Sprinter pre-heater

Do you have more switches to the right behind the indicator stalk PB, that’s where the two with up and down waves lines are on mine?

Will post some pics later when they have synced to the iPad but I think I may have sussed it out. It isn’t the top part of the switch PB shows (Rest) but the centre part that pushes in that puts a red led on above the wavy lines on that switch. Once that is on if I turn on the other wavy lines up switch it kicks the heater into action but no light on the other switch, this was with the engine running, I will experiment again tomorrow with engine off but looks like I am getting somewhere. :)

This should make a bit more sense when I add the pics :)
 
Pics still not come across so posting them on phone.

First press middle section of this switch and red light comes on
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Then turn on the right hand of these two and the water heater kicks in with engine running
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I don't have the other two switches :( :(
 
Pudsey Bear

Take a look under the front near side wheel area to see if you an eberspacher fitted


You normally spot the small exhaust silencer box and the stainless steel exhaust pipe first when looking for the heater

Do you have the mercedes owners handbook which should explian these switches etc?
 
I do have all that, posted about it a while back, might have been elsewhere though :( :(

I pressed the button, started the engine, went for a short drive turned off and felt the exhaust, it was stone cold.
 
How about starting the engine then pressing the button and see if red led lights up

No need to go for a drive if its going to work it doesn’t have to be moving

You should start to hear the pulsing click of the heaters fuel pump if it has any chance of working


Also turn dash board heater setting to hot
 
I'm just off out to the dentist :( :( I'll check my manual when I get back.

Mine is an X reg
 
The switch (1) for activating the heater booster system is located in the center section of the dashboard. The heater booster system can be switched on while the vehicle is being driven to help the engine to reach its normal operating temperature more quickly, which will help to heat up the passenger compartment as quickly as possible when the heating is switched on.
To switch on with the engine running: Press switch (1), the indicator lamp (2) lights up. To switch off: Press switch (1) again or switch the engine off. The heater booster will then switch to run-on mode (about 2 minutes). NOTE: When the vehicle is being driven and a coolant temperature of over 185 °F (+80 °C) is reached, the heater booster system will switch to regulation mode. If the coolant temperature drops to below 167 °F (+75 °C) with the heater booster system switched on, heat output is increased again. If the key is turned to position 0 in the ignition lock (run-on for about 2 minutes), the last setting selected at switch (1) is retained when the engine is restarted (memory function). The operation of the heater booster system is usually not required at outside temperatures above 41 °F (+5 °C).
 
Won't help if it's not working, but here some more info Merc gave me, for NCV3.

"
Further to our recent conversation please find useful information about H12 below:

A fuel-powered booster heater (5 kW) is installed underneath the vehicle floor in the area of the left B-pillar. The booster heater is fully diagnosable. Fuel for the heater is supplied from the vehicle's fuel tank. The booster heater warms the coolant to 85° C, switches off and then switches back on at 73°C. The warmed coolant in the heating circuit of the vehicle heating system heats the driver/passenger compartment. The timer supplied as standard (in the instrument cluster) allows three preset times, though only one can be activated. The possible heating cycles as well as the maximum heating times are dependent on the outside temperature:
· maximum of 6 x 20 minutes (max. of 120 minutes total) at outside temperatures above -5 °C
· maximum of 3 x 40 minutes (max. of 120 minutes total) at outside temperatures of -5 °C to -15 °C
· maximum of 2 x 50 minutes (max. of 100 minutes total) at outside temperatures below -15 °C
After reaching the maximum total heating time (100 or 120 minutes), the booster heater is deactivated. The on/off switch indicator lamps flash alternately. To reactivate the booster heater, the engine must be run again to ensure that the on-board battery has enough power for additional heating cycles. The length of time required for running the engine also depends on the outside temperature and is determined as follows:
· engine running for at least 10 minutes at outside temperatures above 0 °C
· engine running for at least 15 minutes at outside temperatures of 0 °C to 10 °C
· engine running for at least 20 minutes at outside temperatures below -10 °C
The heater switches off, or will not switch on, if the fuel level in the tank is less than 15 litres

Kind Regards

Jon

Van Product Team"
 
PB does your van have a calorifier as well, can you get hot water in habitation area from engine or is your just going to warm engine quicker?
 
Mark is the NCV3 the model range that started in 2006 onwards? I have some pictures of the timer in the dash for a < 2005 model but I do not have any of that instrumentation, mine is just switches. Well I think it’s plural as that is what kicked it in yesterday but still need to experiment. As we are on holiday Caz won’t take kindly to me starting doing too much in depth ha ha.

In mine you lift bonnet and it is behind bumper underneath passenger headlight. Exhaust silencer is clearly visible in the front passenger wheel arch in front and at the back of the wheel.
 
Yes, 2006 onwards. Controls are different on NCV3, my timer is all done via buttons on steering wheel and the multifunction display, so no seperate time module. I also have the rocker switch with wavey lines, but that only works when engine is running. Red light shows it's operating, and of course you can hear it.
 
On the switch with the wavy lines it looks like the light is a small triangle but so far I haven’t managed to get those to light up.

Do you have the other wavy line switch with lines going down? If these are both for pre heater to heat coolant I don’t understand why it has an up and a down
 
nabsim said:
PB does your van have a calorifier as well, can you get hot water in habitation area from engine or is your just going to warm engine quicker?
Click to expand...

I have no idea what it has? I only knew it had an Eber or something because I saw the exhaust, I'm not that bothered about it to be honest, it doesn't really get cold enough in the uk to need stuff like that very often.
 
Pudsey Bear said:
I have no idea what it has? I only knew it had an Eber or something because I saw the exhaust, I'm not that bothered about it to be honest, it doesn't really get cold enough in the uk to need stuff like that very often.
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Well I must admit if it wasn’t for the ability to heat water for a shower I would probably not bother in UK :)
 
nabsim said:
Well I must admit if it wasn’t for the ability to heat water for a shower I would probably not bother in UK :)
Click to expand...

Where would a calorifier be located?
 
I suspect PB has just the booster heater and it is only set to work while the engine is running to warm up engine quicker and to give more heat to the interior heater matrix

Nabsim has extra switches which could mean that he has the pre warmer feature that works with engine off

You may have to hold down the wavvy lines button for a couple of seconds to switch it on if it works the same as the post 2006 NCV3 models
 
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Having one of these heaters and ALDE central heating with a heat exchanger connecting the two circuits is best of both worlds
 
Pudsey Bear said:
Where would a calorifier be located?
Click to expand...
I don’t have a normal water heater PB mine is like you would get on a boat. My hot water tank has connections for the engine coolant pipes and is located under the bed. It’s fine when moving round but if you stay in one place you don’t have hot water. I expect you will have a gas boiler, I think that’s the norm.
 
nabsim said:
On the switch with the wavy lines it looks like the light is a small triangle but so far I haven’t managed to get those to light up.

Do you have the other wavy line switch with lines going down? If these are both for pre heater to heat coolant I don’t understand why it has an up and a down
Click to expand...

Mine is all done via one switch rocker switch. Press the upper part of switch to turn heater on/off.
Press lower switch to get to timer, which is displayed on dash and adjusted by buttons on steering wheel.
Come to think of it, not sure I have ever seen the red light on the right on. I'm going to have to read the manual :)

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