Date: Sun, 23 Jan 2000 12:24:11 -0700
Reply-To: Alfred Bagdan <abagdan@POWERSURFR.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Alfred Bagdan <abagdan@POWERSURFR.COM>
Subject: Re: Fixing the refrigerator
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Hi Paul
I bought my 85 Westy new in 85. The fridge worked but never
got very cold and kept blowing out while driving. I thought
that this was as it should be. Since joining the Vannagon
list I found all kinds of material in the archives. Last
summer I finally slid the fridge out. The fan was resting
against a pipe and couldn't turn. I'm surprised it had not
ceased as the electrical supply to it was ok. After
cleaning the combustion chamber, orifice and sealing
everything off properly it now works great. I even figured
out the theory of the lighting procedure so I have no more
problems with that. I then went on a 2 week trip and left
the fridge on all the time. Not once did it blow out and it
actually made ice in the little tray.
Here is what I did:
I opened the combustion chamber and removed all the dust.
There was quite a bit in there. I also removed the gas
orifice and soaked it in alcohol overnight, then let it dry
out. Do not poke any needles or wires through the orifice
as you will ruin it (It is made out of a gemstone and is
very brittle). When putting back together make sure to seal
it again airtight as any leak will tend to blow out your
flame. Get some high temperature gasket sealer if you
ruined the original gasket when opening the box. As for the
fan not running, check the small temperature switch fastened
to the fins of the heat exchanger near the top. Make sure
it makes good contact. As the fridge starts to operate the
fins get hot which closes the switch and turns on the fan.
I tested mine while I had the fridge out by making the
electrical connections and then blowing hot air from a
heatgun onto the switch (A hair drier on high should work
too). If it works your ok, If not bypass the temp switch to
check if the switch is faulty. Before putting the fridge
back in click the sparker and Check if you can see a spark
in the combustion chamber, make sure you do otherwise you
won't be able to light the fridge. When sliding the fridge
back in, be very careful with the spark wire as it is at the
very bottom edge of the fridge and you can easily shear it
off from the sparker (I did) and then try to fix it or try
to find another one which isn't easy. When you have the
fridge in, connect the propane and the electricals but leave
the outside vent cap off until you get the fridge to work on
gas. Bleed the air out of the line by lighting the stove
for a bit and pushing in the lighting knob for the fridge
for a while. Blow in air into the combustion chamber from
outside by blowing into the tube which is off the center.
The center tube is the exhaust vent. Now light the fridge
and let it run. Listen to the fan come on. Feel the heat
of the fins by reaching in the through the hole on the left
of the cabinet, when the grille is still off. Once your
fridge is working as it should, carefully put the outside
vent assembly together. It is critical you put it together
properly and add some sealer on the rubber gaskets (I used
transparent silicone sealer). The intake air must come in
only through the off centre hole and not from the sides.
You don't want any wind-pressure to get in as you are
driving and blow out the flame.
Anyway good luck
Alfred
85 Westy
----- Original Message -----
From: Paul Borghese <PAUL98@PRODIGY.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Saturday, January 22, 2000 6:36 PM
Subject: Fixing the refrigerator
> I just removed my refrigerator from my 1985 Vanagon Camper
to clean it out
> for increased efficiency. Should I also open the
combustion chamber and
> give that a good clean (that square silver box with the
window)?
>
> I also noticed for the first time the fan (having never
heard it before). I
> tested the fan and it worked by placing a 12 volt power
supply to the
> terminals of the fan. I am thinking the fan is inoperable
because of a fuse
> or some other wiring in the vehicle. Any suggestions?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Paul Borghese
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