Diesel Heater Parts and Accessories

A diesel air heater is built from about 16 replaceable parts, and only three of them wear out often: the glow plug, the fuel pump, and the fuel filter. Everything else on the list below is either an install accessory or a part you replace once in the life of the heater.

Every VVKB parking heater part and replacement part listed here is the same component we fit on the production line — not a generic copy.

This page is the full parts list for Vvkb diesel and parking heaters. Each part links to its own page with dimensions and fitment, so you can check a size before you order. Most of these components are also the standard spare parts for Chinese diesel heater clones, because the whole category copied one interface: 24 mm exhaust, 4 mm fuel line, 12V or 24V wiring.

If a part on your heater has failed, start with the symptom column in the table. If you are stocking a van, a caravan, a truck cab or a boat before winter, skip to the wear-parts kit further down.

Diesel heater parts list: all 16 components

Every part below is a genuine Vvkb production component, not a generic aftermarket copy. The part name links to its own page with full dimensions. Names in the second column are what the same part gets called elsewhere, so you can match a listing you found on another site.

Which parts wear out, and when to replace them

Two parts account for most diesel heater repairs: the glow plug and the fuel pump. Owners on van and boat forums report the same pattern year after year. The heater runs fine through one winter, sits unused all summer, then throws ignition or fuel errors on the first cold start.

Nothing has broken in that scenario. The glow plug has simply lost output, and the pump has stiffened on old fuel. Both are cheap consumables. Treat them that way and you will not be shopping for a whole new heater.

The spare parts kit to keep on the shelf

Four items cover the failures that will actually strand you. Buy them once, keep them in the vehicle, and a mid-winter breakdown becomes a 30-minute job in a car park instead of a week without heat.

• Glow plug — the single most common replacement part on any diesel air heater
• Fuel pump — small, light, and the second most common failure
• Fuel filter plus fuel screen — cheap, and they protect the pump
• Gasket kit — you cannot reuse burner gaskets after decarboning

Fleet and rental operators usually add a spare exhaust pipe and a set of clamps, because those are the parts that get damaged from outside rather than wearing out from inside. Everything in this list is stocked as a single replacement part, so you are not forced to buy a diesel heater repair kit full of items you do not need.

Will these parts fit your heater? The sizes that matter

Most 2KW to 5KW diesel air heaters share the same interfaces, so the majority of these parts cross over. The category grew out of one design, which is why a Vvkb exhaust pipe bolts onto a Webasto-style or Eberspacher-style unit and why a genuine glow plug drops into a budget clone.

That said, measure before you order. The four dimensions below decide almost every fitment question people ask on forums.

One honest limit: these parts fit the heater, not the vehicle. If you are replacing a unit under a seat or in a locker, check the physical envelope of your own heater before you assume a body-level part will drop in. Interface sizes are standard across the category. Case dimensions are not.

Electronics are where cheap parts actually bite

The controller, the ECU, and the blower motor are the three parts where a generic replacement most often fails to work. Exhaust pipe is exhaust pipe. A control board is firmware, a connector pinout, and a communication protocol that has to match what your heater expects.

Vvkb control units run the CAN protocol and are matched to Vvkb control panels, so an ECU and a panel bought together will pair without guesswork. If you are mixing brands, buy the ECU and the panel as a set rather than one at a time.

The combustion blower motor is the other one worth care. A brushed motor gets louder as the carbon brushes wear, which is your early warning. If noise is what pushed you to look up parts in the first place, the brushless motor upgrade is the fix, and it swaps in on the same mount.

Marine installs need different exhaust parts

The exhaust silencer and hull fitting supplied with a standard heater kit are not suitable for a boat. A road-going silencer is not gas-tight, and a plain steel through-hull will corrode in a season of salt water.

For boats you need two specific parts: a gas-tight silencer, and a stainless steel exhaust skin fitting at 24 mm (0.94 in) to carry the exhaust through the hull. Vvkb makes the skin fitting in stainless specifically because the mild steel versions sold with generic kits rust out.

The same logic applies to the mount plate. A thin steel plate is fine in a dry van and gone in two winters on a salted road or a wet deck, which is why ours is L-shaped stainless.

What Vvkb builds differently

Four components are where we spend money that a budget supplier does not. None of it shows in a product photo, which is exactly why it is worth listing.

Kyocera glow pin instead of a generic ceramic

You get reliable ignition at low temperature and a service life measured in winters rather than months. The glow pin is the part you replace most often on any diesel heater, so the difference compounds.

Spiral exhaust pipe instead of straight-wall tube

The spiral wall cancels combustion sound waves rather than transmitting them, and the pipe stays flexible enough to route by hand. Straight-wall tube resonates at road speed, which is the buzzing noise owners describe as the heater being loud when it is actually the pipe.

Heraeus sensor instead of an unbranded thermistor

The overheat sensor has to read flame temperature accurately in real time. A drifting sensor is what produces overheat shutdowns on a heater that is not hot, and it is a miserable fault to diagnose.

Corrosion-treated fuel pump and stainless hardware

Your fuel pump sits under the vehicle where road salt lands. Ours is treated so the casing does not rust through, and the mount plate, exhaust pipe, and skin fitting are stainless for the same reason.

On silencers, the market standard is a shell weighing around 150 grams. There is not enough steel in that to absorb much of anything, which is why so many owners add a second silencer. Ours uses a heavier body so you do not have to.

Vvkb has manufactured vehicle heaters in China since 1996 and supplies parts to heater brands in Europe, North America, and Australia. The Apollo-V1 heater that many of these parts are built around is E-mark type-approved under ECE R122, approval number E24*122R00/06*0054*00. The parts themselves are production components and are not separately type-approved. Full documentation is on our certifications page.

Where to buy Vvkb heater parts and accessories

Single parts and small orders ship from our retail store; anything at volume goes through the quote form on this page. Both routes pull from the same factory stock, so you get the same component either way.

Retail, one or two pieces

Order from the Vvkb heater parts collection on rvheater.com, which ships to the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia and the EU. The parts most people come for:

• Glow plug, 12V and 24V and gasket kits
• Fuel pump, fuel filter and fuel screen
• Exhaust pipe, exhaust muffler, clamps and skin fitting
• Electronic control unit, control panel, overheat sensor and blower motor
• Hot air ducting, fuel tank standpipe, 10 L fuel tank and mount plate

Wholesale, OEM and fleet

Use the quote form at the bottom of this page. Tell us the part, the voltage, and the annual quantity. We supply loose components, pre-packed service kits, and private-label packaging, and we can hold stock for seasonal call-off.

Frequently asked questions

Are Chinese diesel heater parts interchangeable between brands?

Mostly yes for anything mechanical. Exhaust pipe, silencers, clamps, ducting, fuel line, standpipes, glow plugs and fuel pumps cross over between Vvkb, Webasto-style and Eberspacher-style 2KW to 5KW air heaters, because the whole category shares one set of interface sizes. Electronics are the exception. Control units and panels depend on connector pinout and communication protocol, so buy those matched to your heater or as a pair.

Which diesel heater part fails first?

The glow plug, usually after two to three winters of regular use. The symptom is a heater that takes longer and longer to light, then produces white smoke, then throws an ignition fault. The fuel pump is second, typically at three to five winters, and the symptom is irregular or absent ticking. Both are inexpensive, and both are worth keeping as spares before winter rather than during it.

What size is a diesel heater exhaust pipe?

24 mm (0.94 in) inside diameter on almost all current 2KW to 5KW air heaters. A small number of older units use 22 mm (0.87 in). Measure the heater outlet, not the old pipe, because a corroded pipe will measure wrong. Vvkb supplies 304 stainless spiral pipe from 60 cm up to 5 m, with custom lengths to 10 m for truck, bus and marine runs.

Can I use a 12V part on a 24V heater?

No, and it is an expensive mistake. Glow plugs, fuel pumps, blower motors and control units are all voltage-specific. A 12V glow plug on a 24V supply burns out on the first ignition cycle. Check the label on your heater before ordering, and order the matching voltage for every electrical part.

Why does my heater keep clogging with carbon?

Because it is being run too cool for too long. At the lowest setting the flame does not get hot enough to burn cleanly, and unburned fuel deposits carbon on the burner screen and combustion chamber. Run it at a high setting for 20 to 30 minutes before shutdown, and strip and clean the burner once a season. Fresh fuel and a clean fuel filter both help.

What spare parts should I carry in a van or on a boat?

A glow plug, a fuel pump, a fuel filter with a spare fuel screen, and a gasket kit. That covers the failures that actually leave you without heat. On a boat, add a spare length of exhaust pipe and clamps, because salt attacks the exhaust path faster than anything else on the heater.

Do I need special exhaust parts for a boat?

Yes. A standard road silencer is not gas-tight and should not be used in a marine installation. You need a gas-tight marine silencer and a stainless steel exhaust skin fitting at 24 mm (0.94 in) to take the exhaust through the hull. Mild steel through-hull fittings corrode within a season in salt water.

Where can I find the parts diagram for my Vvkb heater?

The exploded parts diagram and part positions are in the diesel parking heater manual. Error codes and their causes are covered separately in the troubleshooting guide, which is the faster route if you have a code on the display rather than a broken part in your hand.