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Date:         Mon, 22 Aug 2005 11:18:22 -0300
Reply-To:     "Giasson, Pascal (DNR/MRN)" <Pascal.Giasson@GNB.CA>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "Giasson, Pascal (DNR/MRN)" <Pascal.Giasson@GNB.CA>
Subject:      Re: Does The Fridg Fan Blow or Suck? & Combustion Chamber
Comments: To: Alistair Bell <albell@uvic.ca>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Regarding Alistair's comment on combustion chamber. When I took my fridge out last fall and tested it in the dark I could see the flame through gaps in where the chimney gasket was. The top plate of the combustion chamber was a little warped and very hard to straighten out. I got a new rubber gasket but could not find replacement ones for the air intake and chimney. I used the old ones and sealed everything up with RTV high temp Silicone gasket. Just thought you folks might have the same leaky combustion chamber and not know it. BTW my fridge worked fine before resealing the combustion chamber so even if your fridge appears to be working OK you may want to have a look for leaks next time you have the fridge out.

Pascal '84 Westy -----Original Message----- From: Alistair Bell [mailto:albell@uvic.ca] Sent: August 21, 2005 11:55 PM To: Giasson, Pascal (DNR/MRN) Cc: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Subject: Re: Does The Fridg Fan Blow or Suck?

Hi,

I agree with Pascal's opinion on airflow. Further, I have had some "interesting" experiences with my fridge and fan on my 3 week summer camping trip (just returned).

A few months ago I took out the fridge and added a shroud enclosing the cooling coils at the back of the fridge. It was made from perf. steel sheet, bent into a shallow "U" and screwed to the fridge. Over that I attached the aluminized bubbled wrap stuff used as insulation. This was an effort to enhance the convection effect back there and to aid my replacement fan (a muffin type computer fan) which I found to be working more often than the stock unit.

During other camping trips this summer I found that the fan was cycling just as often as without the shroud. I was dismayed.

On this last trip the fridge lit as usual and for the first few days worked well, the fan coming on more often than I would have liked. Also I noted combustion noise which I never had heard before. But then the fridge went out (camping altitude approx 4000 ft) and was hard to re-light. Once lit it worked perfectly, icing up fins etc.

Finally at another camping site (5000 ft), the fridge would not stay lit. It would ignite but I had to keep pumping air pump to keep it going. I got pissed off and whipped the damn thing out and tore the combustion chamber apart. I had thought that the jet or chamber itself was "crudded-up" for i had been tempted into using a touchless car wash before the trip. Was a new car wash and boy did it ever blast the water and air on the van, most powerful I had ever experienced :)

The combustion chamber was clean, as was the jet. I ran a stand of wire through the orifice anyway. But what I did notice was that one of the screws holding the combustion chamber together was loose, the one around the bend and over the gas line penetration. I also noted that the fan temp sensor was loose in its bracket. I fixed both things and popped the fridge back in.

It was slow to light but once lit ran perfectly, and curiously, the fan duty cycle was reduced. The combustion noise was gone too.

What can I conclude? Maybe the loose screw allowed air in affecting the combustion? Maybe the loose temp sensor resulted in the frequent fan cycling?

Oh and Pascal, after you mentioned that your new brighter fridge LED was staying on whether fridge was lit or not I had the same thing happen too. Puzzling for it was working normally before. I am suspecting a faulty thermocouple for I saw the light wink out before my eyes and begin too function normally.

Ah, fun with Vanagons.

PS I met a fellow camper with pop up camper on back of Toyota who had recently replaced his Dometic ($1000!). Was more than surprised that my '82 fridge had still enough H2/NH3 in system to work never mind freeze fins.

Alistair

'82 westy, diesel converted to gas in '94 http://www.members.shaw.ca/albell/

On 21-Aug-05, at 6:31 PM, Pascal Giasson wrote:

I believe the fan would suck air in from the bottom vent and blow it out the top vent. When the fan is not running the air moves in that same direction by convection current. Could you please let me know how you make out and how you like the new motor. I bought one of those motors as a spare just in case.

Pascal '84 Westy


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