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BA-6 heater problem
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fluker
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 6:57 pm    Post subject: BA-6 heater problem Reply with quote

well, i've read as many posts re: gas heaters that i could find. i also downloaded the supplementary manual on the ba6 , but im wondering if anyone knows first hand about ba6. specifically :

- im only getting 9.5 V to my fuel pump...is that enough ?

- it bench tests fine, but not in the system (doesnt fire off).... i have ck'ed all fuses and they have been switched by PO (uh-oh) ..the overheating fuse was a 16 amp instead of 8 and the main fuse was a 25 instead of a 16. my question is... what would this insinuate as a previous problem ? what specifically could the consequences of that over amperage be?

- how do i test the main relay w/ the 1ohm resistor ?

i aplogize for the basic nature of these questions in advance... i am a novice at electrical diagnosing and am having trouble understanding all the literature. for what its worth, i have put 20 + solid hours in to this problem (the fan runs the spark/glow plug 'ticks' (mind you it seems erratic) --all flaps work, the safety switch has been tested good,

any info will help..... thank you.
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SGKent Premium Member
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 7:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am not familar with the bus aux heaters but if the manual states 9.5V the answer would be correct but if it states 12V the 9.5V would be incorrect.

If it is supposed to be 12V, measure the battery voltage and make sure you have 12V to start with. Then figure out where you are loosing it. Many devices like motors pull more amperage when the voltage drops which will burn out fuses. The reason is not obvious. When you have a device that is built to use say 120 watts, it will pull 10 amps at 12V DC. Watts (DC) are Volts X Amps. So if the voltage fell to 10V it would still use 120 watts to spin but pull 12 amps. This in turn causes fuses to pop and motors to fail. At 6V it would pull 20 amps. Since the size of the copper windings in a motor are set, the additional amperage causes the motor to overheat. So see what the manual says the voltage should be.
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Wildthings
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 8:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The incorrect fuse sizes probably tells you something about the PO that you didnt' want to know. Especially the safety fuse. That is designed to blow for a reason, it is the last resort keep you bus from burning up. I presume the system would still blow on overheat with the larger fuse, but maybe not.

Try and find fuses with copper contacts, they give less problems than the zinc fuses or whatever the white metal is. This is a good place for dielectric grease.

Not sure what the voltage is supposed to be BA-6, but I know these units in general are voltage sensitive so low voltage may be your problem. My experience with both the T2 and the Thing is that the units often will not work with the engine off (like they are supposed to) because of the lower voltage.
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busdaddy
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 9:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Exactly how are you measuring the voltage? a digital meter may interpret the pulsed signal as a low voltage. All late Espar's suffer from dirty grounds, don't assume anything until it's been apart and every terminal has been cleaned and tightened and the points in the blower have been cleaned.
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raymino
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 10:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You need some very thin probes to test the relay. (I find it helpful to not have the engine running, you have got to push in the Temperature Regulating Switch and turn it clockwise. Then you should hear ticking like an oven timer. Then turn the switch clockwise wihout pushing. This is how to start it with the engine off. I can hear better that way, but it does run down the battery).

With the switch on, check for 12V at the red wires and black wire on the relay. You should also check the brown and white wire for ground. The ground for the system happens when the heat lever is pulled down. There is one wire for the blower in the engine compartment and another wire for the BA6. If your blower in the engine compartment works that is a good sign, but check that there are two ground wires on the tiny heater lever contact. Observe through the lever slot in the dash.

Also check for voltage at the black wire on the "flame switch".

I spent a lot of time on a shiny (on the outside) triple relay only to open it up and find it corroded beyond saving. You can open them up easily and close them back.

The "overheating switch", the little button on the top of the shell, blows the fuse in the green wire near the relay. This wire is what is powering the fuel pump. My "safety" switches up under the dash all checked out, but make sure yours isn't tripped.

Find the section in the manual immediately following the wiring diagram. There you will see described all of the operating phases of your BA6. There you will find all sorts of "check for voltage at terminal ..." Use this and you will find your problem. You won't get very far down the list if your relay is bad.
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JirkaB
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 11, 2018 12:22 pm    Post subject: Re: BA-6 heater problem Reply with quote

additional question abour BA6 - overheating switch 211-963-239

I bought BA6 and do bench test. Heating, regulation - all function.
I tested overheating switch. Manual told - switch off blower and overheating switch have to operate (connect contact) within 60-140second. (short circuit and fuse have to be KO)
But nothing. Please, do You know anybody with temperature is limited for this switch?
140second mean any temperature inside BA6. It is my question.
Or some independent test for this switch?
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Magion
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 11, 2018 1:36 pm    Post subject: Re: BA-6 heater problem Reply with quote

I went through my BA-6 recently and here is what I have learnt.

The stated voltage seems little low, however in my case I can never reach 12V+ unless the engine is running.If you take a close look at the user manual for ba6 it says right there - start the engine. The blower motor, and there is two, takes a lot amperage and therefore unless the bus is brand new along with all new wiring in my opinion impossible to get 12V there. In my case I was not getting spark but that was because my coil and spark/heat plug were both not functioning.

As for the question about overheating switch - procedure how to properly test the switch can be found in the service manual somewhere here on the samba.
But I think you are mixing two things here - 1) there is an overheating switch that should kill the heater if certain temperature has been reached. 2) there is timer switch that will kill the heater in case combustion has not been ignited within certain time (like 140 seconds sounds right to me)
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