BN6 Heater Booster -- upgrade?

[randalieren]

My 1984 1.9L Canadian edition has the factory-installed BN6 'heater booster' that seems to work and heats the cabin up nicely -- but at the moment, no auxiliary battery.

I want a safe and reliable heater system for light-use winter camping that has thermostatic control and can run continuously independent of the engine.

I was planning to install a Webasto AT2000 ST at the same time that I put in the new battery -- before I realized that I already have a working gasoline-powered heater on board. So before I proceed, my questions are:

1) Is there any way to upgrade the BN6 to run off the new battery so that it will work continuously?
2) My BN6 produces heat from vents in the small step up to the front cabin's floor. Are those vents dedicated to the BN6 exclusively?
3) If I do end up replacing the heater itself, is it worth it to try to use the existing ducting?
4) Am I crazy for considering the upgrade? People say these heaters are great...

Thanks

[4Gears4Tires]

1. With an electrical engineering degree, all things are possible.
2. Probably. I don't have the heater nor do I have vents there.
3. Installed ducting is free and you don't have to install it.
4. Most likely, yes.
_________________
'87 Syncro
Ferric Oxyhydroxide Superleggera Edition

[Vanderbuilt]

I'd recommend joining the VW Eberspacher group on Facebook and asking there. Lots of good info and maybe someone has already done it. I have an '82 AC with BN6 and worked great but we aren't cold weather campers so doesn't see as much continuous use. Here's the FB group link:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1029635500462666/

[82westyrabbit]

The answer is sort of. As you probably know the switch will only let the heater work for a set amount of time with out the engine running. It should not be that difficult to fool the switch into thinking the engine is running.
Answer two is also sort of. The box that puts heat to those vents can also send heat to the defroster.
Answer three probably not. The real problem with these heaters is parts availability and finding someone willing to work on them. In my case all the rubber fittings in the duct work went bad and I couldn’t easily find replacements. If someone was creative enough I am sure that is overcome-able. It was not worth it to me.
Answer four. If your heater is working I would not pull it. Just enjoy it. To move wires around to run it off your second battery should not be to hard but I think you would Be better off installing A cheap Chinese heater and leaving your BA6 as it is.
I have put many hours of thought into all these questions and in the end I just removed my BA6.
The BA6 has two or three fans to make it work so it’s a power hog compared to the newer heaters.
Every time I see one of these threads I get excited hoping to find away bring back one of my BA6 Heaters or install a cheap Chinese In the same spot. So far I have not found someone to follow or been willing to blaze the trail myself.
I hope this helps. John

[danfromsyr]

we tried what you are proposing but do the math on the battery consumption before you invest alot of time..

the BN6 is a very energy hungry dinosaur. and if you are satisfied with only about 1/2 a day on Aux heat.. then sure.. change the +12v power wire from the IGN circuit to the AUX battery circuit.. it's really not rocket science.. it's right up there with car stereo installation skillz.

you need an AUX battery no matter which supplemental heat unit you use for engine off comfort heating. It's just my experience that it will suck a 100amp deep cycle down quick.

best luck. it's little $$ to experiment.

[Zeitgeist 13]

I recently pulled the diesel equivalent version of that heater from an '82, with fantasies of using in a van or my shop. But, once I realized how needlessly complicated and heavy it was (50lbs), I dropped that idea. The cheap, lightweight and fairly reliable CDH completely obviates any of the '80's tech heaters out there.
_________________
Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[randalieren]

Thanks folks -- the last few posts were what I needed to hear. I'm going to proceed pulling the BN6 just to lose the weight and installing the Webasto.