Club 80-90 Forums

Hi All,

I was told when I got my bus that the original factory fitted DA6 Eber worked, just needed the temp switch reconnected (green twisty knob bit). Well after over a year and a half of ownership I went to try it today and found that it didn't! Had a look through the Bently manual, and various other documents about it including the handbook and I've came across a problem. I have a start button next to the temp switch that isn't mentioned anywhere!

Now I have also discovered why it won't do anything, there was no power to the fuses so I traced the wire and found a bit of loom cut off just back from the drivers (lhd) door. This loom has 4 wires in it. I have traced them all, as annoyingly they are all white, 1 thick one and 3 thinner ones. I connected them one at a time to the leisure battery to see where they went to...

The thick wire... main power wire to the main fuse in the fusebox.
With this connected if you try the start/temp switch with the engine running after 30secs ish the blower starts up at the back, cold air only though, the Eber doesn't fire up and after a while it all shuts down again.

2 of the thinner wires go to the start button. Not connected into anything else.

The final thinner wire connects to a 3 way spade connector a bit like this:

cut wire ----------------------------------//////
Yellow wire & Black/Violet wire---------///// ///// White wire into control box position 6. (Looks like)


When this final wire is connected to the battery it also causes the blower to run.

I just can't for the life of me figure out what to do with start button wiring, or what the hell it's for as the manuals don't mention one. This bus is ex German army so maybe it's wired differently for some reason. I'm thinking there should maybe be another relay fitted between the cut loom and the battery?

Anyone have any ideas or seen this start button set up before?

I hope the above makes a bit of sense!

E D I T: Should have mentioned the wiring on the temp switch does match the Bently manual for all connections going into it with only 1 difference. Position 4, has two blue wires and one loops round on mine onto the k connector outside the multi plug which is the light circuit. The Bentley manual doesn't have this, just a single blue wire.

Any help greatly appreciated, as I'm stumped!

I've got a german version manual with the wiring circuits for the transporter if you want a copy other than that I can't help - as you have non standard wiring you will have to trace them back to the heater/ecu.

Thanks Oldie,

I already have the German manual but thanks for the offer, I did as much trawling around getting documents as I could before trying to get this thing to run as I've saw how much trouble others have with them!

I was hoping someone else had this type and could point me in the direction of a relay or something that is missing but I suppose I'm just going to have to check the whole wiring and re-wire it as the manual states without this start button.

I did wonder last night as the temp controller was lying in the glovebox when I got the bus, if the army vans had a different temp controller originally fitted and that the previous owner had sourced the standard one as a replacement. Unfortunetly I also have the manual amendment that came with the army vans and it doesn't mention it being any different, but then it doesn't really go into any technical detail.

I'll keep searching!

Well that was quite easy!

Disconnected the wire joining in with the Yellow and Black/Violet wire going into position 3 (not 6 as I had said before) on the ecu. Started the van and switched it on with the temp controller...

Never been so scared in my life, fans kicked in, eber started running I've got my head in the side door feeling for heat coming out the vents when the smell hit me the realised there was smoke coming into the van from the outside, looked underneath and the smoke is billowing from the exhaust of the eber. So much that I thought the thing was on fire... damn near had me running for the hosepipe! It obviously hasn't been used in a long time, cleared after about a minute and now starts and purrs away with no smoke.

New problem though! Well more of a worry as it's quite handy if its not effecting anything else.

As it was working fine with the engine running, I tried the temp controller with the ignition off as it's supposed to run for a max of 10mins and shut off. I set the timer and it started up no problem. BUT after the timer had stopped counting down it didn't switch off! I left it for a further 5 mins and then switched it off manually as you would if the engine was running. This is handy I suppose as it means it can be used without the motor running for longer than the 10 min bursts but it's worrying me a little as if it's not working right then maybe the overload/overheating etc safeguards are also not going to shut it down.

Temp controller switch knackered? Any ideas?

Thanks!

Just a thought as you have a leisure battery for the music - have you got the heater wired up to it? Just that it saves you from that nightmare of a flat starter battery after you have spent too long laying back listening to the music with the heater on!

Sorry for taking an age to reply, not been on the net properly for a while.

Yes, It is wired up to my leisure battery so no worries over the heater draining it.