Date:         Mon, 20 Sep 2004 14:49:38 -0700
Reply-To:     Craig Oda <craigoda@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Craig Oda <craigoda@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: fridge wont stay lit
Comments: To: aircooled chris <aircooledchris@eucasafari.vendioweb.com>
In-Reply-To:  <414F437E.9000809@eucasafari.vendioweb.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

Are you sure you have propane in the tank that is flowing smoothly to
the fridge combustion chamber?  Turn the cook stove on and let it burn
for a few minutes to get the propane moving through your system.  When
the fridge goes out, do you smell propane from the exhaust outlet?
Symptoms kind of sound like you're low on propane on the main valve is
not fully open.  However, you could have more serious issues with this
problematic fridge.

Try to force air through the drain tube to clean out the combustion
chamber a bit.  The drain tube is on the lower left hand side of the
fridge, under the fridge, near the floor.  It has a screw and chain on
it.  Unscrew it and attach a 7mm piece of old fuel line to it and a
bicycle pump, then pump it.  Make sure that you put the screw back on.

If the fridge is going out when you are driving, then you have an air
leak between the vent and the body of the van.  You can try
disassembling the vent and making sure that plate "C" is aligned with
tube "H"  Apply silicone sealant along gasket parts "F" and body and
D" and gasket.

http://oda.bz/~craigoda/vanagon/img/fridge-diagram.jpg

http://oda.bz/~craigoda/vanagon/img/van-fridge-exhaust.jpg

You can also take more aggressive measures such as taking the fridge
out and resealing the combustion chamber.  Try the easy methods first.
 I haven't taken the fridge out, but it doesn't look that easy.

-- Craig

On Mon, 20 Sep 2004 13:54:22 -0700, aircooled chris
<aircooledchris@eucasafari.vendioweb.com> wrote:
> my 81 westy fridge just will not stay lit it seems.
>
> It will light after a number of pumps and trys, but it seems to go out
> after about 30 minutes. It should remain in that green section the whole
> time its running on propane right?
>
> Mine will stay there for a bit, but it seeems once I check back a bit
> later, its gone out again.
>
> Suggestions?
>
> cr
>