Ram Promaster Forum banner

Gasoline heater

9.4K views 26 replies 14 participants last post by  SteveSS  
#1 ·
I have a 22 Solis built on a 22 promaster and am considering adding a gasoline heater to the van. Getting propane is a pain here and the built in tank makes it worse. Is this going to be more trouble than it's worth to tie into the fuel system?

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk
 
#3 ·
I have a Webasto gasoline heater and I love it. I didn't want the extra hassle of needing another fuel source since I was already carrying gasoline for the promaster engine. That said, if I already have a working propane heater and propane system I am not sure I would go through the trouble to change.

Tying into the fuel system is the easiest part of the installation, there is a fitting that clips onto a spare fitting on the fuel tank, you open the fuel access, remove a cap, and replace the cap with the fitting. Then attach the fuel line to the fitting.
Cutting the hole in the floor and getting everything attached from underneath is the harder part. I cut the hole in my driveway and then installed the heater later since I ran out of time for my build. I installed it in the parking lot of a mechanic shop (I rented a couple hours on a lift and they didn't show up, so I used their parking lot and saved my money, but it was cold and not fun).

I was adamant I did not want propane. I don't know if I feel as strongly about it after the fact.
 
#7 ·
Also are any of the knock off ones any good?
AFAIK, all the Chinese knock-offs are diesel, even the ones advertised as gas/petrol :rolleyes:
The only gas knock-offs I know of are Russian. A company in Vancouver, Canada recently started importing and selling one they call Bison. A few of forum members have them. Use the forum's Search Community and search "bison".
 
#15 ·
Is this going to be more trouble than it's worth to tie into the fuel system?

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk
No, it's a snap -- literally. You buy this little dorman thing, pull of one part and snap on the dormon (with fuel line that goes to the heater's fuel pump clamped on). The more difficult part depends on where you place it (how clear things are under the van) cutting the hole in the floor for the intake, exhaust and fuel lines, and fixing the fuel pump to the van.
 
#16 ·
No, it's a snap -- literally. You buy this little dorman thing, pull of one part and snap on the dormon (with fuel line that goes to the heater's fuel pump clamped on). The more difficult part depends on where you place it (how clear things are under the van) cutting the hole in the floor for the intake, exhaust and fuel lines, and fixing the fuel pump to the van.
Do you have the part number of the dorman thing. If I do this it will be a summer project so far the propane tank has only needed filled once this winter. The Truma seems pretty efficient so far. I just hate having 2 fuel sources.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk
 
#17 ·
Yup -- here's the links.

I made a video going over all the parts and the install to a Bison heater, if you want to get a rough idea of what you're up against. I had a very capable techno-geek friend helping me, and he built a metal box to replace the mounting bracket. Don't let that intimidate you. There are more basic ways around that problem, if you're mounting under the seat. (there's a seat bar the heater needs to sit above.) I don't know if the other brands have the same size fuel lines. Once you get your heater, you can see if this one will fit. I believe it comes in variations. We also bought a Webesto elbow.

Link to Dorman: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CJLKPWG?...
Link to Webesto fuel line elbow: https://www.vmacs.net/products/webast...
Video:
 
#19 ·
Cautionary tale. My fuel line filter for the webasto disintegrated and I started siphoning gas on the ground after filling up the tank. Make sure you put a fuel cut off in line with the tap. Mine was under the access panel. I'm not certain where else one could put one that is both the secure and accessible. Certainly crawling under the van to try to plug a spraying fuel line is no fun.
 
#26 ·
This is for a PM, although there is a long thread in the transit forums on this as well. One of the theories over there is cavitation at higher elevations.

I had a very long and frustrating time trying to troubleshoot my issues. I had conversations with Heatso where I bought the unit, and from Espar directly. During that time I ran multiple fuel metering tests, the ECU was replaced, the fuel pump was replaced, and all the fuel lines and connections were replaced twice. It wasn't until installing the smaller diameter standpipe that things seemed to improve. Using the factory aux tap, my heater would take multiple start attempts and sometimes cutout randomly above 6k. At 7-8k I'd be lucky if I could get it to work at all. With the Espar standpipe it has started first time and run without issues at 7k. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to test it higher than this since I made the change.

If anyone else is successfully using a B4L at high altitudes with the factory tap, I'd be interested to know. However, if I ever install another one I'll probably just pull the fuel pump and install the manufacturer standpipe again. It wasn't much harder than sourcing the correct connectors for the aux tap (Although the 2nd time doing a project is always easier :)
 
#27 ·
As mentioned earlier, I've had similar problems with uptake pipe/hose diameter on water pumps. In fact, the first uptake pipe (1/2" pvc) I installed in Shiny's drinking water tank was way too big for the tiny little water pump. It couldn't self-prime. I "fixed" it by slipping a length of flex-tubing (smaller ID) inside the pvc pipe. Actually it's still a little too big. The pump will only self-prime when the water tank is completely full. But once primed, it stays primed until the tank is empty. Parking heater fuel pumps are also tiny (weak) and have their limits too.