This is an archive of how we installed a Webasto Air Top 2000 STC to our 2016 Ford Transit. Since then, we bought a new 2021 Ford Transit and, again, installed a gas heater. We recommend heading to our latest article for the most complete and up-to-date information:
Table Of Content
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click a product link and buy anything from the merchant (Amazon, eBay, etc.) we will receive a commission fee. The price you pay remains the same, affiliate link or not.
1- Good To Know
1.2. Webasto Air Top 2000 ST/STC High Altitude Adjustment Procedure
The high-altitude adjustment can be performed by a Webasto dealer; they have access to specialized tools that analyze the exhaust gas to validate that the air-fuel ratio is correct at the altitude where the adjustment is performed. Or you can actually perform the adjustment yourself, like we did. To do so, you will need the rheostat controller:
Preps
- At this point, your heater should be connected (electrical, fuel, etc.) and ready to use. The rheostat should be connected to the pigtail labeled as "User Potentiometer" (ours was located near the heater itself). If you're using the MultiControl HD, disconnect it. OK let's do this!
1- Connect the CO2 calibration wire with the ground
- Using any electrical wire, connect the CO2 calibration wire to your system ground. This can be, for example, your negative bus bar.
- Depending on your heater/controller model, the CO2 calibration wire is either brown (look for a 2-wire pigtail; there should be one brown wire and one green wire) or is either grey/red (look for a pigtail with only 1 wire; it’s close to the “Diagnose/Thermocall/Telestart” pigtail). It should be located near the extremity of the harness (far from the heater unit itself).
2- Turn the control knob to 12:00
- Or turn it up to 1:00 for very high altitude (around 10,000ft).
- This will fire up the heater. Wait a few minutes. The LED on the rheostat will eventually begin to flash. Go to the next step.
3- Turn the control knob to 9:00
- Or 8:00 for very high altitude adjustment (around 10,000ft).
- Keep the heater running for 3 minutes.
4- While the heater is still running, disconnect the CO2 calibration wire from the ground
- The procedure is over! Let the heater run for an extra 10 minutes (this is just so it reaches a high temperature and stays clean) then turn it off.
5- Did it actually work?
- At this point, a Webasto dealer would analyze the exhaust gas to make sure the air-fuel ratio adjustment is correct... In our case, there is no way to tell if the procedure was successful or not. Gotta have faith! Time will tell!
6- Driving back to sea level
- According to Tech Webasto, a lean combustion does not damage the heater, so there is no need to change the adjustment back to sea level. A lean combustion will not damage the heater but will, however, reduce the heat output by approximately 100-200 BTU/h which is almost negligible.
- We made the high altitude adjustment in 2017, and since then we have been running our heater adjusted for high altitude at all times (even at sea level). We didn't notice the reduced output, and we believe that a leaner combustion actually helps prevent carbon buildup (as discussed with Tech Webasto).
high altitude adjustment is permanent
- It means that if the Webasto is unplugged, or if the main power is turned off, the high altitude adjustment is not lost.
- The high altitude adjustment remains until it is manually adjusted back to sea level altitude.
Adjusting the Webasto Air Top 2000 ST/STC back to sea level altitude
- Connect the CO2 calibration wire to ground.
- Turn the heater control knob to 9:00. Wait a few minutes.
- When the LED on the rheostat begins to flash, turn the control to 12:00, and keep the heater running for 3 minutes.
- While the heater is running, remove the CO2 calibration wire from ground.
1.3. Remote Room Temperature Sensor
The temperature sensor of the Webasto/Espar is located in the heater cold air intake, not in the controller (except for the Espar S2/M2 with EasyStart Pro controller)! This is important to know, as many people believe their heater is wayyyy out of adjustment when they first use it.
Take the case where the heater is installed under the passenger seat: ambient air under the seat is much colder than ambient air in the living space. So setting the temperature of 20°C on the controller is equivalent to setting the temperature to 20°C under the seat; as a result, ambient air in the living space will be much higher than 20°C! It’s not a major issue, but it’s a bit irritating.
Fortunately, there is a way around it. It is possible to install a remote room temperature sensor. Once installed, the heater will use this sensor instead of the built-in sensor at the cold air intake. We personally installed our remote room temperature sensor near the MultiControl HD, approximately at shoulder height in the middle of the living space (further away from the hot air exhaust). This way, choosing 20°C on the controller means the living space will actually be 20°C!
Temperature sensors are best located at shoulder height in a central location:
Webasto, SensorPush (faroutride.com/sensorpush-review) and Simarine (faroutride.com/simarine-pico) temperature sensors:
EasyStart Pro Controller for (new) Espar S2/M2 models
The controller includes an integrated room temperature sensor. Nice!
1.4. How to activate all timers on the Webasto MultiControl HD
The MultiControl HD is advertised as having 21 timers, and it does. But there is a catch: only one timer can be active, meaning you can’t actually pre-program your heater for multiple ON/OFF cycles. This is due to legal requirements for passenger vehicles.
Fortunately, there is a way to re-program the MultiControl HD to unlock all 21 timers. After this procedure, you will be able to make all of them active simultaneously:
1- Remove the back cover of the MultiControl HD
- Use a small flat bit to pry the back of the MultiControl HD away (pry all around).
2- Connect the brown wire to the second tab of the diagnostic access connector
- The MultiControl HD will reboot. Don't let go! You have to keep the connection until the end of the procedure or you'll have to start over (that's the hardest part!).
3- Select "Service" menu and choose the number of active timers
- Don't be shy, select all 21 of them!
Note: The "Service" menu also has a bunch of other options
- So be careful not to mess with them unless you know what you are doing!
- Change heater
- Adjust min-max duration
- Permanent mode
- Cancel ventilation
- Temperature range
- Show room temperature (a cool feature)
- Unibox set
- Undervoltage shutdown
- Unlock heater (careful with that one)
- Base configuration
Thanks to Marc B. for providing these instructions!
2- Webasto Installation
This is an archive of how we installed a Webasto Air Top 2000 STC to our 2016 Ford Transit. Since then, we bought a new 2021 Ford Transit and, again, installed a gas heater. We recommend heading to our latest article for the most up-to-date information:
2.1- Overview
Time Spent
25 hours
We had a lot to figure out at the time, but we hope this guide helps you finish the job faster than us!
Material
| Item | Description | Quantity | Link |
| Webasto Air Top 2000 STC | Heater kit | 1 | Heatso |
| Mount Plate | *If your kit doesn’t already include one. | 1 | Amazon |
| Ford Transit Auxiliary Fuel Port Kit (per Bulletin Q-228) | Part Number: CK4Z-9B210-A (gasoline Transit) | 1 | eBay |
| Part Number: CK4Z-9B210-B (diesel Transit) | 1 | eBay | |
| Webasto Fuel Line Reducer (7.5mm to 4.5mm) | To connect to the Transit aux. fuel port | 1 | vmacs.net |
| Heat Shield Sleeve 3 feet length | Radiant Heat Barrier for fuel line | 1 | Amazon |
| 3M Undercoating Spray (Rust Proofing) | To seal and protect cut/drilled metal against corrosion | 1 | Amazon |
| 3M SM600L Thinsulate | To insulate the seat pedestal area (you most likely have leftovers from insulating your van!) | 1 | TheSwivelShop |
2.2- Install the Webasto/Espar Under The Passenger Seat
2.2.1- Remove the passenger seat
Remove the 2 screws in the front:
Remove the 2 screws in the back:
Disconnect the wiring harness. The seat is free to go!
2.2.2- Remove the jack and trim the bolt
Take the jack out of the way (it can be re-fitted here afterwards). We had to trim on of the jack's bolt to make room for the heater:
2.2.3- Locate where to install the heater
Good to know
Mount Plate
It is critical to install the heater on a flat surface. This way, the gasket (the large rubber thingy under the heater) can seal effectively and prevent fumes (and carbon monoxide) from entering the cabin. Most likely, your van’s floor is not perfectly flat. That’s why using a mount plate is so important.
The heater must be located so it doesn't clash with the seat base (black structure with the bar code sticker in the photo below), but also so the combustion exhaust/intake, the fuel line, and the installation bolts are accessible under the floor... it's more difficult than it looks because space under the floor is VERY tight!
Looking on top:
Under the floor (this is an "after" photo):
If we had to start over
As you can see, we drilled a hole for each component (intake, exhaust, fuel line, mount bolts). This makes the installation / removal of the heater a real struggle because it is SO HARD to work from under the van (because of the very tight space). If we had to do it again, we would probably do it like this:
- Cut a single “large” cutout in the van’s floor.
- Install the heater on the mount plate (exhaust, intake, fuel line and bolts).
- Secure the mount plate to the van’s floor and seal it.
This way, the installation / removal can be performed from ABOVE the floor (instead of under the floor), which makes things MUCH easier!
Good to know
Rust Prevention
Paint adds pretty finish and colors, but it also plays a critical role: paint prevents metal from rusting. When trimming a cutout (e.g. roof fan opening), drilling a hole, or even when screwing a self-tapping screw in the van (we recommend using cross nuts instead), metal is left bare around the edge and eventually initiate rust. The best way to prevent rust is to restore the finish on the bare metal by applying a layer of primer, paint, and clear coat (your local Auto Parts Store can provide this, and they can match your van’s color). Each layer must be allowed to dry, so this is really time consuming… Second best way to prevent rust is to apply a layer of rust proof undercoating (see “Material” section above) on the edges where bare metal is exposed. This is quicker, but not as effective as restoring the finish; it’s definitely better than doing nothing though.
2.3- Install the Combustion Exhaust
Good to know
Installation Requirements
To prevent carbon buildup / sooting issues, follow all the installation requirements from the manual (as reiterated in our “Installation Requirements” section above)
Following all the installation requirements (length, slope, bends, etc.) left us with little choice: our exhaust is routed near the passenger-side rear wheel. People often point out that installing the exhaust near the passenger door can let the gas get inside the van… But in reality, the doors and windows are always closed when we use our heater; remember it’s cold outside 😉 So we don’t get anything inside the van. Using the door to enter/exit is not problematic either.
2.4- Install the Combustion Intake
We made a mud-deflector-3000 from an old plastic bucket, and it’s zip-tied to the van. Then we attached the intake to it. As simple as that:
2.5- Install the Webasto / Espar Fuel Pump and Fuel Line
2.5.1- Fuel Line
We routed the fuel line (and the fuel pump’s electrical wire) under our Ford Transit as follows:
2.5.2- Fuel Pump
We initially installed the fuel pump using a cross nut and the clamp provided with the Webasto installation kit (not shown in the photo, a small piece of foam as an attempt to dampen the clicking noise):
However, we recently tried to mount the pump with a Quick Fist (amzn.to/39VWWQZ), and the clicking noise reduction is HUGE – to the point where we don’t really hear the pump inside the van anymore. The quick-fist is zip-tied to the tank attachment strap:
2.5.3- Tapping into the fuel tank
Heads Up!
The Transit’s auxiliary fuel port inner diameter is 6mm, which is much larger than what Espar & Webasto recommend (2mm). That’s more volume of fuel to pump and as a result the heater may have more difficulty to start (especially at high elevations) and the fuel line may not stay primed. It may also increases risk of carbon buildup.
We used the auxiliary fuel port for years and it worked (and still works), as described below, but we did have some carbon buildup issues at first and we noticed the heater would loose it’s prime after 24 hours or so.
From now on, we recommend using Espar & Webasto provided fuel standpipe instead of the Transit aux. fuel port. This is per Espar of Michigan‘s recommandation, following an investigation they performed on the Transit.
You will have to completely remove the fuel tank, which is a bit more involving. We don’t have the instructions yet because we still haven’t install the heater on our new van, so for now you can refer to the following threads:
The Transit fuel tank features an auxiliary fuel port and pick up straw; no need to drill! That being said, the auxiliary fuel port comes with a plug; you need to purchase and install the aux fuel pump kit (purchase link under “Material” section in this page).
To connect the Webasto fuel line to the Transit aux. fuel port, we initially made our own reducer out of 5/16" and 1/4" rubber fuel line:
HOWEVER, we later found this Webasto reducer and we would recommend it instead (it minimize the formation of bubbles, that's what we have on our van now):
To install the auxiliary fuel port, the tank must be lowered. So first things first, make sure that the fuel tank is almost empty before lowering it.
Remove the 6 bolts securing the tank and lower it. The tank is surprisingly light weight if emptied. No need to unplug anything, but it won't go all the way to the ground, so use about just anything to keep it higher:
This is how it looks after putting it back together. We protected the Webasto fuel line inside a rubber fuel hose, but looking back many years later, it seems that might be unnecessary as we didn't observe any damage from rocks or any flying object.
2.5.4- Fuel Pump Electrical Connection
The fuel pump has no polarity. In other words, it doesn’t matter which wires you connect together.
2.6- Cabin Exhaust (Hot Air Duct)
We used a holesaw (2-3/8") to create a cutout in the seat pedestal (and restored the finish on the bare edge):
We installed the Webasto outlet on the seat pedestal and we used the provided clamps to secure the duct:
2.7- Cabin Intake (Cold Air)
Simply snap the protective screen on the Webasto intake (sorry no photo, but you'll figure it out!).
2.8- Electrical Wiring
Connect the wiring harness to the Webasto. We routed our harness between the seat pedestal and the floor and then in the driver-side wall all the way to our electrical system cabinet.
Connect your controller to the harness (the rheostat is connected to the pigtail labeled as "Potentiometer", or the MultiControl HD to the pigtail labeled as "Telestart"):
Connect the wiring harness to your 12V distribution (fuse block). Red wire is positive, brown wire is negative. We've got a diagram & tutorial for you if you're still at the stage of figuring things out 😉
2.9- Remote Room Temperature Sensor (Optional)
We mentioned in the “Good To Know” section that the temperature sensor of the Webasto is located at the cold air intake of the heater. As a result, there is always a mismatch between the temperature obtained in the living space compared to the temperature selected on the MultiControl HD (the living space is warmer than selected). The solution is to install a remote room temperature sensor in the living space (near the controller): once installed, the Webasto heater will use this sensor instead of the one in the cold air intake. Then the living space temperature will match with the one selected on the MultiControl HD! Here is how to install the remote room temperature sensor on the Webasto Air Top 2000 STC:
There is a resistor hidden somewhere in the wiring harness. The goal is to replace the resistor with the remote room temperature sensor instead:
Here is what the resistor looks like (after we trimmed it). Expect it to be hidden in the wiring harness under black tape, so you'll have to search for it:
We found the resistor near the Webasto heater itself. The remote room temperature sensor is 5 meters long, that was more than enough to route it towards the back of the van:
We installed the remote room temperature sensor near the MultiControl HD, and, since then, the temperature of our living space matches with the temperature we select on the MultiControl HD!
2.10- Starting The Webasto for the First Time
You made it! Ready to fire up!
- Not so fast… we emptied the fuel tank in order to lower it, right? Remember to refill it 😛 On the Ford Transit, the tank must be above 1/3 full or otherwise the pump will only suck air.
- If you’re doing the installation during summer, you should know that the maximum outside temperature (for combustion air) allowed is 20°C. Above 20°C the heater might not want to start or might automatically shut down.
- The fuel pump on the Webasto/Espar is self-priming. There is no need to manually fill the fuel line. However, expect around 2 to 4 false starts before the fuel line is primed (before the fuel reaches the Webasto heater). The longer the fuel run between the fuel tank and the Webasto, the longer it takes for priming.
- A “false start” is when the heater does not detect fire and aborts the startup sequence. It takes about 2 minutes for the abort sequence to kick in. Once it kicks in, the heater stops pumping fuel, and the combustion fan goes full speed to evacuate the excess unburnt gas from the combustion chamber. Let it do its thing. After a false start, the controller flashes to indicate an error; it has to be reset before it can be fired up again.
- Once it successfully starts, let it run at max power for at least 15 minutes. As you know (you read the “Good To Know” section, right?), once started, the Webasto/Espar should always be allowed to reach its maximum temperature to keep it clean.
3- Review
3.1- Recap of Events and Issues we had
2016
- Installation (July).
- Carbon buildup issues. Heater won't start (December).
2017
- Heater is sent for inspection and cleanup. It's working again.
- Full time Vanlife (August)
- Issues come back (October).
- New burner install (see our detailed How-to). It's working like new. Exhaust silencer is removed, drain holes are added, better downward slope. We adjust the heater for high altitude. From now on we operate our heater as described in "Good To Know" section.
- A Propex HS2000 propane heater is added as a backup in prevision of winter (we're still nervous about our Webasto). Unless we have issues with the Webasto, we don't use the Propex.
2018
- No issues at all.
2019
- No issues at all.
- Remote room temperature is added.
- We activate all 21 timers on the MultiControl HD.
2020
- Still no issues! It's fair to say our corrective actions from 2017 solved the issues.
2021
- Still no issues! But as winter is coming, we decided to install a new combustion chamber as preventive maintenance.
3.2- What we like / don't like about our Webasto Air Top 2000 STC
- We absolutely LOVE that it's using the fuel from the van tank. This is a MAJOR benefit as we don't have to fill an auxiliary tank (e.g. propane tank).
- It's DRY heat, which is critical in a van. Using the heater lowers the humidity, and we can easily keep it below 40-50% RH in winter.
- The hot air fan is powerful; it dries our gear (ski boots & clothes) super fast.
- The fact that it can be programmed to start/stop automatically is neat.
- Low fuel and electrical consumption.
- It pushed way more heat than the Propex HS2000.
- Gas/Diesel heaters are more finicky than a propane equivalent. They're sensitive to a proper installation and usage.
- The pickup straw will "unprime" if the tank is lower than 1/2 and we go for a drive (the pickup straw is emptied when it's not in contact with fuel). This means it sometimes takes 2 startup attempts the next time to re-prime it.
- More noise than a propane heater.
3.3- If we had to start over
We’ve been living full time in our van since 2017, and we’ve been through a lot, so it’s fair to say we know what works and what doesn’t work for us. SO, if we had to build another van, what heater would we choose? We would go for a gasoline/diesel heater again over a propane heater. We did have issues at first, but we learned a lot an we’re confident we can get it right the next time.
3.4- Related Guides
That’s it, you reached the end… but there’s more! We also prepared the following guides, which are very related to the heater topic:
Hey Antoine, I just got the AS3-B2L. I love your guides and would love to follow along with an updated install on your AS3-B2L. Any timeline estimate for your installation?
Thanks : )
Hey!
The installation/publication should be done hopefully before mid-may.
Can’t wait! It’ll be my first time dropping the tank and adding a proper standpipe…
I am installing my gasoline Webasto heater that I recently purchased from you. I have 4 questions/comments. The connector for the fuel pump does not match the fuel pump. I need ducting and end caps for intake and outflow. I don’t know what the extra connectors on the wire harness are for.
Hello,
Just to clarify we don’t distribute the heater ourselves; I am assuming you purchased it from the supplier we recommend in this post?
If you are missing parts in your kit, please reach out to your seller (photos will help!).
Thank you!
Thanks for your reply.
Hi there, I have removed the resistor the same way you did and got an error code H94 when webasto switched on? any idea whant could have gone wrong? thx
No idea, sorry… 🙁
Bonjour Antoine,
The information about the AS3 B2L indicates the temperature reading is still within the Air Inlet and that the EasyStart Pro controller integrated room temperature sensor is only for display. Can you please confirm?
I just received my AS3 B2L minutes ago! 🙂
I think you can choose either in the heater itself, or in the controller: https://www.butlertechnik.com/blog/2023/04/understanding-the-easystart-pro-temperature-sensor/
I installed mine over the week-end and it really gives you the option of using the controller’s sensor. Thanks to you I’m now a proud owner of a AS3 B2L.
Merci Antoine!
Hey there, great info on the Mulicontrol hack and the temp sensor. I tried to hook up the sensor by removing the resistor and connecting the new sensor but it didnt work, I did have to get a different wiring harness as it was a UK model..does that matter?
I just came across this Fuel Standpipe kit for Ford Transit. It looks like it is using the existing auxilary fuel port but reducing the pipe to a smaller diameter. That could elimiate the need for drilling / completely removing the tank for a new 2mm standpipe: https://www.butlertechnik.com/eberspacher-fuel-tank-sender-standpipe-kit-ford-transit-s2-m2-hs3-292180010432-p2857
Very interesting finding! Do you plan on giving it a try? If so, please report back! Thanks! 🙂
It looks like the standpipe is for the diesel version and I am not sure if the aux port is the same. I’m probably going to have the recommended single piece metal standpipe from Eberspacher/Espar installed by the local Ford dealer. Less moving parts, less chances for cavitation etc.
I just asked Ray at esparparts.com and got the same answer, looks like this is for the diesel heater only…
I’ll order a heater soon for the new van and document the installation.
si is the bottom line that as of right now there is no good alternative to dropping the tank etc for the Ford Transit webasto gas? this is by far the most intimidating part of the process for me and I can’t find any truly comprehensive step by step guides… yours is great except when it gets to that part, it punts!
@ Kenworthey , here is : https://ridingroadsandtrails.com/espar-heater-installation-and-troubleshooting/
Hi Antoine.
You ran your electrical line inside across the space between the seats. I was thinking of doing the same. are you able to describe, or share some pictures of what you did?
A helpful article. A micro furnace like Webasto/Espar etc are excellent ways to heat.
A strong word of advise or caution … Always ensure you have a functional carbon monoxide detector. A fuel burning heater is a source of CO and it operates while you’re sleeping. Make sure you have a CO alarm in case there’s a malfunction or problem that causes CO to enter the van cabin while sleeping. This could save your life!
Can I buy a pdf of the information on the heater?
Unfortunately we don’t have a PDF version. You can export this page as PDF with your internet browser (Print -> save as PDF).
Hope this helps, antoine
When you chose the Air heater did you consider hydronic as an option? I enjoy reading your sections where you talk about different options you evaluated and would be interested in your thoughts on hydronic vs. air gas heaters?
Does the combustion intake need to be outside the vehicle. Looking at drawing combustion air from inside vessel cabin but exhaust out side. Do you see any issue with this? Cheers
I wouldn’t do that:
1- Potential for CO2 poisoning.
2- Gas smell will most likely enter the cabin.
3- Loud noise from combustion.
4- Pressure difference between inside/outside may mess up with the combustion.
I’m no expert, but I really think it should NOT be done.
Cheers, antoine
Hallo,
In my Sprinter van, I have an Airtop 200STC with SmarTemp 2.0 control.
Is there a way to adjust for altitudes above 1500M?
Many thanks.
Andrea
My understanding is that the adjustment can only be made with the rheostat (https://amzn.to/3ZxYPu0) per the procedure listed here: https://faroutride.com/air-heater-installation/#altitude.
A Webasto dealer will be able to help though.
Good luck!
antoine
I am on the road now without a heater and was hoping to find someone who could install a heater for me in the next week or so. I’m currently in Tampa but headed towards Atlanta and sc before moving on to Indianapolis where it’s really cold right now. Any suggestions?
Hi Antoine, I have just read your article and watched the Rich Built you tube video. He recommended looking at your details.
Before I install my Esbar in 2 weeks time, I wondered if I could drop a new rigid 2mm pick up pipe down the Ford Aux 6mm pick up pipe so I wouldn’t have to remove the whole unit from the tank?
Thanks
I honestly don’t know if this can be done. Not sure if the 2mm pipe will fit in the 6mm… Someone has to try 😉 Please report back if you give it a try!
I had the same question and would love to learn about any results. I had also considered finding some way of reducing the factory pipe and was curious what others came up with. Waiting on delivery of my transit so I’m still working on theory and design so I have no way to get hands on and dig in yet.
Greetings! Thank you for your wonderfully informative site. Readers – make your purchases through this site to support Isabelle and Antoine and the fabulous content they post!
I’m interested in your thoughts re. Greg and Andrew’s earlier questions, especially related to attaching the mount plate to the van floor:
“Can you expand on your “If we had to start over” section in which you talk about cutting a large hole for the fuel and intake and exhaust pipes. I don’t understand your comment on “secure the mount plate to the van’s floor and seal it”. Would removal consist of removing the mounting plate and the furnace.? How would the mounting plate be secured to the floor?”
Hello! I have been following your build journal rather religiously. I see that you have the installation of the Webasto listed rather far ahead of the electrical system setup, but then say the electric system is a pre-requisite for the Webasto install. I am a bit confused. Help?
Question….
I was able to get Multicontrol into service mode but I think it may be stuck there now and quick start button is always lit? Anyone else run into this?
Just to be clear. Do you use plus nuts in the floor of the van to mount the mounting plate to, so that you can remove the heater along with the air exhaust, supply and fuel lines, from above?
Thanks
We did not, we have to access everything from below, which is a pain. Next time I’d make it so we can access from above!
Hi Antoine. Sorry to bother such a quiet board. And I couldnt find how to start a new message with you, so I am replying to maybe a relevent question.
I am curious if you feel that ethanol fuel gives you any issues with the heater. I have a gas E-350, and I am debating to get a gas powered air heater and tie it to my tank, which is often filled up with 10% max ethanol, or if I should opt for a diesel and get a small gallon (or smaller) tank to keep inside the van (similar to what you see on all the cheap China heaters).
To solve your un-priming issue below 1/3 tank and to resolve high altitude start issues caused by low vapor pressure of gasoline install a 2mm pickup straw in your tank instead of the 6mm factory auxiliary fuel straw. A straw can be fit through the cap of the fuel level sending unit without having to drill the tank. This solves all Espar un-priming and high altitude start issues. You can also put the straw lower in the tank if you wish to be able to run the tank to lower fuel levels.
do you have any links to how to instructions or video for this? would it be the same for webasto?
In your or Webasto’s view, does the use of high octane gas help reduce carbon/soot buildup? Thanks, Howard
I don’t know this but I did trade gasoline for a bit of my career and I think the ethanol in the fuel is part of the issue. Which doesn’t change based on octane rating. Ethanol tends to gum up smaller engines like lawn mowers, weed eaters, etc. so it could be causing some of the same issues here. Having said that, I would think a higher octane rated gasoline could help alleviate some of the issues too.