Help getting a Viking Nat Gas Grill back up and cooking


 
Kyle in Woodstock

Kyle in Woodstock

TVWBB Guru
I briefly mentioned this in the catch-all thread, but thought I would make a separate thread for this.

Viking 41" nat gas grill with "True Sear". Model VGIQ4103RELSS

IMG_1058.jpg

My buddy has this at his house and it hasn't worked in a couple years. It appears to be a really nice, big expensive grill that is built-in to his deck with stone. He is not the most handy guy, so I told him I'd help him get it working again.
I was up there on the weekend of the 4th and very briefly looked at it, but really only looked under the lid and noticed everything was disassembled.

He had a service guy come take a look and he gave him some insane quote to fix it of $1,500 or more. Highway robbery.
The guy did tell him that he needed a new manifold, and it is part number 20 on the diagram below. Sorry for all the separate images. I didn't know how to attached a PDF, so I did screenshots.

Viking 1.jpgViking 2.jpgViking 3.jpgViking 4.jpgViking 5.jpg



Just want to get some suggestions from you guys on what tools or supplies I should bring up with me when I go to help him fix this.
- Adjustable wrenches
- Vice Grips
- Socket set
- Screwdrivers
- Liquid Wrench (for stubborn-stuck bolts)
- Hammer
- Can of high temp BBQ paint. Not for cosmetics, but in case I need to spray some potential rusty areas, not in cooking area, but in the manifold/valve area.

I'll probably run by Home Depot and pickup a handful of SS nuts/bolts/screws in the sizes mentioned on this diagram, just in case I see any that need replacing or are rusted away.

Should I bring any type of thread sealant?
Any other tools?
Was thinking I might need to bring a few "black pipe" fittings in case some of those are rusted bad?

I'm kind of going into this blind. Like I mentioned, he's not very handy, so I'm really not sure what all needs to be fixed/replaced, but just trying to cover my bases as far as bringing the right tools up and a guess on the supplies. His cabin is in the middle of the woods and is about 1.5 from my house.

And just for fun a picture of the view from his top deck and one of his pool.

IMG_20200704_112822.jpg

IMG_20200704_113017.jpg
 
Kyle, you might hit up Jon Tofte on this. I think he redid a Viking a couple years ago. But, keep in mind he is a CPA and tax day is tomorrow.
 
Bruce said:
Kyle, you might hit up Jon Tofte on this. I think he redid a Viking a couple years ago. But, keep in mind he is a CPA and tax day is tomorrow.
Click to expand...
Thanks. Really just looking for some general tips. Never worked on a Nat Gas grill. Imagine there not much different than an LP.

I won't be going up there for a few weeks. So I have plenty of time to pick brains and get advice.
 
That puppy is SIGNIFICANTLY more complex than any Weber you'll come across.
It's built in to a brick/stone structure, so repair may be preferred to replacement.
Chances are the service guy was trying to cover his @$$ due to the complexity and distance traveled to perform the service.
If I was him, I'd likely load up on a manifold, gas valves, igniters (there are several igniters), regulator etc. so that I'm not making multiple trips. And all that is just to get the 'grill' to heat up. Now, add in the Infrared burner, halogen lights, low voltage lights etc. and this 'job' could become a nightmare.

You'll have to accept up front that it's unlikely you'll get this thing running on your next trip there, this is going to take investigation and multiple trips.
First, decide what the priorities are - just gas burners working, or do you want more/all the bells and whistles.
Yes, take multiple wrenches, screw drivers, hammer, power drill, Teflon tape, brake cleaner, Liquid wrench. If there's a hardware store somewhere near the location don't bother with SS hardware until you know what you need.

You'll need to lay out all the disassembled parts to see what might be missing and what is beyond basic cleanup and repair (I hope you like jigsaw puzzles). Obviously confirm you have working gas. Hook up the regulator and confirm gas flows through. Add the manifold, check the valve operation. Do all the gas checking in short bursts with plenty of ventilation and no smoking or sparks near by.
Check the burners for cleanliness and condition. From there, make your parts wish list and cross your fingers that parts are available.

Here's where I was able to get a pdf schematic (I made a guess on model since that specific one isn't available) -

Viking Parts Diagrams

We will find the Viking Part you need for your Viking Range, Viking Refrigerator, Viking Grill, Viking Stove, Viking Oven, Viking Rangetop, Viking Dishwasher, or Viking Hood. We will help you get the correct Viking Part for your Viking Appliance.
www.allvikingparts.com
 

Attachments

DavidK said:
That puppy is SIGNIFICANTLY more complex than any Weber you'll come across.
It's built in to a brick/stone structure, so repair may be preferred to replacement.
Chances are the service guy was trying to cover his @$$ due to the complexity and distance traveled to perform the service.
If I was him, I'd likely load up on a manifold, gas valves, igniters (there are several igniters), regulator etc. so that I'm not making multiple trips. And all that is just to get the 'grill' to heat up. Now, add in the Infrared burner, halogen lights, low voltage lights etc. and this 'job' could become a nightmare.

You'll have to accept up front that it's unlikely you'll get this thing running on your next trip there, this is going to take investigation and multiple trips.
First, decide what the priorities are - just gas burners working, or do you want more/all the bells and whistles.
Yes, take multiple wrenches, screw drivers, hammer, power drill, Teflon tape, brake cleaner, Liquid wrench. If there's a hardware store somewhere near the location don't bother with SS hardware until you know what you need.

You'll need to lay out all the disassembled parts to see what might be missing and what is beyond basic cleanup and repair (I hope you like jigsaw puzzles). Obviously confirm you have working gas. Hook up the regulator and confirm gas flows through. Add the manifold, check the valve operation. Do all the gas checking in short bursts with plenty of ventilation and no smoking or sparks near by.
Check the burners for cleanliness and condition. From there, make your parts wish list and cross your fingers that parts are available.

Here's where I was able to get a pdf schematic (I made a guess on model since that specific one isn't available) -

Viking Parts Diagrams

We will find the Viking Part you need for your Viking Range, Viking Refrigerator, Viking Grill, Viking Stove, Viking Oven, Viking Rangetop, Viking Dishwasher, or Viking Hood. We will help you get the correct Viking Part for your Viking Appliance.
www.allvikingparts.com
Click to expand...


Thanks. This is the kind of advice I was after. Much appreciated!

My friend built the house and this grill was new when he bought the house. Viking has a pretty poor warranty when compared to Weber.

I'll start with having him order the manifold ($150) and bring all my tools up there. Get it all laid out and clean everything. Install the new manifold if the old one looks too far gone. From my very brief glance "under the hood", it appeared that most of the parts where present.

Are the gas valves something that fail and need replacing often?
Think I'll hold off on having him order a bunch of parts until I've had a chance to look it over and asses things.
If the igniters are anything like the newer igniters on the Weber's then I'm sure they are toast, but for now I'm going to just have him use a long stem candle/BBQ lighter to get it going.

I don't think he is die hard set on getting every single bell and whistle working. As long as I can get the main burners up and running I think he will be happy. I'm not going to go all out and stress over halogen lights and low voltage lights going. Had no clue this grill even had that.

Again, I really appreciate your advice and tips. I won't be going up there again until August, but will report back as I get to working on this grill.
 
Why would it need a manifold and valves? First give it a good cleaning, inspect everything, replace only what NEEDS replacing. Willy nilly ordering parts is silly. Odds are with the way those things are built if anything like my Wolf, just lots of cleaning is all that will be needed
 
No, gas valves are pretty basic and durable devices (although I can't speak for Viking). I'd personally have them along just to speed up the troubleshooting process. Worst case is that you'd have to disassemble, clean and re-lube the valve(s).

In Googling that manifold part number I came across discussions about igniter problems. Seems these grills have thermocouples for some burners (to shut gas off if no flame), and igniters that send an electrical signal back to a circuit to tell it to stop sparking (if flame is detected). Hence the complexity issue... Speaking of which, this thing requires AC power, it seems to have some circuitry for lights and ignition.

With a new manifold (if it truly needed to be replaced), and proper gas flow, you should be able to get the basic burners to ignite with just a grill lighter (those extended tube type). After that, you decide what else you want to get to work properly.
 
I did notice there was an electrical outlet built into the under cabinet of his setup. Was thinking that would be for the rotisserie, but would makes sense to power the lights as well.

My buddy said the manifold was rusted and falling apart, at least that's what the repairman told him. So figure at least I'll have that on hand.

Can I just use brake cleaner to clean and lube up all the old parts? Wrap Teflon tape around any threaded pipes before reassembling?
 
I agree on the manifold. I think maybe he was talking about the burners instead of manifold. If that thing is trashed, then I would imagine the rest of the grill is in pretty tough shape.
I suggest you go there and do your own assessment. There could have been some confusion in the information from the repairman to the owner to you.
 
Brief toss in...Most of these high end grills have a lot of complexity, especially when you start talking about electronic light shows, fancy igniters, etc. It all wows when it works... Let some years go by and now you have expensive parts and challenging repairs. I agree with Larry about not jumping in on the parts bandwagon and DavidK about what you are up against. The repairman was certainly building in for his hourly rate, but even with volunteer work this probably won't be a cheap fix. You need to think soberly about how much of the doodads need to be fixed (vs. primary stuff like the burners & valves) and how much it is worth it to get this big grill back up to par.
 
Don't take anything apart unless you experience a problem with it.
If gas valves are not stiff, are able to be transferred to the new manifold without damage, and seem to have good gas flow...
Well, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Taking something apart that doesn't seem to have a problem can get you in deeper trouble (just ask the repair guy that didn't put it back together)

Yes, Teflon tape or pipe dope on all gas fittings that are touched.
 
George would thank his neighbor for teaching him fire building fundamental #1: If you expect fuel to burn you need air!

"The Story of Weber" FROM SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE:

So in 1952, fed up with ruined meals, Stephen set out to make a better grill.

At the time, Weber Brothers Metal Works was filling orders for metal buoys for both the Coast Guard and the Chicago Yacht Club. So Stephen took two of the half spheres for the buoys and created a grill.

“As the story goes,” Kempster says, “he took it home, he fired it up with charcoal, and it didn’t work. The fire went out.” One of his neighbors was watching the spectacle and chimed in saying, “George, you gotta let some air in that thing,” according to Kempster. So the pair grabbed a pick from his tools and punched some holes in the lid. It worked.

“That was research and development in 1952,” Kempster laughs.

:george:
 
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