Testing and Diagnosing the E53 Webasto Thermo Top C/Z

[jevansio]

[quote="Alan703"]
It has a multiplug on it. So it must be more than a splitter?
[/quote]
It sure does bud, but it has one input (from the webo) and 2 other connections going to the left and right heater matrix radiators.  If I were a betting man I'd put money on it being controlled based on how much temperature is demanded for the left & right sides on the temperature input on the centre console.  If left wants hot & right wants cold it'll block off one of the outputs.  I don't believe it'll have anything to do with controlling how much of the cars coolant system is being used by the webo.

Jay, you sure you don't have this valve in your car?

PS I have this plumbing layout in mine ie with valve 4 (which I think is purely a left/right splitter):
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=64&fg=18

I don't have this layout with valve 12:
http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?mod ... g=64&fg=18
I haven't studied the plumbing in detail for this setup but I'm more inclined to belive this is the one that only heats part of the cooling setup

[jevansio]

[quote="Alan703"]
Edit 23/11/12: this morning it was 5 degrees. - cold engine.
I tried it by remote, started and failed.
Started car, pulled fuse, replaced fuse after 10 sec to wipe the lockout error - it fired up.
It got hot - I drove 3.5miles to work - it was stills running - with hot exhaust fumes

So, success on the normal operation, fail on the remote side.
[/quote]
Alan, could you summarise the current situation as a lot has gone on in the last page or two lol.  PS when you say it got hot, was that with the car running?  Did the webo sound like a jet engine? 

[jevansio]

That valve is a left/right thing, if you look at:
http://wds.spaghetticoder.org/en/e53/Co ... gulation)/
In particular the wiring diagram for the diesel with IKHA here:
http://wds.spaghetticoder.org/en/svg/sp ... .svg?m=e53

There is a valve Y4 defined as a left/right water valve, if you look here:
http://wds.spaghetticoder.org/en/e53/Co ... omponents/
In particular at the Y4 valve pic here:
http://wds.spaghetticoder.org/en/zinfo/E53_EY4B.htm

It's the same valve as on our cars If the valve isn't operating I would suspect one side or both of you car would blow cold air even when the engine is upto temp.  It won't be related to any webo issues you are having, and isn't the check/changeover valve your IKHA will be complaining about if you've enabled aux-heating without fitting that valve 12 (all IMHO of course ))

[jevansio]

PS some other random thoughts, I always leave mine on 32 heat on each side and the dash heat roller setting on 3 hot, dunno if that affects whether those 2 l/r valves open, if they're both staying closed maybe the webo is not pushing the hot water past them and just overheating?

[storminmike]

Wow  this is such a deep subject

The wife's web works but mine's a tart....a seemingly dead tart

Every button press on the remote and I do mean every press makes it start whiring.

Unlock....whirrr  few minutes then stops
Lock......whirr... few minutes then stops

Non sat nav facelift and no laptop or diagnostics kit..

Is it kerplunk and where do I start?

Thanks....Mike

[jevansio]

Personally going in order of spending the least I would:
1) Check water pump functions
2) Check fuel pump functions
3) Check resistance of glowplug
4) Remove webo from car & clean inside

There seems to be 2 recurring culprits in all the threads I've seen, either glowplug or circuit board, I think once you've done the basic 4 things you're gonna have to take a punt on one or the other & replace, or buy a known working unit.

PS I just put 12v on my old glowplug which was supposedly caput and it glowed redhot straight away, got me thinking if all mine needed was a clean :/

J

[storminmike]

[quote="jevansio"]
Personally going in order of spending the least I would:
1) Check water pump functions
2) Check fuel pump functions
3) Check resistance of glowplug
4) Remove webo from car & clean inside

There seems to be 2 recurring culprits in all the threads I've seen, either glowplug or circuit board, I think once you've done the basic 4 things you're gonna have to take a punt on one or the other & replace, or buy a known working unit.

PS I just put 12v on my old glowplug which was supposedly caput and it glowed redhot straight away, got me thinking if all mine needed was a clean :/

J
[/quote]

Cheers....I'll have a read back and see what that means

The confusing bit is why it would choose to cycle every damn time the car is activated and de-activated

Unless there's a fault which is why this happens. It does happen though regardless of whether the engine is started or not


Unlock doors......whirrrr
Lock doors....whiiiirrrrrrrrrrrr

[mikem]

On my facelift car there is no way to adjust temperature Left and Right with the Webbo running.

The Temp can only be controlled via the rotary mixer on centre vents.

[jevansio]

But you do have left/right for normal heater operation?

[X5 ALN]

Well, last night it fired up and this morning - I feel reasonably chuffed it works as intended.

I hope when I undo the retrofit that that solves my remote issue, although like you all state - you manage to control it from the dash too.  I can live without the dash control - remote is much more convenient.

[jevansio]

Brill result Alan, remote is by far the best way

Nice morning for it too, my screen is defrosting nicely judst now

[X5 ALN]

[quote="jevansio"]
[quote="Alan703"]
Edit 23/11/12: this morning it was 5 degrees. - cold engine.
I tried it by remote, started and failed.
Started car, pulled fuse, replaced fuse after 10 sec to wipe the lockout error - it fired up.
It got hot - I drove 3.5miles to work - it was stills running - with hot exhaust fumes

So, success on the normal operation, fail on the remote side.
[/quote]
Alan, could you summarise the current situation as a lot has gone on in the last page or two lol.  PS when you say it got hot, was that with the car running?  Did the webo sound like a jet engine?
[/quote]

My Saga

Retrofitted Auxiliary Heating - resulting in the direct heat timer appearing on the nav screen.
Webasto would not start using the dash timer - just whirred and shut down.
Fault codes read
IHKA 21 IH check valve / changeover valve (circled in above drawing and doesn't exist on my car as its a factory for option, I believe the fault is the car is looking for something that's not there.)
00 glow plug short circuit to ground.
Replaced the glow plug on its own - sourced from German eBay part number 9017813A
Both faults remained.
Sourced another webasto which had the exact same BMW part number as mine
Swapped the PCB which took all of 10 mins.
Glow plug fault code cleared / IHKA fault remained.

Webasto now operates as BMW intended - with engine running, coolant below a predetermined temperature, and outside temperature below 5 degrees.

When I try to fire it from the remote, it spins up, then shuts down.

The IHKA needs to be functional to turn on the interior fans when the webasto is fired from the remote.
With the engine running, this maybe doesn't matter as much because you would have the interior fans on anyway.

To summarise,

I should not have retrofitted the car for auxiliary heat
The fault was the PCB
A clean never went amiss.

However, if I did not retrofit the dash, I would not have realised the unit was not working unless I applied the power to pin one. I didn't know about pin one, until I found out the unit wasn't working, and found the advise on this site.

Now to find someone to repair a PCB, so that I can sell the spare one as a working unit.
Unless anyone wants to buy a faulty one for a project.

[wilkoturbo]

Think. My plumbing is different !!??

Is mine working like BMW said it should 1.5 c just started the engine drove a few mile and the WebO is red hot but no hot air out the exhauste !!??

[X5 ALN]

No - it gets hot because your coolant is hot naturally flowing through it. If the exhaust doesn't have heat coming out - the burner isn't going.

Your plumbing looks like mine.

[X5 ALN]

Although you seem to be missing the intake silencer in this picture
http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?mod ... g=64&fg=65
And my intake hose coming out of the inner wing is foil not rubber