Good stuff here. Now I have a q related to this. How long can one run the
fridge on high with a full tank before they run out? Hours? Days? I havent
hooked up my propane yet and have been surviving on battery power. The
batteries dont seem to last very long; only about 8 hours before they get
low without the engine running. I would really like it to last longer. I
feel that my mechanical R12 fridge would last longer than the Dometic unit
on the same batteries. Any ideas?

Chris DeLong
Fine Tuning
206.522.5503
www.finetuningperformance.com
Seattle, WA USA

>From: Jason Willenbrock <pooncerelli@HOTMAIL.COM>
>Reply-To: Jason Willenbrock <pooncerelli@HOTMAIL.COM>
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Re: ugh!! fridge still blowing out!!FOLLOWUP RESULTS
>Date: Wed, 9 Jun 2004 00:41:48 -0400
>
>thanks alfred,
>wanted to let you know that i finally got my fridge to stop blowing out.
>first i cleaned and resealed the combustion chamber then reinstalled to see
>if that did the trick.  nope, first 55 mile blew her out.  so after a
>couple
>of days i decided to adjust, what appeared to be a perfectly aligned flue,
>alas success!  it turns out the flue plate? in the middle which just hanges
>there had some little curves to it from being tweeked down.  i straightened
>it and also angled the flue exhaust slightly down (it looked like it was
>angled too far up).  took her for a drive on the windiest day of the year
>at
>about 65-70 miles an hour and voila!  still burning.  i have to listen to
>the flue to tell if it is burning since my wiring harness is not hooked up.
>since i cleaned it, it sounds like a mini jet engine in there.  fridge
>cools
>to about a record 45-50 degrees (that's right, it was 96 degrees and fridge
>temp was a cool 46) below outside temp (with some help from a 12 volt fan
>and ice packs)
>i am very happy and thanks for your help and also there were several others
>who told me to play with the flue, so thanks to you as well.
>cold beer and loving it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>jason
>87 syncro westy
>
>>From: Alfred Bagdan <abagdan@shaw.ca>
>>To: Jason Willenbrock <pooncerelli@HOTMAIL.COM>, vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>Subject: Re: ugh!! fridge still blowing out!!
>>Date: Wed, 02 Jun 2004 09:52:41 -0600
>>
>>Hi Jason,
>>
>>Here is a reprint on how I fixed my fridge in 2000.  The blowing out part
>>is in bold print at the end.
>>
>>I bought my 85 Westy new in 85.  The fridge worked but never
>>got very cold and kept blowing out while driving.  I thought
>>that this was as it should be.  Since joining the Vannagon
>>list I found all kinds of material in the archives.  Last
>>summer I finally slid the fridge out.  The fan was resting
>>against a pipe and couldn't turn.  I'm surprised it had not
>>ceased as the electrical supply to it was ok.   After
>>cleaning the combustion chamber, orifice and sealing
>>everything off properly it now works great.  I even figured
>>out the theory of the lighting procedure so I have no more
>>problems with that.  I then went on a 2 week trip and left
>>the fridge on all the time.  Not once did it blow out and it
>>actually made ice in the little tray.
>>Here is what I did:
>>I opened the combustion chamber and removed all the dust.
>>There was quite a bit in there.  I also removed the gas
>>orifice and soaked it in alcohol overnight, then let it dry
>>out.  Do not poke any needles or wires through the orifice
>>as you will ruin it (It is made out of a gemstone and is
>>very brittle).  When putting back together make sure to seal
>>it again airtight as any leak will tend to blow out your
>>flame.  Get some high temperature gasket sealer if you
>>ruined the original gasket when opening the box.  As for the
>>fan not running, check the small temperature switch fastened
>>to the fins of the heat exchanger near the top.  Make sure
>>it makes good contact.  As the fridge starts to operate the
>>fins get hot which closes the switch and turns on the fan.
>>I tested mine while I had the fridge out by making the
>>electrical connections and then blowing hot air from a
>>heatgun onto the switch (A hair drier on high should work
>>too).  If it works your ok, If not bypass the temp switch to
>>check if the switch is faulty.  Before putting the fridge
>>back in click the sparker and Check if you can see a spark
>>in the combustion chamber, make sure you do otherwise you
>>won't be able to light the fridge.  When sliding the fridge
>>back in, be very careful with the spark wire as it is at the
>>very bottom edge of the fridge and you can easily shear it
>>off from the sparker (I did) and then try to fix it or try
>>to find another one which isn't easy.  When you have the
>>fridge in, connect the propane and the electricals but leave
>>the outside vent cap off until you get the fridge to work on
>>gas.  Bleed the air out of the line by lighting the stove
>>for a bit and pushing in the lighting knob for the fridge
>>for a while.  Blow in air into the combustion chamber from
>>outside by blowing into the tube which is off the center.
>>The center tube is the exhaust vent.  Now light the fridge
>>and let it run.  Listen to the fan come on.  Feel the heat
>>of the fins by reaching in the through the hole on the left
>>of the cabinet, when the grille is still off.  Once your
>>fridge is working as it should, carefully put the outside
>>vent assembly together.  It is critical you put it together
>>properly and add some sealer on the rubber gaskets (I used
>>transparent silicone sealer).  The intake air must come in
>>only through the off centre hole and not from the sides.
>>You don't want any wind-pressure to get in as you are
>>driving and blow out the flame.
>>
>>Anyway good luck
>>
>>Alfred
>>85 Westy
>>
>>
>
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