Diesel heater fuel supply

[Tigerr]

The boat has a webasto type heater in engine bay, which was replaced this year. The fuel supply goes into a square box en route to the heater, located on the swim shelf, and this is what concerns me.  I admit I don't know what the box does - welcome enlightenment.

The copper fuel tube going in to the box enters via a brass olive joint gland as one would expect. The exit tube though leaves via a hole on far side (out of view) and is not held in a fastening - it presumably attaches to something in the box. I think it vibrates at certain revs, (I am trying to find source of a rattle) which I cannot think is meant to be happening. I have a suspicion the mechanic may have bodged it because it is out of sight. Unfortunately the screws holding the lid of the box are mashed - 2 are missing (same mechanic) so I do not want to remove them to look. It is a bit of a messy job and not a credit to the engineers who did it, which has made me suspect it. 

Alternatively it is all quite normal. Can anyone shed light?

Edited June 7, 2017 by Tigerr

[Chewbacka]

A picture might help.............

[jddevel]

Having just fitted a Wesbasto heater one point I`d make is that all bits and pieces (filter,pump ect) had to be connected via a flexible rubber hose (fuel compatible) and all copper inserted into such pipe work had to be flared at insert point. Double clipped. o square box so this might be a "protective " cover installed by mechanic/previous owner

[Tigerr]

Indeed, if I knew how to I would post a pic! 

[OldGoat]

Jumping in -

The box looks like a standard box often used in electrical installations and probably contains a fuel filter and the impulse pump. It may be the latter that's causing the vibration. If it was my boat, I'd clip the pipes as well as  grommets on the box.

Top marks for putting vulnerable items in a box.

Nil points for not supporting the pipes.....

It's a matter of tidiness and good practice rather than any real danger. Copper will work harden with vibration.    

[David Mack]

If there is a pump in the box where is the power supply.

The outlet pipe needs a grommet around the pipe as otherwise the copper could chafe on the edge of the hole.

If the box cannot be opened then this is a BSS fail. How can an examiner verify that the box contents complies with the requirements for fuel pipes?

[Flyboy]

Why don't you drill out the damaged screws and take the lid off. It looks like a right bodge to me and doesn't look like any part supplied by Webasto so get the lid off and tell us what's in there please.

[mross]

Yes, better to get the lid off now and not until something goes wrong on a cold day.  Is there an electric cable going into the box?

Edited June 7, 2017 by mross

[Taslim]

Open The Box!  You may win a fortune.

It looks like a diecast zinc 'Vero' box, a much favored electronics  enclosure.  Put a drop of diesel on each screw, wait, then use an old screwdriver and hammer to 'gently' massage the screw.  It usually works.

Photo of contents please.

[NMEA]

It is one of the boxes used in the early days of BSS for narrowboat kits, rubber fuel hose of no type was permitted then, it contains the dosing pump and rubber hose joints to the copper pipe, also the plastic pulse damper which is no longer used. Personally I would discard it, mount the pump normally with rubber mount and 7840 hose joiners after discarding the pulse damper. It should have had 5mm bulkhead compression fittings for the copper tube and a gromet for the cable, all those parts came with the kit but some people are lazy or think they know better.

 

Edited June 10, 2017 by NMEA

[matty40s]

I have a large metal box near my Eberspacher which unfortunately I have discovered I need to attend to pronto.

The fuel tank!!

5' x 18" x 18"

The fairly new Eber 4 that replaced the 17 year old Eber 5 has been intermittently struggling or turning itself off ( or not starting) over the last couple of weeks. I decided to check the floor based fuel tank which has a 1cm breather hole next to the eber fuel take off. I used a liquid extractor near the base of the tank and in 6" of diesel had 2" of crap.I had to keep clearing the evacuation tube as the crap kept blocking it.

So, tomorrows job is to cut an access panel in the fuel tank and clean all the crap out. There is no other solution as other than the 1cm hole at one end, the only other hole is the filler at the other end.

after that, hopefully the eber will sing sweetly for another 10 years.