Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 13:58:48 -0400
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Sean Bartnik <sbart7kb@www.mwc.edu>
Subject: Re: 85 Westy fridge removal
hgmueller@hydro.mb.ca wrote:
>
> BeyondMail Form: Message
> Text:
> Hi All, I've established that my fridge doesn't work on 120V.
> I've also phoned around to the dealerships listed in my VW manual as
> "factory authorized dealers" but they no longer handle these parts or
> repairs. What I'd like to do is take out the fridge myself and try to
> troubleshoot the problem.
>
> Can anyone tell me how to get the fridge out and if I can figure out what's
> wrong, where to get the parts.
>
> Thanks.....Harry ( '85 Westy)
Removing the Westy fridge is not that big a deal. Getting it back in,
though, is a huge Pain In The Ass.
Removing:
Reference Bentley. There are directions in there.
TURN THE PROPANE OFF AT THE TANK.
Remove the refrigerator door. Simply open it, and then lift up, it will
come off the hinges.
Do the same with the under-sink cabinet door. Then remove the middle
shelf in there. There are little peg-like doohickeys that hold it in.
Grab these with pliers and pull them out, they are nothing more than
nails.
Remove the silverware drawer, it just pulls out.
Now remove the fridge "faceplate." On the wood face of the fridge, you
will find 3 screws, covered with little push-on caps to match the
surface. Pry off the little caps and then remove the three screws.
Pull the facia out from the right side, then grasp it on the right edge
and pull toward the front of the van. There is a notch on the left side
that engages the cabinetry, and you are trying to disengage that. Don't
break it.
Now you're almost ready on the inside. Go outside and remove the fridge
vent cover. I think there are three screws holding it on. Under that,
there is a metal plate. Remove the two screws that hold the metal plate
to the body of the van. Then there are two more screws that hold the
metal plate to the fridge intake/exhaust pipes. Undo those screws and
remove the metal plate and rubber gasket. I hope you remembered how it
goes!
Now, go back inside. There are four screws that hold the fridge in
place. Two are accessible from the under-sink space and two from the
storage compartment to the left of the fridge. You'll see them in the
side of the cabinet. For the left-side screws, one is in the upper
compartment, and one is in the lower. From the under-sink cabinet
space, unplug the 120v plug from the outlet. Then get your adjustable
wrench and undo the propane fitting union nut. It's left hand threaded,
so clockwise loosens. That's how it was on my '81 anyway. Now find the
three-prong electrical conector that comes from the fridge and connects
in that cabinet space. Pull the connectors apart.
Now your fridge is ready to come out.
Pull it out a bit and then go outside and watch the progress of the
intake/exhaust pipes. They like to hang up on the body or on the
fiberboard panel inside the van. Make sure they don't. You will have
to fiddle with them a bit throughout the removal process.
Once you get it out far enough that the intake/exhaust pipes are inside
the van, what works for me is to tilt the fridge back at a pretty good
angle so that the intake and exhaust pipes can get past the stove
equipment. Then just slide it out. It's not too heavy, just bulky.
Take this opportunity to clean out the hole where the fridge resides.
Mine was dusty w/ bits of broken glass, a remnant from a break-in that
the PO had.
Also clean off the fridge.
Do what you have to do for 120v to work. While you're back there, make
sure the fridge cooling fan works. You'll see it on the back of the
fridge when you remove it. It is controlled by a temperature switch
mounted to the rear fins on the fridge. When they get to a certain
temperature, the switch closes and the fan operates, blowing air over
the fins to help circulation, heat transfer, and ultimately, inside
cooling.
My fan wasn't coming on when it was supposed to and the culprit turned
out to be the switch, which was not bad, but was not in contact enough
with the fins to get hot enough to close. I took care of that and it
works fine now.
Getting the fridge back in is pretty much the reverse of removal. A
note here: The only way you will ever get that fridge back in is if you
bend the intake/exhaust pipes so that they will fit under the stove
stuff without tilting the fridge. You cannot put the fridge back in at
an angle, I've tried it and it just won't go. You have to bend the
intake/exhaust pipes, then, through the access panel under the side
window and to the rear (not the one that runs the length of the cabinet,
but the square one on the cabinet, to the left of the fridge, below the
window) try to bend them back so they will go through the hole in the
side of the van. It's not easy.
Once you get that done, hook everything back up. Another installation
note: Make sure that the plug for the 120v operation doesn't get caught
behind the fridge as mine did the first time. Had to pull the fridge
back out. It sucked. Reconnect the propane lines, and make it tight.
I didn't have any problems with leaks on mine, but make sure.
The fridge probably will not start up right away on propane when you get
it back in. You've let a lot of air in the line. It helps to try to
light the fridge while the stove is running. Even so, it will take some
time before it will start, so be patient.
Make sure you've got everything hooked back up and no parts left over
and you should be set :-)
Good luck,
Sean
--
************************************************************************************
Sean Bartnik
sbart7kb@www.mwc.edu Fahrvergnugen really means "push
harder."
'81 Vanagon Westy
http://www.mwc.edu/~sbart7kb/myvan.htm
http://www.mwc.edu/~sbart7kb/tech.htm
'78 Bus Owner's Manual: http://www.conservatory.com/vw/manuals_nyx/
************************************************************************************
