And on we go...

We use to rent our van about 20 times a year and would always get
complaints about the fridge.  The following method I use and tell people
to use when they can't get it going after a couple of tries:

Drive the van for about 200 yards, pull off, jump in the back and try to
start normally.  I'd say 99.5% it works first crack!

Who knows, eh?

Bruce

>Well thats a new (and logical!) method!! Maybe I'll give that a try sometime.
>
>To add to the wacky ideas list, here's what I do:
>
>I have one of those electric powered air pump things, the kind you plug
>into your cigarette lighter. It came with a few attachments (like a needle
>for pumping up basketballs, etc.) one of which was a plastic cone like
>attachment for pumping up rubber inflatables (rafts, toy balls,
>anatomically corrrect dolls, you know.....).
>
>I take the cone attachment, unscrew the air (oh damn I forgot the right
>name for this thing) tube at the bottom of the fridge (it has the metal
>screw cap), and blast air in there. I read once that lack of oxygen was a
>primary cause for the propane not lighting). Well without pumping I get an
>instant light. Works for me! Plus, I'm still self sufficient since I can
>run this off the vehicle battery (only takes a few secs).
>
>File this one for the next time you've pumped that bellows thing one time
>to many (I mean the one on the van.. get your mind out of the gutter!!).
>
>Bill
>
>At 07:57 AM 5/16/98 -0700, Dane Tessler wrote:
>>This is weird...but it works!
>>
>>I used to have a hard time lighting my propane fridge.
>>I would follow the directions to the letter,  including letting the stove
>>burn for a minute or so before trying the fridge to "prime the system".  The
>>fridge would light eventually,  but only after about 10 or 15 tries and a
>>few profanities.
>>
>>One time I decided to run the fridge on shore power overnight to cool it
>>down before departing on a trip the next morning.   In the morning,  I
>>switched to propane and it lit on the first try!
>>
>>Since then,  I always cool the fridge down electrically and run the stove
>>for a minute before lighting the propane fridge.  With this method,  I have
>>always lit the fridge on the 1st or 2nd try.
>>
>>If anyone tries this method.....let me know if it helps!
>>
>>regards
>>Dane Tessler
>>87 Westfalia 138K
>>Treasure Island, FL
>>http://members.aol.com/Dane714/westfalia.html
>>
>
>"Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you
>look at it right"
>
>Hunter/Garcia
>

----------------------------------------------------------

Bruce Ralphs, Victoria, BC                 '85 Westy, auto, 142K
250-727-7617                               '91 Passat, 95K
250-727-7685 fax                           '83 GTI,  256K