Aux / Booster Heater

[Hedge]

Apologies and thanks for the reply to my earlier comment. I must be going a bit doooolally - posted twice. Ooops. Do you think my Ford dealer will take kindly to me suggesting that it needs a new glo plug - it's still under warranty you see.

I small amount of greyish smoke is normal during initial operation of the aux heater, may last for a few minutes and may be more noticeable if you stop (say at traffic lights) early in the journey. It should only happen on cool/cold days with a cool/cold engine. If the car is still under warranty then I would be straight back to the dealer and say that it is unacceptable and in no way should any of these fumes be entering the car!

[systalink]

I small amount of greyish smoke is normal during initial operation of the aux heater, may last for a few minutes and may be more noticeable if you stop (say at traffic lights) early in the journey. It should only happen on cool/cold days with a cool/cold engine. If the car is still under warranty then I would be straight back to the dealer and say that it is unacceptable and in no way should any of these fumes be entering the car!

 

 

Many thanks. I think I will have to. Is it just me that has had smoke in the car??? Lots of people have had mentioned smoke, but I just assumed that they meant that it was coming into the car as well. This is really worrying. Can anyone suggest why or how it is coming in? It was coming in through the hole where the seat belt comes out of, and through the vent above the wheel in the back - just below where my two yr sits!!!!!

 

Thanks

[Hedge]

I small amount of greyish smoke is normal during initial operation of the aux heater, may last for a few minutes and may be more noticeable if you stop (say at traffic lights) early in the journey. It should only happen on cool/cold days with a cool/cold engine. If the car is still under warranty then I would be straight back to the dealer and say that it is unacceptable and in no way should any of these fumes be entering the car!

 

 

Many thanks. I think I will have to. Is it just me that has had smoke in the car??? Lots of people have had mentioned smoke, but I just assumed that they meant that it was coming into the car as well. This is really worrying. Can anyone suggest why or how it is coming in? It was coming in through the hole where the seat belt comes out of, and through the vent above the wheel in the back - just below where my two yr sits!!!!!

 

Thanks

It's hard to imagine how fumes/smoke from the aux heater exhaust can be getting into the car unless there is a window open or it is being drawn into the conditioning system but I do not think that is normal and wouldn't happen with the car moving forward. The exhaust is external to the car blowing towards the offside rear passenger door. There might be a slight diesel smell inside the cabin (from people getting in and out with the aux heater running) but it should not be significant. If you can actually see smoke or fumes in the car then I would definately get it seen to ASAP and minimise driving in it.

[systalink]

I took the Galaxy into my Ford dealer this afternoon again, after yesterday's smoke incident. They said that it didn't sound normal, but they couldn't do anything further until they actually saw for themselves the smoke I was describing. I have to drive to their garage immediately the next time it happens. How reasurring! If they can smell the diesel fumes they will replace the heater for a new one. They also said that I already have a new Glow bulb installed - they checked this when they first investigated the problem last week. So, basically I've got to wait now until the car fills with smoke again. Great! Don't know what else to do really. :rolleyes:

Does anyone know if Ford have issued anything about this problem. Are they aware of any design fault, etc??

[SharanTDICarat]

You could try to catch it on video or on a camera phone as one of the guys from the Touran forum has done. It seen a few of the VW touran owner are having the same aux heater faults, I have been looking in to buying a touran.

TAM

[systalink]

Videoing it sounds like a good idea - I'll try that! Hopefully I won't crash the bloody thing whilst doing it. It's just so annoying, not being able to understand why its happening. It seems so randommmmmmmm

[sanjsanj]

why not start it, stand outside and video it?

[gregers]

systalink,

this happened to me,sure i posted on this thread way way way back

 

iirc the smoke in mine entered by the passenger seat belt area .

[systalink]

systalink,

this happened to me,sure i posted on this thread way way way back

 

iirc the smoke in mine entered by the passenger seat belt area .

 

No way....Wot was the outcome? - how did you sort out the problem of smoke coming in through the seat belt area. I'd be really grateful if you could let me know. Thanks

[stevie m]

systalink,

this happened to me,sure i posted on this thread way way way back

 

iirc the smoke in mine entered by the passenger seat belt area .

 

No way....Wot was the outcome? - how did you sort out the problem of smoke coming in through the seat belt area. I'd be really grateful if you could let me know. Thanks

 

virtually no smoke when heater sorted. Hence nothing coming in i would have thought.

[systalink]

So basically, I need to get the heater fixed.

 

Another thing I'm unsure about are the vents between the driver and front passenger seats at the rear of the handbrake area. Should heated air come out of these vents onto the feet of the peopl in the second row - or are they for something else??? Apologies for being dull!!! :rolleyes:

[Beyond Help?]

The induction pipe for the air for the heater goes into the sill, if the heater fails to light because the plug has not go hot enough then any unburnt fuel if vaporised by the hot plug and goes back through the induction pipe and into the car.

 

A new plug should see the problem solved, although the smoke in the car issue seems only to effect fairly new models.

[naim32]

Does anyone know if the cheap vag com usb interfaces found on ebay plus shareware vag are enough to read and reset the error codes

[systalink]

The induction pipe for the air for the heater goes into the sill, if the heater fails to light because the plug has not go hot enough then any unburnt fuel if vaporised by the hot plug and goes back through the induction pipe and into the car.

 

A new plug should see the problem solved, although the smoke in the car issue seems only to effect fairly new models.

 

Could you tell me where the induction pipe is and what it looks like - I feel I'm going to have to go back to Ford and I'd like to appear to know what I'm talking about. Where abouts on the sill does the heater go in??

 

Thanks

[Hedge]

The induction pipe for the air for the heater goes into the sill, if the heater fails to light because the plug has not go hot enough then any unburnt fuel if vaporised by the hot plug and goes back through the induction pipe and into the car.

 

A new plug should see the problem solved, although the smoke in the car issue seems only to effect fairly new models.

 

Could you tell me where the induction pipe is and what it looks like - I feel I'm going to have to go back to Ford and I'd like to appear to know what I'm talking about. Where abouts on the sill does the heater go in??

 

Thanks

If you look uner the car, under the rear passenger door side you should see the Aux Heater bolted underneath the car if you put your head right under in the area of the heater you will see two metal pipes coming from underneath the heater. One goes to the exhaust which points towards the rear drivers side of the car the other disappears forward and into the sill of the car through a grommet. I'll try and upload a photo but not too sure if i have that capability yet?

[systalink]

Thanks Hedge!! Got the pic. The car is booked in next Wed for further investigation. I'll mention the possible source of the smoke. I'll let you know how I get on.

[sanjsanj]

why have they designed it to take it's combustion air from the cabin? isn't there enough air underneath the car? :rolleyes:

[stevie m]

Does anyone know if the cheap vag com usb interfaces found on ebay plus shareware vag are enough to read and reset the error codes

 

 

You want to delete the codes ?

 

How much is this lead ?

[mk2vr6]

why have they designed it to take it's combustion air from the cabin? isn't there enough air underneath the car? :rolleyes:

 

yes there is plenty of air under the car along with all the other crap that gets thrown under there when you moving! road dust, litter, rain water... so the intake is tucked upped into the sill to protect it and act as a debri filter

[naim32]

You want to delete the codes ?

 

How much is this lead ?

 

These are the leads that sell for around

[d4d4ms]

My Aux heater has been smoking now since before Christmas and I only had it replaced two years ago, so could mine be glow plug thingee and not in need of a new Aux heater, would be much cheeper and where do I get one from for an 03. Everyone keeps telling me my car is on fire!!

[stevie m]

First thing you need to do is take the old one out and check to see if it has 2 wires attached to it as there are 2 types. If there are no wires attached to it (apart from 1 single one at the top) then i can supply you with one at a cost of

[Steve-vc]

I too have had this problem since before Christmas, the car has become shameful to drive. Also went in for a service yesterday and Seat want to change the motor and glowplug at a cost of

[d4d4ms]

Thanks - last time I had the Aux heater replaced the car was still under waranty, obviously this has run out now. When I got the car back it was still smoking and it had to go back to be re-programmed or something to stop the smoking, could you tell me that if I have it changed by someone apart from Fords will it have to go in to be re-programmed before it stops smoking?

 

Donna

[?Bleeno?]

Donna ........ They cannot re-program it; they can only reset it by clearing 5 "flameout" faults that will stop it from trying to ignite again. It sounds like the glow plug needs replacing although you had the whole thing replaced under warranty. Yours is igniting but not burning all the fuel which is the cause of the smoking. I would query the dealer who supposedly replaced the unit and ask why it should start to smoke again after a couple of years or if they're not forthcoming, then I would change the glowplug.