My 2008 Ducato minibus has the above heater fitted which I understand heats the engine cooling water and a radiator in the passenger area. I have converted the vehicle to a camper and would like to use this heater connected to a calorifier to give domestic HW. This heater has only an on/off dashboard switch and only works when the engine is running. Does anyone know how to change this arrangement please. I have also been told that running the heater without the engine running would heat the block, dry it out and cause premature engine wear - is this correct? If so I would also need to separate the heater from the van cooling system. Any info would be most helpful as it seems silly to buy another heater when I have a good working heater fitted. On a different topic I am aware that there was an old thread about grafting an x290 front on to the x250. I am aware that the basic advice was "forget it", but I just love the look of the new front (beauty is in the eye of the beholder) and wondered if it has been done. Thank you. Geoff.

Your plan only works if the Webasto has it's own pump.
My Kia Sorento has a similar heater, just to shorten warm-up time and provide cabin heat at low ambient temperatures. There is no auxiliary pump, just a thermostat to cut off fuel supply when the engine is shut off or the engine has provided enough heat.

lewlew100 said:

grafting an x290 front on to the x250

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I've had the grills off of mine and there is a lot of metal under there. The main structure might be the same, but there are a load of supporting beams, bars and brackets that exist just to support the bodywork, etc.

I like both fronts, but the default silver grill surround on the x250 Ducato is a bizarre styling choice. There are light brows for the x250 that I've seen on Pinterest or somewhere. It's an older van now, so styling options will be out there for you to make your minibus stand out.

Something that a friend suggested to me was a diesel heater from a Freelander. I've seen them on ebay, but I need to really research them before I jump on that.

Thanks for your comments CDK. I do not know if I have a separate pump on the Webasto, but would think that if I do not have one that it would be possible to fit one. I was hoping that someone on the forum would be able to find a solution. Geoff.

Thanks for your comments Mevi. I suspect that the Freelander diesel heater will be the same as the Webasto heater that I have as a factory fitted unit.
With regards to the front end, I have had the bumper, bonnet grill, inner wing and under panels, door mirrors and front wings off the front of my vehicle. I am fairly sure that the only "real" work changes are to replace the two Headlight support frames, the two front uprights the support the slam panel and new bonnet hinges fitted further outboard than the existing. I had rather hoped that by now someone would have attempted this facelift and would make some comments. Geoff.

lewlew100 said:

Thanks for your comments Mevi. I suspect that the Freelander diesel heater will be the same as the Webasto heater that I have as a factory fitted unit.
With regards to the front end, I have had the bumper, bonnet grill, inner wing and under panels, door mirrors and front wings off the front of my vehicle. I am fairly sure that the only "real" work changes are to replace the two Headlight support frames, the two front uprights the support the slam panel and new bonnet hinges fitted further outboard than the existing. I had rather hoped that by now someone would have attempted this facelift and would make some comments. Geoff.

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Hi,
You could fit a pump, diverter valve(s) on the heater inlet and outlet to isolate the heater from the block for domestic use. A bit of work but cheaper than a new heater. I doubt heating the block would cause issues with the engine, but it would be a waste of fuel.


Robert G8RPI

Thanks g8rpi. I think that your comments are spot on and that is what I will end up doing, but I was hoping that somebody had already tried it and could point out any possible pitfalls. Geoff.

lewlew100 said:

I suspect that the Freelander diesel heater will be the same as the Webasto heater that I have as a factory fitted unit.

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I've read a few Landy/Rover forum posts now and it IS a Webasto. Some fitted in Rover 75s come with a fuel pump and can be easily modded with a dedicated 12V feed to run independently of the engine. I guess for your needs (and mine), a pump would be ideal.

If you're isolating from the engine coolant circuit remember you'll need a separate expansion vessel and also an electric circulation pump for the water, scrap ford galaxy is a good cheap source for circulation pump, expansion vessel and suitable hoses, clips etc. Galaxy also has a separate rear heater matrix and fan you could fit somewhere else in the van if you wanted. Bear in mind that running circulation pump, webasto, and fan its going to be quite a few watts if you're running from leisure power.

If the Webasto unit is a "Thermotop C" it has a built-in circulation pump that draws 14 Watts. The heater itself takes 32 W. at full power, 22 W. at reduced heat (50%), so the total load for the leisure battery is 3-4 Amps.
Actual consumption will of course be lower if a thermostat is used.

CDK said:

If the Webasto unit is a "Thermotop C" it has a built-in circulation pump that draws 14 Watts. The heater itself takes 32 W. at full power, 22 W. at reduced heat (50%), so the total load for the leisure battery is 3-4 Amps.
Actual consumption will of course be lower if a thermostat is used.

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Don't forget the blower motor to get the heat from the heater matrix and the blower resistor if running at lower speed.

My Burstner motorhome has a system whereby the wet central heating (alde system) can use engine coolant circuit to via a heat exchanger to heat the living space. It can also (allegedly, never had it do so in use- according to the manual), pre heat the engine coolant from the central heating circuit boiler. Useful for cold starts as long as the heating has been on long enough previously. If you are going to have the webasto on for heat, and its good and cold outside, it is always nice to have a nicely warmed engine when moving off, with nice warm oil and vehicle heat available from start up. Otherwise, mine is cold blooded as there is sooo much extra coolant to warm up due to the central heat/ engine link capacity. Don't worry about the heat damaging the engine, it will only go to a normal engine temp. or boil, in which case it will be spotted. I hope!

Mine has a seperate circulation pump and heat exchanger on the engine circuit- the fluids in that and the Alde system do not mix; they use the same kind of coolant though. Have a look on ebay for 12v circ. pumps, they are cheap from China, and can stand pretty high temps. Also see the Alde webpages for a manual and fitting guide that you might be able to grab some ideas from. Cheers!

You can buy a compleat heating systym to run off your fuel line from China for less than £300, A truma glow plug cost nearly as much as a compleat unit £250, Fitted one on my old van worked well just bought one for my latest van dead easy to fit also,

Alibaba site or Aliexpress ( put in Air Heater )

I've seen the eiberspacher style air heaters on Amazon and eBay. From China or Hong Kong, so I passed on those.... But are they actually any good? Can you give a particular model your recommendation and a link?

The webasto heater should be fed from a separate battery if it is to be used to heat the van. Best advice is to look up the wiring diagrams for after market fitting of a webasto for how to disconnect the relay that supplies the cab heater motor. Removing the fuse for the last named circuit as well as the other fuse for the heater controls then supplying the controls from the new battery allows the heater to be operated independent of the cab heatre and without worries about flattening the start battery. I have installed a new 2kW matrix heater (which has its own 2 speed fan) in series with the engine block cooling circuit, this is controlled by an on/off switch and thermostat in the cargo space of the van.

Hi Mev,i A bit late replying but the info is. (parking heater) JP China Trade Int`l co.,ltd Mr Wang, At the time 2015 it was 115 dollars = £291-16 the latest one was cheaper but have not fitted due to not having the van reg in France yet, One big head ache

I contacted Webasto who stated that I could not just supply a live to the heater as being Fiat original equipment it is run via the canbus and that only Fiat can advise. I contacted Fiat and they said they knew nothing about the heaters and speak with Webasto!!!

As for the 250/290 front end mods, I have been told that it has been done by a used parts dealer that it has been done by a motorhome converter that he supplies parts to, but they will not tell me who the converter is. I still want to carry out this mod, but would still like to hear from someone who has done it. Geoff.