Roy,

Thanks so much for all of the info. A couple of days
ago I suspected not enough fresh air to support
ignition. I tried a turkey baster and a bicycle
pump on the drain port but it didn't help. Blowing
into it won't work because we exhale carbon
dioxide and what's needed is oxygen.

After reading your email I went out to get a
pump and a found a $10 compressor that runs
off the cigarette lighter. I attached it to the
drain plug and the fridge started right up!
First time that ever happened! I'm really
pleased. Thanks for your help on this. Thanks
also to everyone else that responded.

Posting this to the list as well.

Best regards,

Jeff
'87 Westy

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Roy Olynick [mailto:rrh@autobahn.mb.ca]
> Sent: Friday, July 27, 2001 12:09 AM
> To: Vanagon Listees
> Subject: Fw: Fridge assistance requested
>
>
> Jeff,
> Last year, my fridge began to display the same symptoms as yours.
> Since I bought
> the van in '87, I never had problems starting the fridge on
> propane and never
> had to "pre-warm" it on AC first. I've always been vigilant about
> keeping the
> rear of the fridge clean as well as keeping it properly maintained.
>
> I did the air pump mod last fall....it didn't help one bit. I
> knew there was a
> problem in supplying the flame with fresh air because the gas
> would usually
> ignite initially but the flame would die out quickly. After that,
> there was very
> little chance of igniting the gas again.
>
> A few postings suggested using a foot pump to pump air up the
> drain tube into
> the combustion chamber to aid in ignition of the gas and help
> maintain the flame
> until the thermocouple warms sufficiently to keep the gas supply open.
>
> I tried this and it works!  First time, every time. I now carry a
> small foot
> pump (such as you would use to pump an air mattress) in the van.
> When the flame
> is ignited, I sit there on my folding camp stool and keep pumping
> air into the
> drain tube for about thirty to forty seconds. After that the
> flame continues to
> burn brightly on its own. I tried blowing through a tube
> connected to the drain
> tube, as has been suggested by some listees, but this never worked for me.
>
> I have no idea what has changed in the past year or so to
> necessitate my having
> to pump air through the drain tube, but if it gets my fridge
> running on propane,
> I'm happy. Man, talk about a quirky vehicle!
>
> Roy Olynick
> '87 Westfalia GL
> (till death do us part)
> '91 Honda Civic SE
> '01 Honda Civic LX
>
>
>
>
>