Starter scenario possible fix.....this might help someone.....maybe


 
J

JimV

TVWBB All-Star
Hello all...... Well starters have always been a pain in my rear end. Especially starters for the Genesis 300 series front control. I have gone to battle many times with those cheap buggers and I have lost more than I have won :( . I rarely get a win......I was once helped by you guys regarding bending the spark pin farther away vs closer and got a win or two out of that great tip. I restore mainly Genesis 300 series thats my go to. Anyway sometimes I will get a weak alternating spark like on a 330 it will spark from one burner to the next but not all at the same time....or just random and weak. I check and replace wires...buttons.....connectors.....I chase my *** until I give up basically. Well today while reassembling a 330 I get to the starter portion of the program and sure enough....weak alternating random spark. I tried 3 starters that I had laying around and all the same issue......then as I held the starter box in my hand with a rubber glove and was pushing the button I noticed it sparking within the box itself....and yet I was still getting popped too. Then I looked at the spark in the cook box again and noticed burner #1 wasnt getting any spark. So then I grabbed a spare tube with a different wire on it and laid it in the box and connected it....whamo it was fixed! Then I check burner #1 that was still in place to notice that the portion of the burner tube that you slide the porcelain igniter into was flopping around. Upon a closer look that rail on the burner tube is held in place by two spot welds and one of them on my tube had broken. Please correct me if I am wrong but I believe this left an " open " ground and thus was causing my spark issue. Once I replaced with a good burner tube it worked perfectly.
 

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So I have a 330 that I’ll be working on in the near future. I noticed that even with a new battery the starters are very weak and/or hit and miss.

I just assumed I would find a loose connection or something when I opened it up but this will give me something to investigate once I get in there and see what’s going on.

Based on your description, I don’t quite understand what the root cause and fix is, but it should make more sense once I open mine up to investigate.

But in general, are we saying something needs to be welded to repair it? Or are there other non weld methods?

Or would purchasing an all-new igniter kit fix it as a last resort?
 
I picked up another 330 today. Most times when the ignition switch doesn't work or doesn't work very good it's just corrosion between the battery and metal inside. Scrap the metal connection with a screw driver and good to go usually for me.
 
Thanks Bruce.....ALl I know is that when I swapped to a different burner tube....with a different wire as well.....it worked. I am selling it tomorrow morning so I dont want to take it apart again. But I still have the broken tube....so I can test the theory with the next grill. Thanks Josh......the problem I am talking about is not the typical corrosion issue that we often see....I certainly know to check for that.
 
Hey Steve.......well.....the starter usually works pretty darn good but when you get a 10 year old grill you have old wires...old tubes.....and an old electric box that runs on a battery. The originals were pretty stout....the current replacements from Amazon are really bad right now.
 
John from NY........there are so many variables to check.....start with a new battery for one. Then check for any mouse chews. Check for green corrosion in the battery button and the inside of the little box. Put your head in the box with no grates and no bars installed and watch the sparks. Note if the thick spark wire inside the porcelain is too close to the burner you can bend them up a tad to get a hotter spark. With my situation I believe it was one of the welds on my burner tube that holds the starter rail in place was broken. I will need to run a test to double confirm this theory. We can use your grill to confirm it......
 
Well there was only one wire replaced and I still have it so I can double check both scenarios. I will let you guys know......next grill up is a sidewinder so it will have to wait till I get another front control unit
 
JimV said:
Well there was only one wire replaced and I still have it so I can double check both scenarios. I will let you guys know......next grill up is a sidewinder so it will have to wait till I get another front control unit
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I have a couple 330s on hand right now if you want me to try anything for you just let me know
 
Sure....So start with a working starter and 4 wires....then with one of your bad tubes that you have laying around ....pop one end of the starter rail lose from its spot weld leaving the back end still attached. Install that tube and plug it in to the same starter and see if it still works. And just to be clear about what rail I am talking about.....its the rail on the burner tube that you slide the starter into. There is a spotweld on the front and on the back.... I can send pics tomorrow if that will help.
 
Absolutely! I'm pretty sure I understand everything you're saying. I can definitely give it a shot tomorrow sometime. I just have to go to the airport around noon to pick up my daughter.
 
Bruce said:
For your sidewinder if you need one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08KRQM5LG/?tag=tvwb-20
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Nice! Thanks Bruce! Now if you can find me some for the front control that is built like they used to build them. The difference now is that the old ones as you looked into the battery hole it had a solid silver dot for the male end of the battery to connect to and the negative faced out. Well now the starter have a real light duty spring at the base of that hole....it will corrode quickly. Maybe some dielectric grease will help.
 
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