Date: Wed, 31 Aug 2011 22:08:24 -0700
Reply-To: neil n <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: neil n <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Refrigerator lighting
In-Reply-To: <269F24DE-2689-4A95-A5A9-46C1D16D1633@onebeam.net>
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Hi Leonard.
Are you certain the drain plug is clear? If so.....
This takes patience, but if you can see when the flame is dying, open
the drain. Or, pump the air pump. Anything to introduce more air into
the burner box. If either keeps the flame alive, either the air
in/exhaust out cycle isn't happening or your intake tube is still
clogged. If no change, it *may* be a fuel delivery problem. Clogged
burner jet, LP line, etc. Also.....
The flame will be 2 different sizes when fridge operating normally; no
cooling needed, smaller flame, cooling needed, larger flame. Since
your LED doesn't work and that it can be hard to see the flame via the
viewer, you may think it's out but the flame is just at the smaller
size (unlikely though given that flame likely in full size mode to
cool down the fridge) A cardboard tube held up against the viewer is
great or seeing if the flame is alive. Especially during daylight
hours.
The thermosat relies on a small metal tube:
https://picasaweb.google.com/musomuso/DometicPics#5348037090587070146
in a slot on the back of the aluminum cooling unit to determine when
cooling needed or not. There should be a narrow white (silicone?) bit
that holds this tube in the slot up against the aluminum. I doubt
yours is messed up, but it's not too hard to check.
To be clear, Dennis Haynes knows far more about all things Vanagon
(and lots of others) than I ever will, but I think he was suggesting
that the flue was crucial particularly when vehicle is in motion. I
found, as others have, that with fridge on the bench, BBQ propane tank
connected, no flue parts attached, it light it up and stayed lit.
Neil.
On Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 8:44 PM, Leonard Sitongia <sitongia@onebeam.net> wrote:
> Then I did the vacuuming, and that helped.
>
> It now lights pretty easily. It stays lit for about five minutes, and goes out. The flame in the window isn't bright, the LED on the panel never lights up, but I can hear a good burn going from the flue. A regular rumble. The fridge fins got a little cool.
>
> It's pretty warm out right now, here in Boulder, CO, USA. I didn't pre-cool it on 110v like I usually do because I wanted to see how well it did warm.
>
> Also, I didn't put the flue cover back on completely, in case I wanted to do something else. I now see another posting that the flue assembly is important to keep exhaust from being sucked back in.
>
> So, I'll pre-cool it, put the flue back together and try in the morning.
>
--
Neil n
65 kb image Myford Ready For Assembly http://tinyurl.com/64sx4rp
'81 VanaJetta 2.0 "Jaco" http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/
Vanagon VAG Gas I4/VR Swap Google Group:
http://groups.google.com/group/vanagons-with-vw-inline-4-cylinder-gas-engines