns off almost immediately. The cooling system is airing, so that overheating and emergency cutting off of the unit occurs. This is very often observed after a long absence of machine operation (at least 2 weeks. See the article “We start the car after a long downtime”);
  • The second most common reason is poor-quality antifreeze in the cooling circuit. Look into the distribution tank: if there is something jelly-like instead of liquid, the antifreeze needs to be changed;
Video (click to play).

Image - DIY hydronic repair


Sometimes, the driver begins to worry about why the hydronic does not start - the reasons. Do-it-yourself hydronic repair is quite real, and therefore you should not worry at all. The cost of installing such a device is quite high, and therefore if you also have to pay for the repair work, you can generally “go into negative territory”. As a rule, problems begin at a time when cold weather comes, because it is then that the hydronic is necessary for normal movement. If the device has not been used before, it is clear that problems cannot be detected. It is also worth considering the fact that the device was produced by a well-known German company, which guarantees the high quality of its own products. Do not forget that the heater is a rather complex system. As you know, the more complex the structure, the more likely it may fail.

Hydronic does not start - reasons. Do-it-yourself hydronic repair - this will be the topic of this article. If the owner of the vehicle has a lot of money, then you can go to specialists.If you have a warranty for the heater, you shouldn't even think about it, you need to go straight to the service station. With a warranty, self-repair will cause it to disappear. When the warranty has already expired, why not try to find out what the problem is on your own and, if possible, fix it.

If a person still wants to perform the initial diagnostics with his own hands, but there is no special equipment available, you just need to take into account the most common factors that affect the start of the heating device.

  • The first case: the driver presses a button, but absolutely nothing happens. Most likely, the contact in the circuit opened due to oxidation of the terminal or due to broken wiring.
  • There is a reaction to the button, but it is so weak that the heater is simply unable to fulfill its basic duties. In such a case, the battery is probably dead.
  • Several times the hydronic tries to start working, but nothing happens. This is possible due to the lack of fuel supply.
  • The heater starts working, but almost immediately after starting it turns off. Air has appeared in the cooling system, and therefore the unit overheats and automatically shuts down. This often happens after the vehicle has not been used for a long time.
  • Another popular reason is the use of poor quality antifreeze. You need to look into the expansion tank. If it contains not antifreeze, but a mixture that looks more like jelly, be sure to replace it.
  • The radiator cap valve can be naughty. During the time when the car is in the parking lot, there is a vacuum, which is an airlock. The valve is designed to start the air, and if it does not fulfill its direct task, the heater starts to overheat again. To carry out the check, the lid must be slightly opened at night. If the problem persists, you will have to replace it.
  • Starting problems can begin due to the clogged exhaust pipe. Old dirt is converted to cork.
  • The launch is present, but the exhaust is too smoky, plus, there is a rather unpleasant odor. This indicates that the combustion chamber of the heater is clogged. The manufacturer advises cleaning the device once every two years, but taking into account domestic realities, this has to be done more often.
  • If there are internal malfunctions, then nothing can be done on our own. In this case, it is better to go to a service station after all.
  • Even if a person is firmly convinced that he will go to a car service, he will still have to do some work. These include:

    • Battery check in progress. If necessary, it should be recharged. Also check the spark plugs and replace them if necessary.
    • Diagnostics of the state of the main electrical components.
    • Check the level of fuel in the tank and antifreeze.
    • Checking the exhaust system.

    With the reason that there is no ignition, a modular timer will help you figure it out. It stores error codes in memory. It will not be difficult to view them:

    • A button is clamped on the working heater, which turns it on.
    • How it starts to work - the key on which the clock is depicted is clamped.
    • Behind her, press the P button and hold it for a couple of seconds.
    • An error code will be displayed.

    To scroll through errors, you must click on the arrow button. After reading the article, it became clear why the hydronic does not start, the reasons. Do-it-yourself hydronic repair is possible if you have certain skills and desire. If a person really understands, he can get into the device itself, but in general this is not recommended.

    Image - DIY hydronic repair

    Prestarting heaters HYDRONIC (Hydronic)from Eberspacher are the most expensive of their brothers - devices manufactured Webasto, Chinese Belief, Russian binar.
    The reason for the increased cost, according to the manufacturer, is the use of a different heater burner device and the use of a two-phase fuel combustion scheme, requiring the introduction of more complex production technologies. This contributes to less carbon formation on the parts and, as a result, greater reliability of the device.
    But, nevertheless, heater breakdowns are inevitable. Let's consider the reasons due to which the Hydronic, which has already been used for some time, does not start. First of all, we will inspect the diagnostic and troubleshooting options, if at the time of Hydronic failure you do not have information about the device's fault codes, and the Internet is for some reason unavailable.

    Heater circuit Hydronic

    Reasons for heater failure:

    The Hydronic heater is a complex technical product, so its malfunctions and breakdowns are inevitable.

    • broken wiring, oxidation of the connecting terminals in the electrical circuit of the device;
    • a weak response to the power button indicates insufficient battery charging;
    • the control unit has blocked the heater due to exceeding the minimum or maximum threshold values ​​of the supply circuit voltage;
    • breakdown of the control unit, sensors and other parts of the device.

    Heater diagnostics Hydronic

    • the formation of air jams in the cooling system, as a result of which the temperature sensors of the device overheat, and the control unit turns off the fuel supply;
    • low quality coolant;
    • interruption of the fuel supply to the heater burner. In addition to disruption (clogging) of the fuel line and breakdown of the metering pump, this can be caused by poor fuel quality and excessive contamination of the fuel tank. Diesel Hydronic does not start in frost due to gelation in diesel fuel, therefore, it is recommended to install fuel heating.

    Excessive smoke in the exhaust in combination with stoppages in the operation of the heater is caused by excessive coking of the combustion chamber and exhaust pipe. It is eliminated by cleaning from carbon deposits.

    If the pre-heater does not start, and “Error” appears on the display of its modular timer, then, having independently identified the malfunction and eliminated it, you can diagnose the device. It is better to check the heater and remove errors and their faults in a preventive manner.
    Heater error codes and a short description of the malfunction:

    It is possible to diagnose all elements of the Hydronic heater only during its operation.

    • 011, 012 — Voltage thresholds exceeded. It is most often caused by battery discharge, generator breakdown, broken wiring, oxidation of contacts;
    • 012, 014 - overheating or the possibility of overheating. Disruption of coolant circulation, leakage, air locks. Breakdown of the circulation pump, temperature sensors;
    • 015 - controller blocking due to overheating. The reasons are the same as for errors 012 and 014. It is necessary to remove the error;
    • 017 - emergency shutdown caused by overheating. The reasons are stated above;
    • 020, 021 - spark plug malfunction;
    • 030, 031, 032, 038, 039 - the air intake fan speed has changed. The main reasons are increased resistance to rotation due to pollution, open circuit of the fan power supply, short circuit of wiring, oxidation of contacts;
    • 041, 042 - malfunctions associated with the circulation pump and its power supply;
    • 047, 048 - breakdowns in the fuel supply system associated with the metering pump;
    • 050 - blocking of the control unit due to unsuccessful starts. It is necessary to remove the error after troubleshooting;
    • 051, 052 - exceeding the permissible time. Breakdowns associated with the flame sensor, the operation of the metering pump, the supply of air to the combustion chamber;

    If other error codes are displayed, then it is best to contact a specialist, since special tests will be required on professional diagnostic equipment.Repairing Hydronic "brains" is an occupation for professionals in electronics, semiconductors can fail even from the slightest discharge of static electricity caused by touch.

    Modular timer Hydronic

    If you decide to repair and start Hydronic with your own hands, then start with the simplest.
    Firstly, evaluate the reaction of the heater to the start command. A complete lack of reaction indicates a wiring violation or blocking of the control unit, as well as a discharge of the battery. If the pre-heater supply voltage for 20 seconds was below the minimum threshold value of 10.2 V, then the controller is locked. If there are no measuring instruments, the state of charge of the battery can be assessed by the operation of the sound signal, the light of the headlights when they are switched on for a short time, etc.
    Carefully inspect all electrical connectors belonging to the Hydronic circuit. A break in the wiring could occur due to excessive oxidation of the contacts, which is checked by twitching the connections for a break.

    One of the reasons for heater failure is antifreeze leakage. Check its level in the system and visually assess the quality of the coolant.

    With a simple probe (lamp + wire), check if voltage is supplied to the pump, metering pump, ignition system.
    Evaluate how freely air flows into the combustion chamber and the exhaust gases are removed from it. The intake and exhaust pipes clogged with dirt, ice, snow can be the reason that the Hydronic auxiliary heater does not start.
    Air locks in the cooling system can be caused by a malfunctioning valve in the expansion tank cap (or radiator neck). But this can be installed only by removing the cover in advance. If the subsequent start-up is successful, replace the cover.
    If you have found that the malfunction lies in a faulty part (assembly) of the heater, then the repair will be reduced to replacing the latter. Therefore, if the warranty period of the heater has not expired, but it was installed, as they say, by "officials", then the possible delivery of the car by a tow truck to the workshop will justify itself - the prices for spare parts for HYDRONIC are considerable.
    For trouble-free operation of the device in the future, read the factory installation and operation manual for Hydronic. Most likely, a careful study of the factory requirements and recommendations will point you to mistakes made out of ignorance.

    It is well known that Hydronic heaters are among the leaders in the market for similar devices, successfully competing with Webasto and other manufacturers. At the same time, during the operation of a pre-heater of any company, the owner may be faced with the fact that the equipment begins to malfunction during operation.

    Owners are faced with the fact that the Hydronic starts up every other time or the Hydronic heater smokes and does not start. Given that an autonomous preheater is a rather complex and expensive equipment, any such unit malfunctions become a cause for concern.

    Any malfunctions associated with the fact that the Hydronic diesel or for gasoline installations does not start indicates a problem and the need for diagnostics to troubleshoot.

    Next, we will talk about why Hydronic does not start or the Hydronic preheater starts up and stalls in a minute, and also why Hydronic does not start, writes error, etc.

    To begin with, problems with the engine heater are usually identified with the onset of cold weather, since the device is usually not used in the warm season. Moreover, if Hydronic does not start in frost, then the heater simply cannot be further used for its intended purpose. In both commercial and civil passenger cars, this can lead to the inability to start a cold internal combustion engine.

    In such a situation, the first step is to figure out whether the equipment is under warranty or the warranty period has already expired.If the heater is still under warranty, then the correct solution would be to abandon any attempts at diagnostics and self-troubleshooting. To solve the problem, you should deliver the car to specialists.

    If the warranty for the Hydronic preheater has expired, then you can try to identify and fix the damage yourself. At the initial stage, superficial diagnostics are carried out, that is, such a check does not imply the use of special equipment. Let's move on to the possible reasons for the failure to start the heater.

    The manufacturer recommends to carry out the routine cleaning of the heater at least once every 24 months. It is important to remember that in some cases (for example, frequent and prolonged operation of the device, poor fuel quality), the engine heater should be cleaned more often.

    • Severe clogging of the exhaust pipe of the device also often leads to unsuccessful start-ups of the heater or malfunctions in its operation. In winter, snow ingress, ice freezing and other reasons that block the normal exit of gases from the heater cannot be ruled out. As in the case of cleaning the combustion chamber and other unscheduled work, these cases are not covered by the warranty.
    • With the onset of cold weather, summer diesel fuel tends to freeze or wax in the power system and filters. In case of problems with the heater on diesel engines, make sure that the tank is filled with high-quality winter diesel fuel.

    To check, you need to fill in a winter or arctic diesel, after which the power unit is started and warmed up. Then you can start Hydronic and let it run. This approach will flush paraffinized summer fuel from the system.

    • It should be noted that frequent failures are caused by an air lock, which can form in the cooling system due to problems with the valve in the radiator cap. This element is called a breathing valve.

    In the event that the degree of rarefaction is not reduced, gases that are in a dissolved state begin to escape from the coolant. The release of these gases leads to the appearance of plugs, and only then the plugs cause malfunctions and overheating of the autonomous heater.

    In such a situation, to check, unscrew the radiator cap a little and put the vehicle in the parking lot. A subsequent successful start of the heater will indicate that the problem is with a valve in the cover. For normal operation of the heater, you will need to replace the cover.