Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2000 08:39:15 EST
Reply-To: RAlanen@AOL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: RAlanen@AOL.COM
Subject: Fridge Service & RUST
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Been working on cleaning up all the little rust spots on the '87 Westy.
Decided to remove the fridge and make a clean up behind. GOOD IDEA !!!!!
For those of you who have never done this, you REALLY NEED to do this.
Remove the front panel by removing the plastic screw caps and remove the
screws. Now don't forget the four side screws ! To get the propane line
disconnected is a bit of PITA, but if you remove the vent plate on the left
side of the cabinet you can reach in there with a wrench to undo this
fitting. The back side of the fridge needs to be cleaned up now and then.
All kinds of crap and dust gets back there and the cooling fins and small
cooling fan need to be cleaned up. Also open up the combustion chamber of the
fridge burner and see how much crap has accumulated in there. CLEAN IT OUT.
Your fridge WILL work better afterwards. Also check the gasket while your in
there. Mine was shot and I made a new one out an old piece of inner tube.
Works just dandy and the price is right. While you have the fridge out you
can run it by getting the propane tank and supply line from your barbecue and
hook it up and run it on the bench to check it out. Check the black wire
coming from the primer valve to make sure it is grounded when the fridge is
running. This wire is what turns on the green LED on the control panel. My
LED never has worked and I was trying to find out why. I've finally traced
it down to a malfunctioning chip on the control panel. Evidently, the ground
wire when activated sends a signal to this chip which then turns on the
positive volts to the LED. I will be going to the local electronics supply
to try and find a replacement chip. NOW for the real story. After you get
that fridge out of the cabinet get yourself a good trouble light cause you
looking for trouble here. Look in behind the cabinets and see how much
MOISTURE - CRAP - RUST there is on the floor of the small channel behind the
cabinets. First, get the insulation that is soaking wet out of there !
Second, get a good shop vac and clean up behind there. Third, get some rags
and dry up ALL the moisture. Third, get some GOOD rust preventive oil spray
such as CROWN or RUST CHECK and like really LIBERALLY flood this area until
the oil is dripping out on you shop floor. Now you can figure out some way
to replace the insulation you ripped out. I used some simi-rigid foam and
made sure it was held in a way so as not to come in contact with the floor.
Maybe a rigid type would work better. The idea is to insulate this area
again but not have the material come in contact with the floor. So now you
have this all cleaned up and looking real nice and your fridge is working
just dandy so now put the fridge back in and Happy Camping once again. One
more thing, don't forget to remove the vent/grille behind the sink/stove
cover and finish removing the paint that Westfalia applied before prepping
the metal properly, then prep and paint with a good rust paint and reinstall.
Cheers
Frank Condelli
'87 Westy & Lionel Trains
Almonte, On
Visit me on the web.......> <A
HREF="http://members.aol.com/RAlanen/index.html">Frank, Rita & April's Website
</A>
| 
