Diesel heaters - Webasto etc. How common?

[PNW_Steve]

Hey Everyone,

I know that some busses are equipped with Webasto or similar diesel heaters. However, the mention of them on the forums is fairly rare.

How common are these heaters on the busses I see for sale? I have tried asking some of the sellers and they are generally without a clue.

I am a little bit surprised at some of the conversations I have had...

"Does your bus have a Webasto or similar diesel heater?" - "A Web-what??"

"What engine does your bus have?" - "Diesel...."

"What transmission does your bus have?" - "Automatic..."

So, how common are they really?

Thanks

Steve

[M1031A1]

Steve,

Watch my build thread this fall/winter. I'll be installing a Webasto in my bus "Heavy Fuel". I'll have photo documentation for those interested to follow.......

[cadillackid]

they are fairly common in far northern busses.. the ones no one wants because of rust issues and often the bad roads of northern areas tear up suspensions.. so you wont find too much mention on the forums as not many member buy far northern busses..

they are also going to be most likely only on the Bigger busses like the 14 row RE's etc.. the toughest busses to heat and defrost.. defrost is an issue in rear engine busses as the heating systems have no residual engine heat to gain up front and the coolant can lose a good bit of temperature before it reaches the front defrost units..

the webasto etc was used more on these busses to allow defrosters and heaters to gain an extra edge, keep the engine warm (coolant loops).. and allow defrosters to be active when the bus is turned off..`

-Christopher

[dan-fox]

A lot of (maybe most) of the Montg Co MD busses come with them, including a timer thingie in the dash obviously meant as a "diesel alarm clock" to make the heaters wake up and heat the engine at a certain time. Look there if it's important.

Also look up wmkbailey's build thread. He bought one of the MoCo busses and did an excellent job integrating the Webasto into the heating system, with a programmable thermostat, automatic valves, and all the bits and bobs needed to make a Webasto or similar act just like a toy house furnace.

[karrlot]

I got mine from a district in Colorado Springs. It has both a coolant heater and a block heater. The guy told me all of their busses have them. They were going to remove it from my bus bu the mechanic forgot to do it. Mine also has a timer, that I want to change out for an on/off switch.