Weber Genesis 1000 rebuild - smells like gas / not getting hot


 
J

Joe G

New member
Hi everyone -

This past spring I was on the lookout for an old weber to restore with my dad, as I had done one before and he loved. I searched craigslist for weeks without any luck and finally came across and pretty beat up genesis 1000 on the side of the road and threw it in the truck. After tearing it apart, I realized this thing was going to need pretty much everything new, but I figured it was a good project for my dad and I to do together so I wasn't too worried about the money aspect of it.

We ended up putting in new grates, flavorizer bars, burners, regulator, ignition, bottom tray rails and a couple other things I'm forgetting - I've attached pics. I should mention I also took apart the valves and gleaned them thoroughly and reinstalled (they weren't bouncing back up when pushed down and were full of gunk).

My concern is that the grill is not getting nearly as hot as I would have expected. Also, there is a faint smell of propane when it's fire up. The initial burner fires up and then when turning on the middle it doesn't usually light, however the back one does.

When I put the grill together everything went smoothly however the regulator (#62565) and hose connectors didn't want to go into the manifold. That is the recommended replacement part so not sure why that is the case.

Please let me know any thoughts you may have - we put a ton of time into this grill so I'm hoping to get it running properly for him!

Thanks
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A faint propane/gas smell if you're sensitive is normal on start. The gas will be flowing prior to ignition so some aroma depending on ambient conditions may be there. Your description of "not as hot" is a little confusing. How hot is it getting? A normal Genesis will typically bring the thermometer pretty much full circle. Hard to tell from your photos though but that angle fitting looks like it could be cross threaded. Did you use pipe dope on the threads? If not you should.
 
Please do a spray bottle leak test on everything from the tank to the connection on the manifold and you might even want to do the valves. Fill a spray bottle about half full with water, add about a tablespoon of dish soap, shake it up a bit. Turn on the tank with the valves closed. Then spray everything from the tank to include the hose itself. Pay attention particularly to ever joint and connection. If you see bubbles forming, you have a leak.

Does the propane smell go away AFTER you light the grill? If not, please don't run the grill any more until you find the leak.

Like larry said, the connection of the hose to the angle connector should have been sealed with pipe dope rated for LP gas.

Next: Those burners look brand new. If they are, they likely already have metal screens around the venturi openings. If so, dump those black spider guards. Then post another photo of the manifold and connections to the burners.

Next: Can you post of a photo of the burners inside the cook box without the grates and Flavo bars? Maybe there is something going on there we could locate.
 
LMichaels said:
A faint propane/gas smell if you're sensitive is normal on start. The gas will be flowing prior to ignition so some aroma depending on ambient conditions may be there. Your description of "not as hot" is a little confusing. How hot is it getting? A normal Genesis will typically bring the thermometer pretty much full circle. Hard to tell from your photos though but that angle fitting looks like it could be cross threaded. Did you use pipe dope on the threads? If not you should.
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Thanks, LMichaels. It is struggling to reach 450-500 on the weber gauge. My 20-something year old Silver B buries the pin in no time and it excellent for steaks.

That's a great point - I didn't use any pipe dope.
 
Bruce said:
Please do a spray bottle leak test on everything from the tank to the connection on the manifold and you might even want to do the valves. Fill a spray bottle about half full with water, add about a tablespoon of dish soap, shake it up a bit. Turn on the tank with the valves closed. Then spray everything from the tank to include the hose itself. Pay attention particularly to ever joint and connection. If you see bubbles forming, you have a leak.

Does the propane smell go away AFTER you light the grill? If not, please don't run the grill any more until you find the leak.

Like larry said, the connection of the hose to the angle connector should have been sealed with pipe dope rated for LP gas.

Next: Those burners look brand new. If they are, they likely already have metal screens around the venturi openings. If so, dump those black spider guards. Then post another photo of the manifold and connections to the burners.

Next: Can you post of a photo of the burners inside the cook box without the grates and Flavo bars? Maybe there is something going on there we could locate.
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Thanks, Bruce. I plan to head over there this week at some point to try out some of those tests you point out. I'll also be sure to take an extra few pictures of the things you mention.
 
Joe G said:
Thanks, LMichaels. It is struggling to reach 450-500 on the weber gauge. My 20-something year old Silver B buries the pin in no time and it excellent for steaks.

That's a great point - I didn't use any pipe dope.
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Keep in mind the shallow box grills heat up faster and run hotter overall than the deep box grills. Nature of the beasts. Yes definitely get some PTFE thread sealant on all the NPT threads
 
You used pipe dope (sealant) on the threaded connections, right?
Can't really spot it in your pics. Definitely do the leak test with soapy water.
 
Not saying this is your situation, I used to always trust only looking at my thermometer. A friend of mine had similar issues a few years ago, he replaced tank, hose, regulator, burners and it was still not running hot. Ended being a bad Weber thermometer. We laughed over this one for awhile, at least it was somewhat rebuilt.
 
MikeLee said:
Not saying this is your situation, I used to always trust only looking at my thermometer. A friend of mine had similar issues a few years ago, he replaced tank, hose, regulator, burners and it was still not running hot. Ended being a bad Weber thermometer. We laughed over this one for awhile, at least it was somewhat rebuilt.
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Had the same issue with the thermometer. I was wondering why my 1000 was only getting to 500 degrees. I picked up a donor grill and tried the new thermometer, and magically heats up to 600+. The needle was off by 100 degrees or so. :p
 
Yah, never trust these 15 year old thermometers. Even new they still are only good for estimating the grate level heat and probably the best use for them is just being able to tell if the temps are going up or down on the inside.
 
Thanks everyone for the feedback. I'm heading to my parents tonight to do a leak test, take some more pics and apply the pipe sealant.

I assume the needle was off so the last time I was there I let it heat up for at least 10 minutes and it still was searing the food like I expected.

Will post pics and provide an update tomorrow. Thanks again.
 
Based on a few questions, I’ve taken some additional pictures. I think I may have found the culprit; a large crack where the regulator attaches to the manifold. Someone please tell me this part is replaceable without buying a new manifold.

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That's what happens when someone who does not know what they're doing tries to do something. Those are NPT fittings. Meaning they're tapered. So looks like someone may have replaced the regulator but used no pipe dope or at least teflon tape and had a leak. So tightened it trying to stop it. Voila you have a ruined fitting
 
Yes, LMichaels, I suppose you're right. I'm not an expert Weber gas grill restorer. I was simply trying to do a fun project with my dad and when I ordered the regulator I assumed I could just screw the part on. I should have done more research to understand that I needed to use pipe dope. Thank you for your insights though, I appreciate it. Hopefully I can replace that fitting and have my dad back in business.
 
Joe G said:
Yes, LMichaels, I suppose you're right. I'm not an expert Weber gas grill restorer. I was simply trying to do a fun project with my dad and when I ordered the regulator I assumed I could just screw the part on. I should have done more research to understand that I needed to use pipe dope. Thank you for your insights though, I appreciate it. Hopefully I can replace that fitting and have my dad back in business.
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I thought it was one you bought this way. Yes brass is not very forgiving. It will split before you can say "oh spit". Pipe dope made for gas fittings under 1/2" NPT either tape or dope above that. Nothing on flare fittings. I don't have a ready photo of a flare fitting but maybe someone can post one for me to illustrate
 
So on the side with the tapered bottom the hose goes on no compound and no tape. On the side with NPT fitting use PTFE compound made for gas exposure
 
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