Heat Exchanger

[Banshee]

So when I brought the car and was looking around it and whilst in the engine bay I noticed what I later confirmed to be a heat exchanger fitted to the body.

It doesn't look like it's ever been connected before and the previous owner didn't run it on anything other than Diesel :huh:

I want to hook this up now ready to start running my Bio in the colder months

I have a rough Idea what I'm doing I think, is is it just a case of T'ing off the heater matrix pipes before the bulkhead on the coolant side of the element and then just T into the fuel line as well after the before the filter?

Here's a pic of it, any help would be great

 

[AlexD333]

Certainly off the coolant pipes but not sure if off matrix? Wouldn't that only operate when heating was on if plumbed off those?

Don't quote me on that just my thought before you start cutting hoses :thumb2

 

[solarman216]

looks like the fuel side is already connected, so just cut two Tee's into the heater pipes and away you go, if they are Tee'd into the flow and return Alex it will work all the time the engine is hot and running, Rick

 

[panelbeater]

bansheeeeeeeeeeee what truck is that as it is not your short silver one,no in line filter,it does look like the fuel is connected already so only the water to connect as rick says.

 

[Fez_uk]

If your bio is any good you shouldn't need to heat it... Main problems also occur when first starting, this heat ex changer only heats the fuel once the water temp goes up.

 

[makeitfit]

If your bio is any good you shouldn't need to heat it... Main problems also occur when first starting, this heat ex changer only heats the fuel once the water temp goes up.

Correctomondo :thumb2 I've never heated my bio and that's run down to -15 a few winters ago

 

[panelbeater]

i never used an exchanger ever on wvo

 

[Banshee]

My Bio is clean!! Just wanted to hook the exchanger up as when the engine does get up to temp, if I can get the Bio up to 80 degrees ish at the point of injection it will significantly improve the combustion process PROVEN!!!

I did a doorstep test in the winter and the Bio only started to cloud at -2 :naughty that was with no winterizer added, I used to use 2EHn (veggiboost) but I've been struggling to get that at a reasonable price so I'm just using petrol

Also, I do sometimes run out of Bio and have to mix SVO with Derv so the heat will certainly help

Just want to hook it up to make use of it, I might as well given that it's there and are nearly £50 for one of those on eBay

 

[Paff]

That heat ex looks like something I come across in my work on oil fired boilers - combi's. As said, looks as it is half connected, I would give it a good flush out as debris may have got into it.

 

[makeitfit]

Indeed, it's there , use it
Just wonder what temp the fuel in the tank gets to once the engine has been going for a few miles ? Fuel return via warm pump etc ? Any body know ?

 

[Banshee]

That heat ex looks like something I come across in my work on oil fired boilers - combi's. As said, looks as it is half connected, I would give it a good flush out as debris may have got into it.

Very good plan sir!!! :thumb2
Apparently there's 14 plates sandwitched together 7 fuel and 7 coolant configured coolant, fuel, coolant, fuel etc, very clever and efficient for what it is :thumb2

Indeed, it's there , use it
Just wonder what temp the fuel in the tank gets to once the engine has been going for a few miles ? Fuel return via warm pump etc ? Any body know ?

That's a good point, suppose it would depend on how much fuel is also in the tank to begin with as well, Brownian motion etc etc,

Fuel return will be as hot as it was when it arrived at the pump I presume, I'm just a bit worried about the leak off pipes on the injectors and whether they would be up to those extremities of 80 degree fuel passing through then the rapid cool down back to ambient temperature back to - figures potentially in the winter :nenau

I'm glad I raised this here as it's fostered some very sensible thoughts

 

[solarman216]

would not worry too much about hot fuel going back to the tank, as it is quite slow and will lose much of its heat on the way not like more modern high pressure systems, these circulate the fuel at a much greater rate and some manufacturers have had to resort to fitting a cooling rad near the fuel tank, same applies to the leak off pipes, the fuel from these is negligible and so sits on top of the engine for a long time and gets very hot anyway, Rick

 

[rustic]

would not worry too much about hot fuel going back to the tank, as it is quite slow and will lose much of its heat on the way not like more modern high pressure systems, these circulate the fuel at a much greater rate and some manufacturers have had to resort to fitting a cooling rad near the fuel tank, same applies to the leak off pipes, the fuel from these is negligible and so sits on top of the engine for a long time and gets very hot anyway, Rick

I guess if you lived in a really cold environment, you could run the flow and return pipes close together and place insulation over them. Or even consider running them through the inside of the car.

 

[Banshee]

would not worry too much about hot fuel going back to the tank, as it is quite slow and will lose much of its heat on the way not like more modern high pressure systems, these circulate the fuel at a much greater rate and some manufacturers have had to resort to fitting a cooling rad near the fuel tank, same applies to the leak off pipes, the fuel from these is negligible and so sits on top of the engine for a long time and gets very hot anyway, Rick

Do you think the leak off's will be up to the job though Rick? Or the fuel lines come to that.

I'm just using standard leak off pipes, I'm worried that the heat will cause the sidewalls to weaken in the fuel lines causing them to collapse, I've known this to happen before on a mates Bio Setup when he was de-watering in his processor

 

[solarman216]

no problem at all, but if your leak offs are the originals then they are due for change anyway, Rick

 

[Banshee]

no problem at all, but if your leak offs are the originals then they are due for change anyway, Rick

Swapped them all recently :thumb2

Is there a better alternative that I can use rather than the rubbish rubber ones

 

[zippy656]

I took mine off the exchanger,
works well, pic tomorrow

 

[Banshee]

This hasn't died and I'll be looking at getting this hooked up next week :thumb2

Just got to order some T Connectors and a reducer connector and it'll get hooked up :thumb2

Does anyone know what the I/D of the heater matrix hose is, I've had a look online and can't see anything and the workshop manual doesn't seem to show it either

I'm hoping it's 16mm as they do perfect reducing tee's on eBay from 16mm to 12mm which is the diameter of the ports on the exchanger

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

When I fitted my pre heater, I got 16mm (5/8) "T" pieces.

 

[Banshee]

When I fitted my pre heater, I got 16mm (5/8) "T" pieces.

Awesome that answers it then :thumb2