I can now bring some closure to this thread. The motor repair was
successful and after a bench test I put everything back together and did a
quick test in the van, the heater is working again! Now I just need some
dry weather so I can get under the van to reseal around the two hoses that
go through the floor.

I have not yet heard from either the manufacturer or Van Cafe on whether a
replacement motor is available. I am very happy that I was able to repair
the heater and hopefully it will last a few more years.

-Mark

On Mon, Nov 1, 2021 at 10:48 AM Mark McCulley <markmcculley@gmail.com>
wrote:

> Thanks all for the lubrication suggestions. I'm at a bit of an impasse
> now, when I removed the armature the seized bushing came out of its
> retainer. Getting it back in place is going to involve removing part of the
> bushing retainer that wasn't designed to be disassembled. You can see the
> bushing retainer in these photos:
>
>
> https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0QJ0DiRHJtI2mL;752DD1FD-0B92-4B8F-9ACE-ED5304E77B01
>
> https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0QJ0DiRHJtI2mL;FD01879A-EFB3-4B61-891B-69B42133D385
>
> I'm thinking I may be able to drill out the 6 holes with the rivets to
> remove the retainer and then reassemble using small bolts and nuts. Does
> that seem reasonable?
>
> I learned that the newer Propex HS2000 would require me to drill more
> holes in the floor of my van and I'd really like to avoid that if possible.
> I've reached out to a Propex dealer (Van Cafe) to see if they can get a new
> motor from across the pond. My other options are to find a used working
> 1600 heater or a broken one that has a good motor. All of these options
> seem fairly unlikely, repairing the motor may be my only choice.
>
> -Mark
>
>
> On Sun, Oct 31, 2021 at 10:32 AM Dan N <dn92610@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I use this to lubricate small bearings and eliminate creaking/squeaking
>> noises.
>>
>>
>> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BYEE0RU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
>>
>> On Sun, Oct 31, 2021 at 10:24 AM David Beierl <dbeierl@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I like Zoom turbine oil (Amazon or appliance parts house).
>>>
>>> Yrs,
>>> d
>>>
>>> On Sat, Oct 30, 2021 at 5:19 PM Mark McCulley <markmcculley@gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> > Progress! The two halves of the motor case were held together by the
>>> > magnets and were easily separated. Pulling the armature out was a bit
>>> > difficult, the bushing was seized to the shaft and came out with the
>>> shaft.
>>> > I carefully removed the bushing from the shaft with pliers and
>>> polished it
>>> > and the shaft with emery paper. It will now spin freely on the shaft.
>>> >
>>> > More photos here: https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0QJ0DiRHJtI2mL
>>> >
>>> > Any suggestions on what kind of lube to use? I'm surprised that the
>>> > bushings aren't made of brass.
>>> >
>>> > Once the motor is back together I'll test it on the bench. Then I will
>>> have
>>> > to decide how comfortable I am with reassembling this thing and
>>> hooking it
>>> > up to a propane line. What could go wrong eh?
>>> >
>>> > -Mark
>>> >
>>> > On Sat, Oct 30, 2021 at 1:33 PM Mark McCulley <markmcculley@gmail.com>
>>> > wrote:
>>> >
>>> > > Dennis, how would I get to the bearings? I've disassembled the
>>> heater and
>>> > > removed the fan motor. Do I need to disassemble the motor?
>>> > >
>>> > > Some photos here:
>>> https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0QJ0DiRHJtI2mL
>>> > >
>>> > > See the photo showing the end of the shaft, I wonder if that piece
>>> > > surrounding the shaft is scored so that it can be removed with some
>>> > special
>>> > > tool to get to the bearings?
>>> > >
>>> > > -Mark
>>> > >
>>> > >
>>> > > On Sat, Oct 30, 2021 at 9:33 AM Dennis Haynes <
>>> d23haynes57@hotmail.com>
>>> > > wrote:
>>> > >
>>> > >> It has been some time since I had one of these apart for repair.
>>> Gas jet
>>> > >> clogging is another common problem. In general DC fuses are sized
>>> and
>>> > >> coordinated to protect the wiring, not appliances themselves. Maybe
>>> > >> carefully lube the bearings avoiding oil on the brushes-commutator
>>> and
>>> > up
>>> > >> the fuse size and give the fans a push to get them turning. A
>>> synthetic
>>> > >> type light oil once the bearings spin again will work some magic.
>>> > >> Disappointing is that repair services and parts are not readily
>>> > available
>>> > >> considering the cost and how little these units are typically used.
>>> > >>
>>> > >> Dennis
>>> > >>
>>> > >>
>>> > >> -----Original Message-----
>>> > >> From: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com> On Behalf Of
>>> > Mark
>>> > >> McCulley
>>> > >> Sent: Saturday, October 30, 2021 10:53 AM
>>> > >> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>> > >> Subject: Re: Propex 1600 blowing fuses
>>> > >>
>>> > >> I did some more diagnosis, looks like the fan motor is the problem.
>>> > First
>>> > >> I removed the propane leak detector from the circuit, this did not
>>> make
>>> > any
>>> > >> difference, fuse still blew. It wasn't possible to remove the cover
>>> from
>>> > >> the heater with it still installed so I pulled the heater from the
>>> van.
>>> > >> Removing the heater cover was a minor challenge as parts of it were
>>> > >> sealed to the chassis with silicone RTV. Once removed I was able to
>>> > access
>>> > >> the two squirrel cage fans and could just barely move them. I don't
>>> > know if
>>> > >> the shaft rusted or what happened but it barely moves. I applied
>>> some
>>> > >> penetrating oil at both ends and let it sit for a while but that
>>> made no
>>> > >> difference. I may or may not attempt a fix by removing the motor and
>>> > >> disassembling it. Anyone have a broken model 1600 with a good motor?
>>> > Very
>>> > >> unlikely I know. :)
>>> > >>
>>> > >> Does anyone know if the newer HS2000 model has the same size and
>>> spacing
>>> > >> of the exhaust and combustion air inlet/outlet tubes? It would be
>>> nice
>>> > if
>>> > >> it were a drop in replacement for the Compact 1600.
>>> > >>
>>> > >> I don't know what bothers me more...not having a heater for camping
>>> this
>>> > >> winter or having two open holes through the floor of my van.
>>> > >>
>>> > >> -Mark
>>> > >>
>>> > >> On Fri, Oct 29, 2021 at 7:29 AM Mark McCulley <
>>> markmcculley@gmail.com>
>>> > >> wrote:
>>> > >>
>>> > >> > My trusty Propex 1600 heater blew a fuse yesterday when I tried to
>>> > >> > start it for the first time this year. The 5A fuse blows as soon
>>> as
>>> > >> > the unit turns on, both in Heat mode and in Fan Only mode. This
>>> makes
>>> > >> > me suspect the fan motor is the culprit. I have an inquiry in to
>>> > >> > Propex but I'd really like to fix it myself if possible. Anyone
>>> ever
>>> > >> > experienced a similar issue with the 1600?
>>> > >> >
>>> > >> > Regards,
>>> > >> > Mark
>>> > >> >
>>> > >>
>>> > >
>>> >
>>>
>>