Espar D2 Airtronic Heaters

[Jdkh2001]

Hey tmalay, good luck with you’re install curious as to wether you got the high altitude kit and muffler. I’m sure many of us on the forum now and in the future would love to see you’re install photo and even video documented. My Espar D2. is in the mail and I’m installing next week. I plan to document my install for future Ford E350 6.0 Diesel SMB owners.
Thanks Bbasso for being awesome

[tmalay]

Thanks, I'll definitely snap some photos along the way and pass on whatever I learn. Also I do have the high altitude kit and muffler that I'll be installing.

I had a though today while prepping and wanted to get some advice from people who've installed these before. Are you mounting the unit to the metal van floor (seems to be what the instructions indicate), the subfloor or the top floor? I was planning to mount it to the metal van floor but got to thinking that my insulation, subfloor and flooring is roughly 3/4in tall and could interfere with the unit. Any advice?

[Jdkh2001]

I was going to drill thru my rubber sub floor to and thru the metal for the lines to go out of the van from the unit. I expect to mount the unit on the rubber floor itself. I guess the only other option is to cut out a unit size sub floor space and set it right on metal. I don’t think this is necessary while I don’t have the unit in my hand yet it looks like it should work and not slide around. I am also looking for any expert advice I can get the last thing I want to do is drill a hole wrong.

[1der]

I mounted ours directly to the metal floor using the supplied mounting plate and gasket as well as silicone and a filler piece where the metal floor was lower. As you said, cutting out a section of the plywood (rubber in your case) floor a bit larger than the size of the whole unit. You will find mounting directly to the metal van floor the final solution. Make sure to have some POR 15 or similar to coat and seal the exposed cut metal edges. I found it easier in the end to cut one larger pass through (I seem to remember a template) for the combustion air/exhaust and fuel line. The hose clamps securing those hoses are awkward to tighten.

I did bench test my unit before install. I put some diesel fuel in a clean jar. Gave me a feel as to how much heat comes out of one of these things! Also made me realize the combustion exhaust pipe needs some clearance because it gets hot.

High Altitude kit - this was/is a head scratcher for me. At least in what I received, the instructions were not helpful. What could be an easy plug and play add-on is cut and splice and add and solder and what wire goes where challenge. I researched many sources and still did not feel comfortable I got it right. If anyone has the definitive answer/ schematic on this please post it! I was advised it was prudent to add a high altitude bypass switch for troubleshooting situations but I never do because I was not sure which wire(s) to tap the switch onto.

I cannot help on the fuel tank pick up install. I add a larger 40gal+ Fuel tank from Aerotank in San Bernadino. I requested two aux fuel pick-ups be included. Just be careful if doing this because the diameter of the fuel pick up tube is important for proper fuel draw. What a I did works fine. If I were doing it again, and had the foresight and parts, I would have sent the Espar fuel pick up tube to Aerotanks and had them install that in the tank plus a second aux pick up.

[Jdkh2001]

Boy you’re the guy I would want to install mine. Super good advice especially coating the exposed metal edges. Thanks for the great advice.