Lynx is in the cage


 
Thanks Chris. Yah, the factory burners are very pricey, but don't know what could cause a need to replace them. I'm pretty sure that up until a few years ago, they were all heavy cast brass. Mine were a bit coated inside with carbon and such, but just tapping them lightly with a hammer broke most of it free and the remnants washed out by just flushing several times with a hose. Not much was required to clear a few orifices that had some built-up in 'em. We've using it weekly at work now for about six months and haven't seen any burner problems. The only real issue has been keeping the ceramic briquets clean. (They actually are kind of a pain.)

That being said, the Lynx I got came from our very non-corrosive environment here in Cali (unless we're talking politics, of course:(). In fact, it spent almost it's first 20 years in the desert just outside of Palm Springs, so can't speak to what would occur in more humid areas like GA. From the little I understand, the biggest issue with Lynx was a few particular year models that had electronics and ignitor problems but, evidently, those have since been rectified with an upgraded system (though it's probably not a cheap replacement).

Also, please understand, I'm not at all a Lynx "fan boy" or suggesting that anyone "needs" a Lynx, Wolf, FireMagic, AMG, Delta Heat or whatever. I'm was/am very satisfied with my Weber Kettle, Genesis 2000, S-330 and (current) Summit and they certainly can crank out just as good BBQ as those types mentioned (let's face it - they're all just ovens for the most part anyway), but do believe, as Larry might also agree, if you can get into one the higher-end cookers for at, or near, the same $$ and within your budget (especially if it has an IR back-burner), it's certainly worth considering - and even more so if you have the where-with-all to fix up a bargain-priced unit yourself.

One little hint if you're looking to upgrade though, is that Lynx made BBQs for the Kitchenaid brand for a few years. (Maybe 10-15 years ago?) I saw one come up on CL late last year for $50 and almost bought it, but it was too far away. I believe they also built for Viking for quite a while up 'till a few years ago, so you might want to keep an eye out for those two brands coming up on CL. Kitchenaid in particular has historically been (and currently is) considered one of the "cheapie" brands, so someone might not know what they've got. Though Lynx does not technically support either of those brands, the parts should be interchangeable and are pretty easy to identify using Lynx's schematics.
 
Victor,

Thank you for your knowledgeable feedback on my "caged" Lynx. Sorry for slow reply due to my tax season. For now, the cat will have to stay in the cage on my deck until April 16 rolls around.

I did go ahead and order some parts so that I could get something going when tax season ends. I agree that a third regular burner would have been an option, but as you noted the price for one of those was pretty much what a new sear burner cost. In fact, when you factor in needing the whole tray/briquette assembly, a sear burner was a much cheaper alternative! The original sear burner still lights, but it does look really rough. Not sure a new mesh cover (not that cheap, anyway) would even stay on. I finally decided that this was important enough for the appeal of this grill to go for a brand-new sear burner. I looked over the cast brass original regular burners and came to the same conclusion you described. Some good clean-up, maybe free up a few burner holes and they should be good for a long time more. Man, they are HEAVY!

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The bad news I mentioned earlier was that there was absolutely NOTHING left of the trays, clips, and briquettes that cover these two burners. (You might remember prior owner made a chicken wire mesh laid over rusty steel pipes as a stop-gap replacement!)

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I checked out a number of options, but if you need all those parts it came back that ordering the whole complete OEM set (a regular and a "narrow" for the middle burner) seemed the best way to go. There are cheaper off-brand suppliers for just the tray and you can, of course buy various brand briquettes by the box full. But you wind up buying two boxes and having to figure out what to do about the clips, and - well - I am not sure I really spent any more going OEM which hopefully will at least be another selling point to a knowledgeable buyer.

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I hear what you are saying about me not wanting to part with this grill, but I really HAVE to make some money at this. It is also a VERY BIG grill and with all my "collectible" grills, projects, etc. there is just not room for any more permanent additions. I do very much want to try this thing out, though. My plan is to use the old sear burner and do my own jerry-rigged temporary solution for covering one regular burner using old briquettes I have access to. I know this won't be the same as it will cook with all new components, but I am hoping I can make this grill look as close to new as possible. Bright clean burners & briquettes will be essential. Hopefully I can at least get a little of the Lynx experience and do a few grills before doing the total restoration. I will post some pictures if I do half-way decent;).

I bought some new knobs & bezels (old ones looked very bad and bezels were all rusted out):

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The new knobs look like what comes on this grill today and are made of stainless.

I will be looking for a solution for replacing the drawer handles. They remind me of pot metal parts from really old cars. I hope that they are a standard size and that I can locate reasonably priced stainless handles from Lowes or somewhere like that to replace these and avoid paying for "Lynx" handles:

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The rest of the grill is all 304 stainless and really not even all that dirty. No rust of course. It will still take some serious work to get it almost totally clean, but I am optimistic.

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The big unknown at this point is the electronics. I did not spring for a replacement set for the the igniters. As you mention, the new ones are supposed to work a lot better. I am doubtful that the 13 year-old originals are still functioning. This would be another costly replacement, though, so I want to be sure I can't get the originals working. I like that they are powered by plug-in A/C electric instead of batteries that always corrode and fail.

One last coup is that the rotisserie motor is unused in the box and the spit and forks look unused as well. This is the high-end Lynx 3-speed motor that alone goes for over $200 as a replacement:confused:! I am hoping this will be another big positive selling point.

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Can't wait to see the finished project Jon. That certainly looks intriguing though as you may know I still am not a fan of IR burners under the grates. I think they're kinda gimmicky and limit the overall usefulness of the grill. But there are some who IMO "fall" for the "idea" of blazing hot IR burners. I just don't see the appeal as it's like trying to light up a room with a laser pointer.
 
Larry,

I think what you say makes a lot of sense. Since this is not for me but for resale, I aiming to convince prospective buyers they are getting something just about as good as a new $5k to $7K Lynx for a lot less money. Since it would actually cost more to do a third brass burner I figured it would be best to make it look as much like a new one as possible. The newest Lynxes have what they call their "Trident" infrared burner. Looks like it is stronger built, maybe more grease resistant. It was a lot more money, though, and I wasn't confident it would fit. So I went with the OEM original for this model.

I think the TEC grill with its special high heat glass shield between the infrared burner(s) and the grates is probably a better setup if you are going to have infrared underneath. Almost nothing gets to the burner, and the glass maybe helps spread the heat a little. The infrared burner on the used one that I bought still looked almost brand new. As you can see the one on this Lynx is pretty bad.
 
Jon seeing that grill makes you realize how incredibly durable 300 / non magnetic stainless really is.
 
A three speed rotisserie, wow! And I've been feeling all fancy using my one speed rotisserie. I guess the Lynx is just better! Why would you use different speeds on a rotisserie?
 
Yah, I dont really see the need for multi-speed rotos unless maybe you are spinning the meat close to high heat, then maybe a quicker roto speed would work best, otherwise, I think my one speed Weber roto would work great for anything I need it for.

However, if that Lynx Roto could be used on a Genesis, I would love to have it.
 
I think that when you get in this price category the manufacturers have to go all out to set themselves apart from the “ordinary.” It is noteworthy that Lynx has a “lower-end” model called the Sedona. The rotisserie motor on it is single speed. Still not having personal experience with spinning on the grill - a post-tax season goal for sure - I can only say that I doubt it really makes a whole lot of difference. Maybe Larry can comment. If not, we can ask Lew;)!

I hope I am doing the right thing trying to restore this beast. It occurs to me - too late now - that this could be a case where the parts are worth more than the whole. It might have been as profitable or more to thoroughly clean the thick stainless grates and cast brass burners, then sell them and the essentially new rotisserie while just scrapping the rest of the grill.

Well, the die is cast and most parts are in hand, so I am going for it. Wish me luck; it won’t be a good thing here at home if no well-healed buyers materialize and I lose money on this one:eek::(.
 
Good luck, though I still think once it's done if you actually tried it out you might get hooked and end up keeping it. I am a firm believer that all grilling enthusiasts should have a truly high end product in their lives at some time. Whether they have to bring it back like the Phoenix or REALLY splurge and spend some of the retirement $$$ on one.
 
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