Hi guys and gals,

Just bought a second hand Grand Voyager 3 weeks ago. Notice that there is a slight hummming noise coming from below the car, usually when the aux cabin heater is on. This noise is present even when the car is off, and may last a few minutes after the ignition is off. It can get quite loud sometimes, to a point where I can definitely hear it with the radio on.

Got it back to the dealer I got it from. Was told that this noise is NORMAL. I don't believe it to be honest... but is it true?

Thanks.

Adrian

 

The noise you describe is the aux cabin heater. It is a small diesel fired boiler that heats the engine coolant quickly in cold conditions.

It is located under the car on the left hand side where the rear sliding door is.

When the aux heater shuts down, (which happens when the engine is up to temperature, or when you stop the engine while the aux heater is running) it runs on for 3 minutes in a cooldown cycle even after the light on the dash has gone out. This is what you hear when the ignition is off but the aux heater has been running and is normal.

However the aux heater should shut down when the engine gets upto temperature. So you shouldn't hear the aux heater after you shut down unless you do alot of short journeys.

 

Thanks for the quick reply.

How loud is it supposed to be though? Initially it was a slow hummm... but it does get lounder after a few minutes. Enough to make me think I have tinnitus in my ears!

Adrian

 

Well I can't hear my aux heater when I am in the car with the engine running. However if I shut down the engine and the heater is still running, I can hear it inside the car.

If I then get out of the car the aux heater sound is very noticable......almost a high pitched whistle.

Quote from the workshop manual regarding the aux heater

"The unit can operate in a full or partial load range as well as an idle mode all dependent on the engine coolant temperature."

So it basically has 3 power levels, which may explain the different noise levels you are experiencing. Additionally these aux heaters have quite specific warm up and cool down programs, which may also explain the variety of noise you hear.

Do a search on youtube for webasto startup. There is a video showing one of these units starting up, which illustrates the different sounds very well.

 

Thanks a lot booke23! Very helpful!

Adrian

 

Hi, just bought a 2007 Grand Voyager 2.8 Exec. Noticed the squiggly orange lights, the noise from under the car and the smoke it emits once engine is switched off. Is this light suppose to switch off?

 

Yes after about 15 minutes unless you have the temp set to 80F, if your cabin temp is set to max its 'pulling' a lot of heat from the engine coolant. Example do a 15 [ish] minute drive without the cabin heater on and it will auto-off, do a 15 [ish] minute drive with the cabin heater full whack and it will not switch off in the 15 [ish] minutes. Look at the temp gauge with the cabin heater off and then turn it full whack and watch the gauge drop correspondingly.

I mention a figure of a 15 [ish] minute drive because that is the only 'test' I've ever done. What happens at a 60 [ish] minute drive or a minus 5°C test I've no idea because I've never tested it. Conclusion at or near its max output of 26°C the aux heater seems to run permanent.

 

Thanks. After posting and reading the manual again, I got to see how it works. Thanks for your detailed response.

 

Hi, can anyone help? I bought a 2008 grand voyager exec. about 2 months ago. having problems starting. Struggles to turn over and then starts. Last week had to jump start it. Had the battery tested, test came out good, and the vehicle is charging as well. Tried to start it this morning, battery is dead. I thought maybe i am not using the vehicle as much as i should so that it can charge. I last used it four days ago.
On the other hand, could it be that i have a vehicle with a seven year old battery? This battery is expensive so i want to make sure i am spending wisely. any advice?

 

Dia Moodley,
You need to start a new thread. Battery Problems is not associated with Auxiliary Cabin Heater Noise.

If you search this forum there's tons of information on battery problems.