Normal FBH behavior ?

[Leo31]

Hi !

Today, after a month without driving my 75 (2003 CDTi Connoisseur) I started the engine and a few seconds after, white smoke started to come out from the front bumper (near arch wheel) with a noise coming from the engine bay.


Before starting the engine, temperature displayed on the dashboard was 39F (below 5°C), today is a cold day.

I heard the noise and found where it was coming from (next to the battery), then I turned off the engine and went back to my home.

Once back home, I have done some searching and learnt about the FBH and cold weather

It reassures me that the white smoke is related to the FBH but don't you think the noise you can hear at 1:40 is weird ?



I thought the engine was about to blow up so I turned off the engine

FULL video : https://youtu.be/vwmY6FIH-V4

I'm sorry for my bad English, I'm French

[dattrike]

It's supposed to sound like that, mine sounds like a jet engine when I put the FBH on.



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[Leo31]

Originally Posted by dattrike

It's supposed to sound like that, mine sounds like a jet engine when I put the FBH on.



.

Ok thank you very much for your feedback !

[trebor]

Hi Leo, your English is a lot better than my French !

As Dave has already said that's normal, The FBH starts off quiet as it goes through a series of self tests before starting to ramp up to full power when it can get quite noisy so no need to switch off your engine.

The FBH is working as a supplementary heater and will come on when temp is 5 or below and it helps the engine warm up quicker and get warm air in your cabin on a cold day.

It can also be set up as a parking heater to come on with a remote without the engine running, so you can have your windscreen defrosted and a warm cabin before you even get in the car

[Devilish]

Originally Posted by Leo31

I thought the engine was about to blow up so I turned off the engine

Nice one Leo, love it,

Originally Posted by trebor

Hi Leo, your English is a lot better than my French !

Hey Leo. and your English is better than his English

[Leo31]

Originally Posted by trebor

Hi Leo, your English is a lot better than my French !

Originally Posted by trebor

As Dave has already said that's normal, The FBH starts off quiet as it goes through a series of self tests before starting to ramp up to full power when it can get quite noisy so no need to switch off your engine.

Oh ok, it's fine then ! I didn't know that the noise would get "bigger", that's what scared me and made me turning off the engine.
I've heard about this remote controller on this forum and French forums as well



Originally, I was recording the video to find the source of a leak.


I have an oil leak in the engine bay, so big that I can't see where it's coming from...
So I cleaned it as much as I could (with degreaser spray WD-40, brushes and steam cleaner) to find the source of the leak.

It's not an intercooler O-ring seal leak, because the leak isn't on right hand side (as looking from front) but on the left, in the aux belt/high pressure pump/power steering pump area...
I know that wrong engine cover bolts may go through the cam cover, I replaced all 3 bolts with the correct lengths.


I'm trying to find and fix the leak before it damages the alternator or the aux belt (which happened 4 months ago while driving on the motorway)


I'll buy a new pcv filter kit from DMGRS, it's cheap, and maybe and it will fix the issue.

[trebor]

Try putting a big piece of cardboard under the car when parked overnight and it will help to track down the leak

[Leo31]

Originally Posted by trebor

Try putting a big piece of cardboard under the car when parked overnight and it will help to track down the leak

That's what I've done but unfortunately, the oil leak goes down on the bar and it's really hard to track it down.







This is the bar I'm talking about (photo taken right after the aux belt broke on the motorway), as you can see there is oil everywhere, on the pulley, under the alternator, under the bar.

[Arctic]

Leo have a look in the power steering area, it maybe coming from there, looks a little red to me on the compressor.

[Leo31]

Originally Posted by Arctic

Leo have a look in the power steering area, it maybe coming from there, looks a little red to me on the compressor.

The power steering fluid level looks normal to me (didn't lose that much), still between the min and max.

But I agree with you, it looks reddish !

Maybe there are multiple leaks (oil and PS fluid)


I cleaned as much as I could the power steering pump and everything around it, I'll take the 75 for a ride and have a look at the hoses under the power steering area.


I'm worried about cleaning the engine bay with Jet Wash, as the alternator looks pretty bad with oil stains, I guess a small amount of water would kill it !
That's why I used a steam cleaner, brushes and degreaser sprays but unfortunately, I can't reach some areas whereas with a jet wash it would be easier