Eberspacher D2

Spending a lot of time in a caravan, I rely on good winter heating.

In late 2009 I bought a used Eberspacher D2 diesel heater on ebay. No idea how many previous hours on the clock, but I have added more than 2,000 hours since then - the last 1400 on red diesel.

In January 2011 it developed an irritating problem on cold start-up. Initial start was perfect, but as motor increased speed the unit flamed out for up to 10 seconds, then re-ignited and settled down to a normal run. Fuel fed continuously throughout the flame-out; resulting in a cloud of smelly smoke from the exhaust. Checks for water in the diesel and blockages in the filter were ok. Another major cause of non-electrical faults is an excessive build-up of carbon which can choke the system and affect the heater's efficiency. Eberspacher recommend a service every 2000 hours and I decided an overhaul was merited.

However, with temperatures hovering between freezing and -15 degrees C, I opted to wait and search for alternative solutions.

Eventually I contacted Power Enhancer UK to see if their fuel additives would be likely to work in this case as well as engines. Andy suggested Motor Silk. His straight approach was enough to convince me.

After using 40 litres of treated red diesel the flame out problem hadn't improved but the weather had, so I stripped the troubled unit.

It also gave me the opportunity to check what the Motor Silk was doing. The results are revealed as we proceed.

Dismantling is simple, especially compared to the earlier Eberspacher models. However, you will need a special tool to remove the glow-pin. Requests for this tool are frequently observed in Eberspacher forums, but brother Roy's solution works beautifully.

You will also need T20 and T25 torx bits, screwdrivers plus replacement gasket(s) and glow-plug screen.

Alternatively if you do not want to do it yourself we are offering an overhaul for Airtronic D2 models on Eber Service 4 page.