Burner Problem


 
Dave in KC

Dave in KC

TVWBB Wizard
1000 resto I am working on. Stripped down this old Genny, and even hit the
burners with the wire brush. When putting it back together, this is what I
get for flames on the center burner at start up.

mTi4dLxl.jpg


Nice and blue, but only lights halfway on one side, at barely at all on the other. Also, the ones lit look
pretty weak compared to the other tubes. Burner problem? Valve problem?
Both? Bang on it, and wait a few minutes they all finally light, but when you turn off and restart
it goes right back to what you see in the picture.
 
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Have you checked if all the holes are open? I had a similar issue with one of my grills where some holes were plugged up and the flames din not move further. I have a set of small tiny clock maker type of screw drivers. One of them is tiny enough to poke through the holes to open up clogged burner holes.
 
Yah, pull the tubes and hit them with a drill and wire wheel or better yet, an angle grinder and wire cup brush. That should clean the holes out just fine, but if not, then a drill bit of the right size will take care of any other holes that are still clogged up. Make sure you clean out the insides as well. Simply shaking the rust and crud out and rinsing with water should work. There could be insect nests or other debris stuffed inside them.

But, you can also buy a new, after market set for about $20 on amazon. I have a $13 set on my Genesis 1000 and they work great.

If your grill is on high in that picture, it seems like the flames should be a bit higher all the way around. If so, that could be a fuel flow problem as well. Your grill should easily go past 500 degrees in under 15 minutes when on high. If not, something is wrong.
 
Bruce said:
could be a fuel flow problem
Click to expand...

This is what I am thinking. As I mentioned before, I have taken and grinder with the cup brush to them already,
and they will eventually light, but it takes awhile, or I can drag a lighter across them and they will light immediately.
But clearly something is wrong.
 
It looks like all three burners are suffering from lack of fuel so I am guessing it isn't the burners or valves. My guess is that there is a fuel flow problem either through the manifold possibly the regulator or tank/hose connections. Most likely though it is the problem some call "Vapor Lock" where the regulator detects a fuel leak and restricts fuel flow. This typically happens when you open the tank while the burner valves are still on or if you open the tank really fast. The regulator detects that as excess fuel flow and restricts the flow for safety reasons.

I suggest you go through the easy steps to narrow it down. First thing I would do is:
1. Shut off burners
2. Shut off tank
3. Remove hose from tank and wait a couple minutes
4. Put hose back on tank
5. With burners still off, SLOWLY open tank valve.
6. Open the first burner valve and light it. Then open the others

If that works, then it is likely you just had the vapor lock problem and using steps 5 and 6 in the future when lighting the grill. Also, always shut off the burners before you close the tank when done cooking.

If that doesn't work, then try a different tank. IF that that doesn't help, it would probably be the regulator or possibly the manifold. Check the connections for leaks at the tank, regulator and connection to the manifold.

Chances are, it is just vapor locked.
 
Does look like possible flow issue and or burners dirty internally. Look closely at the holes again also using a little precision flat blade screw driver to get any carbon/corrosion out of the holes. Flush them out with generous amounts of spray brake cleaner (not water). Don't pay attention to ones who say not to use the solvent because they're afraid of deposits. The stuff evaporates fully no need to worry. If you have an air compressor blow them out as well.
I would also do some valve maintenance as in Chris' video he so kindly put together. Then try a re light. If still having issues put a new regulator and hose assembly
 
LMichaels said:
I would also do some valve maintenance as in Chris' video he so kindly put together
Click to expand...

These valves turn nice and easy as they should, so I don't think that is needed. However, I have used
that video before. Very informative, and very nice of Chris to give you credit for the info.

I ordered a cheapo set of burners this morning for another 1000 that I am getting ready to start on.
I will pop those in first, and see if there is any difference before I do any more troubleshooting.
I have already wasted a tremendous amount of time on this frankengrill and don't need to waste
much more. Pics of this whole project will be posted when I am through with it.
 
Just because the valves turn easy does NOT mean they don't need maintenance. I went through this on my own grill. Turns out grease had migrated and partially blocked the ports and the orifices had corroded and were partially blocked from inside. Take it from me turning easy is not the whole story
 
Yah, Valves could be an issue, but unless you just want to service them for piece of mind, I would start with some of the other solutions first. You can always go back and do the valves once you have the flow problem figured out. If no other solution works, then hit the valves.
 
Thing is doing the valves is easy and cheap (basically no cost) and more times than not will solve the issue. I'll tell ya I went absolutely nits trying to figure out an issue like this up to the point of why I ended up buying that Member's Mark Grill a long while back. Finally out of desperation I called Weber describing my issue and it was a CSR that told me about the valves
 
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