A "groaning" noise is a new one on me. I'm just guessing here, but was it running on gas? Or, had been running on gas? Perhaps the gas was shut off quickly and what you heard was the flu cooling off? Do you smell gas? Why not plug it into home AC power and let it run overnight and see what happens?

Thanks to your dad you'll have a lot of fun and great memories.

If the unit gets cool, but not as cold as you'd like, that's actually good news! Unless you notice bad-smelling liquid on the floor under the refer, this means the unit itself is still sealed and sound, but there are a few things preventing it from working 100%. First, run it for a day or two on AC house power only. Does it get colder? If yes, then something is preventing/interfering with the propane heating/cooling cycle. (Forget about the 12 volt option since it only operates when the engine is on.) Perhaps something is blocking the heat exhaust vents inside the van which are located both behind and to the upper left side of the unit? Make sure nothing is blocking the vents, (i.e., the bottoms of curtains, etc.). Place your hand over these vents when you can hear the exhaust fan motor cycles on and is running. Can you feel heat being exhausted? If the flow of heat is slight, or the same as the van's interior, something's not right. The unit uses a small motor with a propeller attached to it to move the heat away from the unit and sometimes it just breaks, or becomes loose on the small motor's shaft. It looks just like the propellers used in the old fashioned, rubber band-powered balsa wood toy airplanes. The Dometic 182 uses a thermo-couple to turn that motor on and off. So, that may also be the problem. Can you hear your refer cycle on and off? Sometimes 40-50 years of dirt and dust have covered the ammonia-filled refrigerant tubes on the back side and make heat transfer difficult. When the unit's running on propane, place your hand on the exterior exhaust port outside the van. It should be very warm to the touch. There are a lot of things to check, but that's the short version.

Nothing worse than biting into a frozen tomatoe.

Yes, they changed the words and graphics on the control panel every year, but the insides remained pretty much the same same until the last few years when they added electric start and automatic re-light of the pilot flame when it blew out. Can you send me a photo of the control panel of your unit?

Great! Made my day.

Not easy to keep them running. Mine's always garaged but the rust keeps coming.

Have a nephew who lives in awesome Vancouver and I've visited many times from down south. He has a nice bay window. Drove my "Trudy" to Alaska a few years ago and it didn't break down even once! A miracle! I realize that's hard to believe, but true.

Thank YOU!

You wrote that you can SEE the flame popping in the sight glass. Can you HEAR the "Popping?" If so, do the pops seem to pop on through the exhaust to outside the van, rather than remain confined to the combustion box? Does it sometimes pop enough to sound like a very small backfire? Do you get a pop at the exact same time you press the igniter when the gas has been on? If so, the answer is not enough oxygen. If this is what's happening to you, stick the small plastic cone-shaped nozzle tip of one of those 12 volt cigarette lighter tire inflators into the small combustion chamber drain tube which protrudes at the bottom, left of the unit. Turn on the gas for five or six seconds. Then, turn on the tire inflator and press the igniter button. Keep pressing the igniter until it stays lit and stops popping. See if that works. After it stays lit without popping for say, ten seconds, turn the tire inflator pump off. If it stays lit without popping for about ten seconds but the flame slowly goes out, you might have too much oxygen. Until you can rebuild the hand operated air pump so it can supply enough air for combustion, the tire inflator trick works just as good. Great to hear that it works okay on 12 volts. Just remember it can run down a set of batteries in hours. Use 12 volts for when you're going down the road and you know the engine's generator is keeping your battery charged. They are great little refrigerators once you figure them out.

That's true, it isn't. Just avoid opening the refrigerator's door - for 5-20 minutes you'll be fine.

Thanks!

No more than other cars

Send me a good picture of your refer's controls and I'll tell you which does what.

@@JohnThomas-ou2rn I figured out it's model 182B! Thanks for replying.

When operating on propane the pilot light always remains on. And yes, the last year or two of the Westy full campers had electronic ignition. When the pilot light gets blown out, (assuming you're not out of gas) the electronic ignition automatically relights the pilot. Not so with the vast majority of campers out there. Although I've never done this, there is a website on the net which shows you how to make this upgrade to electronic ignition using a common RV module. When lit, the actual flame itself is always the same size. When it's hot outside the fridge cycles more often, less so when it's cold. There is no pilot to light when the fridge operates on AC or 12 volts.

You are correct John, that the fridge opening on the outside of the van will allow air to flow with very little resistance into the small combustion chamber located at the rear, bottom, left of the unit where you can't see it. As the van speeds down the highway, a low pressure is actually created in the system. If the small pipe at the bottom left of the unit is not plugged up with the small screw, too much air is sucked in which will quickly extinguish the tiny pilot flame. The unit will automatically shut down the propane gas for safety reasons. Supposedly, the small pipe was added to the fridge so you could remove water that seeped in during a downpour or car wash. Otherwise, this drain pipe should always be stoppered. There should be a smallish gasket on the screw to completely seal the system. If not, add a homemade one. Like an old fashion bicycle tire air pump you should feel some resistance when pumping the air with the plunger. If you don't feel ANY resistance and you don't want to remove the fridge and rebuild the hand pump, (somewhat difficult) I have an easy solution. Assuming everything else is OK, this always works. REALLY! Buy one of those 12 volt Chinese air pumps ($15-$20) that you plug into a cigarette lighter. It should come with an assortment of tips. (Every Westy owner should carry one) Attach the plastic cone-shaped one you'd normally use to fill an air mattress. Unscrew the stopper from the drain at the bottom left and just stick the cone in to the opening. (It will usually remain there without you holding it even when it's running.) Make sure the fridge is set to GAS and the temperature is set on HIGH. Hold the safety button down with your thumb so gas enters the system and plug the inflator/air pump in the cigarette lighter receptacle. Wait a few seconds for propane to enter the combustion chamber and press the igniter so the piezo sparks the propane/air mixture and lights the pilot flame. You may have to press the igniter a few times. Watch the temp meter or red, green and yellow lights which indicate successful ignition. Now, as the temp begins to rise remove the air pump so you don't put too much air in the system and blow the flame out. From my experience with several different units in different Westy's at various campgrounds, THIS ALWAYS WORKS! Monitor the lights or meter for a minute in case there's a drop in temp which indicates no flame. In this case try another spark or two before using the air pump again. Remember to screw in the stopper. It's always got to be plugged when the van's moving. If you have no problem initiating combustion, but the flame eventually goes out, the gas pilot safety switch may be at fault and should be replaced. Not a good idea to try and fix these - just replace them.

@@JohnThomas-ou2rn Thanks John. Will definitely get the suggested air pump. I have the fridge out and have ordered the air pump upgrade kit and new fan and will install and give it all a test. Hope it fires right up. Have tested the fridge on 120V and it works great. Any suggestions? Will let you know how it turns out.

Thanks!

If you SMELL gas, something's wrong. (Safety Issue) There's a leak somewhere and you must track it down before using the gas option again. Warm vents are a good sign which indicates there is ignition and some heat being produced, but not a good sign if you still smell gas. If the unit works good on electric and 12v and you hear the fan turn on an off, then the thermocouple is working correctly and a gas leak should be #1 on your repair list. If the unit's been out of the van before, closely check the fridge gas connections at the rear of the unit. It's easy for the small, fragile copper gas tube to be pinched or leak from a bad connection. Best to do this outside with all the doors and windows open. I have big hands and it's hard to get them up into that small space! Turn the gas on at the outside tank and spray the copper tube and the connection with soapy water to reveal any leaks. Don't turn the ignition on while doing this test. Now, you can also remove the unit, put it on the bench and with the right combination of brass couplings, run it from a barbeque grill can of propane to isolate the problem. Is the seal between the two halves of the ignition box leaking? Is the exhaust fan in the correct position to blow over the coils? Check ALL the gas connections for small leaks and tighten them up, (there are several). Also check to make sure the gas valve at the front of the unit is working properly by controlling the gas flow and not leaking as well. If so, these parts are not hard to replace. Shouldn't have to pump 50 times. This means that the hand-operated air pump seal is leaking and not pushing enough air down the tube into the ignition box below.

@@JohnThomas-ou2rn took the unit out... cleaned everything - turns out the fan had been replaced by previous owner - and it is now working just fine and starts with one to 3 pump action... Your advice to get the fridge Cold by plugging it the night before hitting the road is proving to be a game changer... but for an unknown reason, I persist at wanting to lit it whenever and where ever i want... with mitigated success (when it is humid/rainy it will refuse to cooperate...). Also, would you have advice to modify the exhaust of the fridge so it does not turn off when driving with propane on... i suspect that when passing (or being passed by, which happens more often...) by big vans air draft is being pushed into the exhaust and it kills the flame.

@@jean-francoisbernier5250 he laid this problem out in his most recent video, you should check it out

Thank You!

Thanks!

Hope it helps! Here's another video you might find interesting: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-P62ckPoGfKg.html Don't give up hope! You CAN get it to work...and they do work GREAT. Hang in there.

The only thing I can think of which would make any kind of noise in the back is the cooling fan. This little 1975 era motor and fan uses a propeller identical to the ones I used on wind up rubber band airplanes many years go. I'm amazed these cheap fans have lasted as long as they have. If you can replace it with a 12 volt computer fan. No more noise AT ALL, and the unit works MUCH better. Unfortunately, it is a general pain in the rear to remove the unit. But, make the modifications and you'll never have to do it again. I know that many, many people have replaced the Dometic unit with a modern 12 volt refer like the kind used in the big rigs. But will it run for three weeks in the middle of nowhere? Even with solar panels, will they get enough juice to operate the unit and everything else? Plus, where's all the fun in that? Suffering with the Dometic unit is part of the undocumented fun (?) of owning a Westy. Except for the hand-operated air pump, there's no "pump" to speak of with this unit since it uses ammonia as the coolant liquid. No compression as with current fridges, etc. Not sure what you call these thinks, but the fan blows cool air across the many cooling fins or heat sinks which surround the tubes full of ammonia at the rear of the unit. Think of it this way: the propane flame, or heat created by DC or AC is blown away by the fan...over and over again. Each time it removes a little bit of the warm air inside the refer. Keep doing this enough and the inside starts to get cold. When the unit is working at 100% it can actually make a small tray of ice cubes - enough for one regular sized Bacardi and coke.

Sorry about the long wait to answer you. My best guess is that the bearing in the unit's cooling fan is shot. It will squeal as the fan turns on and off with each cooling cycle. In any case, you'll need to pull the unit out and get the unit running on your bench to be sure. (operate using the 110ac or 12volt settings) No matter what, tossing out the old, 1970's cooling fan and replacing it with a new 21st century computer cooling fan is one of the best things you can do. Much quieter and those things last forever.

I have a new Vanagon/Dometic video on RU-vid at ww.ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-P62ckPoGfKg.html

Sounds like the fan is not feeling too well. Not much else can make that noise. Won't know until you pull the unit out of the van.

Thank you for the compliment.

I assume you're talking about the plates which are mounted outside the van and are covered by the polished aluminum flu/vent we see from the outside. All of them need to be installed. There is one aluminum plate which is screwed directly into the end of the flexible flu pipe which snakes upward from the combustion box at the bottom of the fridge unit. Then, there are two more pieces: one chrome-plated steel piece and another aluminum piece. There are no "spacers," however there is a notch at the end of the intake/exhaust pipe which sets one of the plates correctly into position. The outside, polished aluminum flu/vent cover fixes the position of the plates. The sizes of the offset holes in these two plates are such that you can only correctly assemble them one way. The polished aluminum flu/vent sort of press-fits and packages them all together. You need ALL the plates so the pilot flame won't be blown out by the wind as you drive down the highway. Take a few minutes to look at the plates and notice how the holes in these plates are slightly offset. You'll may also notice that there's ONLY one way these actually oval-shaped plates can be reassembled. NOTE: When pushing the fridge unit back into its position in the van it's ABSOLUTELY necessary to have someone else standing on the outside of the van using a screw driver or other pointer stick to jockey the exhaust stack into position at the opening. I have an extra set of these plates. Free. Just pay the postage. I'm sure there's some available on TheSamba too.

There are no special "spacers." The size of the hole and outer diameter of the various plates set the distances for you. That said, you can still screw up the order of the plates and discover that the pilot flame will blow out too easily.

Sorry for the late reply - No excuses I screwed up. Of course, anytime you smell gas you need to take action asap. Your post seems to indicate that you only smell gas when the fridge is running so you can probably eliminate the stove as the source of the leak. You also write that you smell the gas inside the van and not outside. These pesky leaks are usually solved just by tightening up the offending connection. It's not hard to track down the leak if you mix some liquid dish soap with water in a spray bottle. Open the main gas valve at the exterior propane tank and squirt behind the valve and see if bubbles appear there. If necessary, lightly tighten the nut behind the handle until the leak stops. Also spray the other nut which attaches the copper gas line that leads inside the van. If these are okay, start looking inside the van. Be safe, open all the windows and the sliding door and do your leak detecting outside where there's plenty of fresh air. There is a typical leak source at the connection deep behind the fridge inside the van. This is the copper line which leads directly from the external tank to the fridge unit itself. It's way behind the unit, near the top and can be reached by first removing the the under-sink drawer and shelf from the right side to gain access. It's a very tight fit and you may need a flashlight. Squirt some soap solution at the connection. If you see bubbles, that's the leak source. It may seem impossible, but be patient, you can get a wrench or two in there and tighten the connection if needed. If that doesn't solve the problem, all the other connections are actually on the fridge itself and you'll have disconnect and remove the fridge from the van. If so, test the connections at the on/off gas valve at the top of the unit, the pilot light safety button to the left, temperature valve and where the gas lines enter the combustion box at the bottom, rear of the unit. Just follow the copper tube from one point to the next, connection to connection. (Be careful when disconnecting the gas line! There's a looping U-turn in the copper line - you'll see it - which can be easily pinched like a soda straw cutting off the gas supply, eventually leak and cause all sorts of problems.) Yes, pulling the unit is a nasty job, but while it's out you can clean the unit, make improvements, (new fan) and repair the oxygen pump. There's plenty of info online about this process. I'm working on an oxygen pump repair video now. Can't see the the pilot light in the sight glass? Neither can I! If the unit's cooling with propane, the pilot light IS lit.

Not sure, but you may have gas going to the combustion chamber AND a leak somewhere. This can happen after the unit has been removed from the van and the small copper gas lines have not been tightened enough, or, even worse, a line was bent too far and pinched open. Turn the gas on outside and use a bottle of soapy water to spritz all of the gas connections until you spot the one making bubbles. You can access the small gas lines behind the fridge by removing the shelves below the sink. Slide under the sink, use a flashlight and look upwards behind the fridge unit. It's tight, but you can reach up into that area. Carefully tighten the offending joint and the gas smell should go away. DO NOT use the refer until the gas smell is completely gone!

If there's a leak, you've got to fix it. Too dangerous otherwise. If it lights and cools for a while, but then you smell gas, it's possible the safety valve, (at the other end of the button you hold in while lighting the unit) is not working. This safety valve automatically senses when the flame has gone out and shuts the gas off...mainly so you don't explode or burn up and die! Squirt all the gas connections with soapy water to make sure they're not leaking. That safety valve only protects you from a flame going out in the tiny combustion chamber at the back of the unit where you can't see it. It won't protect you from a leak elsewhere in the system. If you smell gas, there's a leak somewhere - no question.

Eh, you'll probably never see the pilot light. I never have. So, obviously you've got a small leak on the inside of the van which needs to be fixed. (Also, don't forget that the smell may be coming through the windows from the outside.) It would be helpful for you to determine if the gas leak is in the refrigerator supply, or for the stove. It may be with both too. So, go step-by-step. But, this is something too dangerous to put off. Do it now. Pull out all the drawers below the sink and get your head up inside where all the copper gas tubes are. With the fridge on, use a spray bottle full of a mix of dish soap and water and squirt all the connections. One of them is bound to be loose and showing bubbles at the connection. Some of those connections, especially at the far back side, are hard to reach if you've got big hands like me! It will take two, smallish-sized wrenches to tighten the fittings. Be careful, take your time and be easy with those old, tiny copper gas lines which will snap or bend in two if you're not careful.