Congratulation Mark,

Hopefully the parts and service will improve as these are nice units.  But, great when you can fix it yourself!

eRic 

> On Nov 11, 2021, at 12:08 PM, Mark McCulley <markmcculley@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> 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
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>