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87 Westy Refrigerator Modifications
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Raynor Shine
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 13, 2006 5:05 pm    Post subject: 87 Westy Refrigerator Modifications Reply with quote

Ok- so I removed the reefer to clean inspect & make modificaions as I could never get it lit on propane. Removal was straight forward & easy. Added the larger GOWesty cooling fan & pump valve/ new piezo ignitor. Cleaned out the burner box/ vac'd the exhaust & added an internal fan on the inside to keep cool air circulating.

Cleaned everything.. I mean CLEANED. Re-installation was not so bad but everyone knows where I am going with this...

I still can't get it to light on propane. I get spark & if too much gas is in the box, I hear a "pop" See a flash, but not lighting the pilot. So did I waste my time & money/ Does anyone have any advice??
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CF
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 13, 2006 5:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

vanagon.com has the best info for the fridge.
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Raynor Shine
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 13, 2006 5:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

& I have read all of the vanaon.com articels & Frank Condicelli info as well.
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r39o
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 13, 2006 7:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You got gas? How's your pressure regulator? You blow the whole mess out with compressed air? You try running it outside of the van to test? Can you smell som gas?
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 13, 2006 8:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Might help?

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=160609&highlight=reefer
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detter
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 13, 2006 8:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have done servicing jobs on several Dometic Westy fridges and have come up with a few tricks. When cold, the chimney is full of a cold, heavy plug of air. We need a draft going up the chimney just like in the house with a wood stove. Try starting the fridge on 110V then when the system gets warm (cool) shut off and try all the usual tricks. Some people clear the ignition box by blowing fresh air up the drain tube. Light the stove and check the flame height to make sure gas pressure is up to snuff.
All this is conditional upon you having cleaned the box, cleaned the jet in Acetone, checked the chimney for wasp nests, and filled the propane tank and holding your mouth just right. Wink
I have also found that pumping in lots of air in between ignition attempts helps. Some people even resort to driving around for 5 minutes to clear the chimney-- Go Figure...
Once it is lit leave it on GAS and switch on your inverter and snap on the 110V switch for 10 minutes or so to hurry up the cooling process.
I know they discourage attempting to manually clean the jet but I have used my welding needle tips to do the job and under a magnifying glass the oriface was partially plugged and no amount of washing seemed to work. Good Luck!
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jaunck
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 14, 2006 8:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If I haven't used the fridge on gas for any length of time, I usually hold the pilot light button for about 2 minutes to get all the air out of the system. Next is a 1/4 mile drive to a parking lot to get the accumulated gas out of the flue pipe/van and light the pilot. I've done this several times now and haven't had a problem. I could NEVER get it lit any other way after it had been sitting.

Don't try the sparker after holding the pilot light button down for a long time. Kinda sounds like lighting a tin can tennis ball launcher...
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Dogpilot
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 14, 2006 9:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

One quirky thing I did to improve mine was open up the water drain at the bottom front. Suck on the drain hole with a vacuum cleaner. Mine had a lot of fine rust particles in it. I actually left it open for a couple of days and drove about. The vibration filterd a bit more rust from the drain, and I vacuumed the drain again. You can put an ear bulb (one of those small round bulb squiter thingies), and pump some air into the chamber with that.
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Raynor Shine
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 14, 2006 3:07 pm    Post subject: SWEEET Reply with quote

Everyone- thanks for the good karma!!

The refrigerator is lit right now!!! took some patience, but I kept pumping & held the button down until the pilot stayed lit. It hadn't been started that way in a very long time so the pilot went out a couple times until it felt like staying on!!

We are in business. New fan working too/ sadly not the LED light. Maybe tomorrow~
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DanJReed
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 16, 2006 6:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

1 – the PO had used the fridge, but never maintained it. Even cleaning it was beyond them. Years of exploded coke cans and eggy- goo had built up inside of it it and its little cooling fins. Yikes – they are sharp.. clean with care. I used "Awesome" (Dollar store) cleaner – worked REALLY well.

2 – Took off the outer cover off the flue-vent and blew some compressed air into the exhaust and intake of the unit – oh my – the crap that flew out… I must have blown at least 2 lbs of rust, "gray matter", dust, bugs, and other debris out of the unit.

3 – Took off the water drain – nothing came out. Good, I look down – close and see that the entire drain is jammed with rust and carbon debris! I took a pick and started to see that the crap was jammed into the tube 6"! I would pick, blow air, pick, blow air – and finally gave up (what the hell, its all ready broke..) and shoved a rubber tipped blow gun with 120 PSI into the drain. At first – nothing then a nice "FOOSH" sound and air flow!

4 – I primed the system by running the stove for 45 seconds – 5 pumps of air – lit right up. I then turned my eye to the little non- visible "visible" flame down in the corner of the unit and yup – she was a burnin! However the LED on the front stove panel was not on.
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jarnevic
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 12:48 pm    Post subject: 1984 Vanagon Refrigerator Removal Reply with quote

I want to install the Gowesty Fridge Elimination Kit and the first thing in the instructions is to remove the old one; Gowesty wants you to buy the entire Bentley VW manual at great expense, when all I want is page 76.24, which explains the removal. Any ideas on how to remove this thing? Question
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ragnarhairybreeks
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 1:16 pm    Post subject: Re: 1984 Vanagon Refrigerator Removal Reply with quote

jarnevic wrote:
I want to install the Gowesty Fridge Elimination Kit and the first thing in the instructions is to remove the old one; Gowesty wants you to buy the entire Bentley VW manual at great expense, when all I want is page 76.24, which explains the removal. Any ideas on how to remove this thing? Question


yeah, crazy eh? Needing the Bentley manual for the fridge removal. Not that you would find it helpful for other things on the van that might me more difficult to do,

It is not a "great expense" if it saves you just one trip to a mechanic.

alistair
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gl98115
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 1:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

http://www.frankcondelli.com/fridge.htm
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gbrandt
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 1:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

And after all that work, you will find that the fridge is the same piece of sh*t, just cleaner.

I did the same things and the fridge sucked all summer.
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