Let's Talk BBQ
Outdoor Cooking Equipment => Grills & Smokers => Charcoal Grills => Topic started by: drbiggles on March 13, 2013, 07:26:37 PM
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Happy Wednesday Everyone!
Some of you may have caught the post I did somewhere here saying goodbye to my old grill. She's long gone now and have been using some of my other grills. They work "okay", but am missing the awesomeness of Old Grilly.
Since I'm "retired", I got to spend the morning with a friend while she waited for the new grill she purchased locally, that I suggested she buy, to be delivered. I found a floor model Char-Broil 900x (or something like that) for 249 bux, no tax this last weekend. This new grill was a replacement for her old grill, something I was preparing to haul off to the recyclers.
I tossed it in to my truck, drug it home and proceeded to see what the deal was. I'm not a weber fan, just not my trip. But this rig looked to have a lot more life left in her. And as you guys have probably guessed, the auto-clean ashy thingy has rusted solid. Other than that, she looks just fine.
I did a quick search here and Google, wasn't really all that much help. All I could glean from 1.6 minutes of "research" was to use a Dremel tool and cut "something" off or out. Then buy 15 dollar new pieces and replace.
I have a hammer, WD 40 and a really cool propane torch. No Dremel. As I type this, I can see I probably need to get that center bolt nut thing out. Hmmm ...
In any case, it's nice to have a worthwhile project to keep my squirrelly behind in check.
xo, Biggles
(http://www.cyberbilly.com/chicken/Weber001.jpg)
(http://www.cyberbilly.com/chicken/Weber002.jpg)
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I just hate recommending another forum but in the spirit of BBQ, I will. Give http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/ a try. They got guys on there that can take Webers apart in their sleep and put em back together. Lots of restorations go on and they post about it all the time.
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Damn -
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KEWL (http://i50.tinypic.com/20ztyfl.gif)
if you don't like it, just fix it and sell it on Craigslist
and put that money towards an OldSmokey ;)
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KEWL (http://i50.tinypic.com/20ztyfl.gif)
if you don't like it, just fix it and sell it on Craigslist
and put that money towards and OldSmokey ;)
Exactly. And, may try the other web site tomorrow. My hankerin' for using the propane torch without any guidance is pulling me pretty strong.
xo, Biggles
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spray it with the WD-40 and let it soak in
then warm it up with the propane torch
the nut should break free
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the weber kettle forum also. http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/index.php
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Had the same grill before i bougth my latest performer. Fix it if you can!
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Get some PB Blaster on that. Works much better than WD-40. Let it soak and then it will loosen up. I have used that stuff at work on fittings that WD and liquid wrench could not break loose.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Blaster-Penetrating-Catalyst-12oz/16816083
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Get some PB Blaster on that. Works much better than WD-40. Let it soak and then it will loosen up. I have used that stuff at work on fittings that WD and liquid wrench could not break loose.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Blaster-Penetrating-Catalyst-12oz/16816083
Never heard or seen this stuff. Must be like that TendaRub (patent pending). Gets the job done quicker ;) ;D 8)
Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk
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Get some PB Blaster on that. Works much better than WD-40. Let it soak and then it will loosen up. I have used that stuff at work on fittings that WD and liquid wrench could not break loose.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Blaster-Penetrating-Catalyst-12oz/16816083
Never heard or seen this stuff. Must be like that TendaRub (patent pending). Gets the job done quicker ;) ;D 8)
Really works. No patent pending ;)
Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk
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Get some PB Blaster on that. Works much better than WD-40. Let it soak and then it will loosen up. I have used that stuff at work on fittings that WD and liquid wrench could not break loose.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Blaster-Penetrating-Catalyst-12oz/16816083
Never heard or seen this stuff. Must be like that TendaRub (patent pending). Gets the job done quicker ;) ;D 8)
Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk
I highly suggest that you do not use it on ribs! ;)
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I have a buddy who is a shade tree mechanic, and he buys PB Blaster by the case. Swears by it.
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Heck yeah man, you snagged a great grill. I wouldn't hesitate to fix it up and get it back to working shape. That's not exactly a cheap grill.
That assembly is called the one-touch cleaning system/vent. When mine was rusted like that I used a small hack saws to cut the bolt just above the nut.
If you have an Ace Hardware close by, they usually carry the replacement parts for Weber grills.
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Try Amazon for parts or just give Weber a call.............
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Heck yeah man, you snagged a great grill. I wouldn't hesitate to fix it up and get it back to working shape. That's not exactly a cheap grill.
That assembly is called the one-touch cleaning system/vent. When mine was rusted like that I used a small hack saws to cut the bolt just above the nut.
If you have an Ace Hardware close by, they usually carry the replacement parts for Weber grills.
Thank you everyone! I can't afford to buy fancy ingredients to get my grill to pieces. Whatever I do, has to be for free.
So, knowing to hack it to pieces just above the nuts heps a lot. I live within walking distance of 2 major stores that carry the replacement parts for the grill, so I should be able to get that today without issue. But I won't be walking, that's hard.
I'll be out there working on it in an hour, should be exciting!
xo, Biggles
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http://www.walmart.com/ip/Blaster-Penetrating-Catalyst-12oz/16816083
[/quote]
Never heard or seen this stuff. Must be like that TendaRub (patent pending). Gets the job done quicker ;) ;D 8)
Don't make me come over there!!!!!!
Just sayin'....
;)
Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk
[/quote]
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Hmm, well. I made "progress". As expected the WD 40 did nothing. I'm not convinced having the bolt loose would be of any benefit. I found a cheap, battery powered vibrating multi-tool in my barn and used that to remove the aluminum fans and get the rusty bolt down to a nubbin. But considering where the nut is, hidden in the ash tray cover or in the concave bottom of the grill, using a hack-saw isn't possible.
I can see now why google mentions the Dremel.
Before I ruin it, am going to spend some time and see if I can find a Dremel or something similar. I'm on it!
xo, Biggles
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I am going to let all of this go and save it for the Turtle. ;D
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Get some PB Blaster on that. Works much better than WD-40. Let it soak and then it will loosen up. I have used that stuff at work on fittings that WD and liquid wrench could not break loose.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Blaster-Penetrating-Catalyst-12oz/16816083
We use this stuff at work and it is the one and only nut buster, Just don't use it in a enclosed classroom of teachers, They wine and all have to go home sick ;D ;D ;D Yep , I did it True story and now we have a rule to use it only after school hours with no one in the room :)
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how about just using a drill and drill the bolt out of the nut
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Get some PB Blaster on that. Works much better than WD-40. Let it soak and then it will loosen up. I have used that stuff at work on fittings that WD and liquid wrench could not break loose.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Blaster-Penetrating-Catalyst-12oz/16816083
We use this stuff at work and it is the one and only nut buster, Just don't use it in a enclosed classroom of teachers, They wine and all have to go home sick ;D ;D ;D Yep , I did it True story and now we have a rule to use it only after school hours with no one in the room :)
Yes that stuff does have a strong smell but it really works!
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how about just using a drill and drill the bolt out of the nut
Yup, howabout that. I found the Dremel, even got the stack of replaceable steel cutting discs with it. I have no idea what the people on Google were talking about, but THAT is not the tool for the job. A dozen discs in and am still not halfway through the nut.
So, yeah. After putting the Dremel aside, working through it in my head for a few moments. Drilling it out is THE way to go. I do have some fancy metal lathe type lubricant for the drill bits too.
I probably won't be able to get to it until next week. However, I plan on picking up some mesquite today and grilling some large pork chops or something similar for dinner. I can use some foil to mask off some of the bottom air intakes, easy peasy.
I'm on it.
xo, Biggles
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Alrighty, so last Friday I decided to bite the bullet and purchase the replacement kit for the self-cleaning portion of the grill. I hadn't gotten the old rusted portion out yet, was just feeling kinda down and nutso about the whole situation. Well, am glad that I did because after holding the replacement piece in my hand it was perfectly clear how the old piece was to be removed. That piece may look like a bolt going through with a nut on the bottom, but it isn't. It's a plug that just sits in the bottom of the grill and is held in place by the set-screw that firmly holds in the handle for the cleaning action blades. Once you cut the long handle completely OFF (on both sides of the "nut"), the plug thing just falls out. Done.
Today, my personal recommendation would be if you have a season where you DO NOT grill, loosen the set screw and remove the long handle. Pull assembly to pieces, store in a dry place until you're ready to grill again. While this may seem like a bit of a hassle, using a Dremel tool to cut out and replace the entire assembly every so many years is more of a pain. That's how I see it.
xo, Biggles
(http://www.cyberbilly.com/chicken/WeberCrazy.jpg)
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sure makes me like my OldSmokey more & more
nothing like simplicity (http://i50.tinypic.com/20ztyfl.gif)
Amen to that brother man. I've run 3.5 cooks through it so far, not happy at all. And the last .5 was so poor that I ended up putting the whole chicken in the oven. I have to admit though, the .5 cook was my own fault for following weber's instructions. Am not a fan of charcoal briquettes, the instructions wanted 25 briquettes in each of the 2 indirect cooking baskets. I figured if I was going to use briquettes, I might as well use lighter fluid. Well, that was my undoing. 1/3 of the briquettes were only beginning to light after an hour and the rest had nearly turned to dust. Fail for me.
I'll run a few more cooks though it, just because it's here. But before too long I'll put it up on Craigs L, it's in fine shape now and will ask maybe 120 bux. That'll pay for the Old Smokey and then some.
xo, Biggles
(http://www.cyberbilly.com/chicken/IndirectWeber001.jpg)
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(http://www.cyberbilly.com/chicken/WeberCrazy.jpg)
Ah yes, I see now... In my case the hack saw worked because it was a Weber one-touch silver which didn't have the ash catcher housing in the way!
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That Old Smokey will be your new favorite friend Dr.Biggles :)
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That Old Smokey will be your new favorite friend Dr.Biggles :)
Am looking forward to it! After homeowners insurance and property taxes, it will be mine.
xo, Biggles