BN4 Eberspacher switch question

[Bus Jerry]

Hello all...I'm restoring a BN4 Eberspacher. I've been reading all I can find in the forums about the eber heaters but can find very little on the controls for this unit. When I bought the heater it didn't have the on/off switch or the heat control cable. From what I've read I can replace the heat cable with a bug choke cable. Ok I can deal with that, but is there some other switch that can be used to replace a stock Eberspacher on/off switch?

[campingbox]

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1221366

[Bus Jerry]

Yes I know about that one, I guess what I,m asking is there another switch that can replace that. perhaps a simple on/off switch or a emergency flasher switch.

[Harleyelf]

Perhaps a headlamp relay?

[crofty]

You can use a on/off switch. The benefit of the swith Greg posted is you can see if the heater is running during the "cool down'phase of the cycle.
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[Bus Jerry]

Yes I see what your saying about the light staying on thru the entire power cycle. But I see ,after having looked at the wiring diagrams a lot closer that there are three main circuits plus a ground and what looks like a couple jump wires. Which means that a simple 2 or 3 prong on/off switch isn't going to work without causing me some sort of grief. So I suppose I'll have to stay with that switch, although it would be nice to find something that would work and not cost a 100 bucks.

[BUKNEKKID]

I have a BN4 in a 67 Westy and I used a bay window defrost on/off switch.
correct knob type with light for a 67 also. It worked just fine.

The other leads that you are talking about are for the proper switch with integral timer and those leads are used to power the on/off part of the timer switch from "keyed" power and the timer part of the switch from "non-keyed" power.

[rjonas]

Hey Jerry,
I may have a heater timer switch from a baywindow bus and it's got a green knob that lights up. I'll check this weekend.
Roy in Mesa.
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[notchboy]

Here are some hard to find early switches.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1753820
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[Ragman]

I like the early bay timer switches.

[thomas.]

It's pretty cool and all, but what is the benefit of the timer? I could see if it could be set to go off say 8 or 10 hours. In other words if its out in the driveway the night before you set it to come on the next morning. Aren't most of them for like 25 or 30 minutes max?

[notchboy]

Here is my take and I could be off. The timer is only meant to be used for when you are maybe waiting for the car to warm up - be it from sitting on the drive way or you just jumped in and started to drive. After that brief 15 min blast from the eberspacher then the motors heat now can do the job.

Remember this is an auxiliary heater (in addition to). Any regular on and off is meant for those times that you are sitting in an off or idle car.

Now they also had 24hr timers. The early ones are like egg timers and the later are integrated into the clock. This then allows you to set it the day before and come out to a warm car - but you still need to start it

egg timer type:

Clock:

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[Ragman]

Imo you don't want a gas heater running indefinitely. So a timer is nice. Turn it on and it will heat for 15 minutes, and then turns off. Also, I like to give it a twist on cold nights camping, and able to just go back to sleep.

On mornings you want to pre heat the cabin, turn it, and by the time it turns off the stock heater boxes are warm enough to maintain heat for awhile.