Hello folks,

Bought my RRS at the end of summer 2015. When the winter arrived I noticed a lot of smoke coming out under the car at the front left wheel. I rang my local Land Rover garage and done a bit of research online and found out that is it quite normal as thats where the exhaust is for the utility heater on the car. The smoke has died off considerably now that i've been using the utility heater, but in the past few weeks I've noticed a small patch of what looks like diesel on the pavement underneath the car where its been parked. I got down and had a look and the patch on the pavement is directly below the little exhaust pipe for the utility heater. Is this normal or does it sound like I have a problem on my hand? I'm guessing it's unburnt diesel that the utility heater has been using, but it's not leaving large patches and my economy is not suffering! Any advice welcome!

Many thanks in advance!

Hi and Welcome,
never had any fuel leaking on mine, would expect LOTS of smoke if fuel is going through he FBH, if it fired at all

would suggest you check the short black fuel line that is on the FBH it can become hard and crack, could it be from there?

Would you know how to turn the burner off??

The FBH runs automatically when the outside temp hits 5 or lower and you have more than a quarter of a tank of fuel. If you wanted to stop it working you'd have to pull a fuse or disconnect the connector. 2008 G4 RRSport TDV8 current
2009 TDCi 90 current
2018 Discovery 5 HSE lux current
1994 Dakar current

Hi there. I'm new to this site and new to rr. I need to clarify some this about the fbh. Is smoke from the exhaust normal when the heater is working. There is a fare amount, I know it burns diesel to work so i expect there to be some. Stupid question I know but believe it or not I can't seam to find the answer. Is it a case that it needs cleaning? Or is it signs of the beginning of the end and that it will pack up soon? Many thanks

Smoke from FBH exhaust is normal and can be heavier/ thicker if the system has not fired up in a long time.
The FBH is standard on all Diesel RRS L320's as it forms part of the emissions reduction system by helping the engine warm more quickly on cold days. Cleaning - not necessary but I had to have one of my RRS's done because the exhaust spat out a big lump of very dirty diesel onto my drive one cold morning.
It is quite easy to have the software changed to make it into a "Park Heat" cabin pre-warmer with remote control or timer from the dash screen (or both). Don't expect startling warmth in the cabin though even after the 20 minute warm up cycle has run, it takes the chill off the cabin but needs the back up of engine heat to make it toasty! 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Thanks Tim. I'm guessing it's because it hasn't been cold enough up to now. That's a huge weight of my mind with Xmas round the corner. And just paying out for tyres, discs and pads 😨, luckily I'm a hands on person. I have seen a lot of talk about converting it, I might have a look at doing ready for next year. Thanks again

The 7 day timed version is purely a software upgrade, if you want it with remote control then that is the "full monty" job requiring a receiver unit and remote controller. Both can be done by forum member Bodsy who has a travelling/ mobile service or you can meet him somewhere. He would also advise if the job can be a DIY job. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW