Trouble Changing the Gasket on my BGE plus some Lessons Learned

CrackerJack from KC · 03-04-2012, 08:51 PM

Changed the gasket (to Nomex) on my BGE today. No problems getting everything off, No problems putting the gasket on. The problems all started when I tried to put it back together. I couldn't get anything to even come close to lining up. After fighting it for a couple of hours I went to the BGE website to figure out how all this goes together. Where I got my answers were from the original assembly instructional video on the website.

I got 4 things I want to share to make this easier for the next guy.

1. Noone on the Youtube videos has you take off the springs. Its real easy, all you have to do is open the lid all the way and the springs easily come off. Now that the springs are off, you can better maneuver everything.

2. The second big thing I learned is that the bands are not suppose to bottom out, the bottom band is supposed to be about a quarter inch from bottoming out, and the top band a quarter inch from the top. I basically centered both bands in the space that they go in.

3. The third thing I didn't realize was that the screws that hold my handle and and side tables all fell out, and I had to find them and put those back in. You can use a piece of tape to hold these in place while you mess with the bands. If you bought the egg new, you may have the temporary nuts to hold them on there when you put on the bands.

4. The fourth and final learning that I want to share was that nobody seemed to be using a socket set for tightening the bolts, I found it to work awesome and would recommend you use a combination of sockets and wrenches to do the job.

The best thing was taking off that spring, everything lines up well after I did that.

The one thing I would still love to see a video on is how to adjust the lid so that it perfectly opens and closes. Depending on which hinge bolt you tighten, you can drastically impact the way the dome lid opens and closes. I noticed if I overtightened them, that I could not open or close the dome, so I experimented with a lot of tightening and loosening of bolts.

Job is done, but took 3-4 hours instead of the 45 minutes I would need to do it again.

bbqbull · 03-04-2012, 09:09 PM

I am thrilled you got the job done, sorry it took so long.
Thanks for your tips, got to replace my gasket if the temperature ever gets above 60 degrees here on my lge bge. I am replacing it with a nomex gasket.

03-04-2012, 08:51 PM	#1
CrackerJack from KC Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 01-15-08 Location: Overland Park, KS	Trouble Changing the Gasket on my BGE plus some Lessons Learned Changed the gasket (to Nomex) on my BGE today. No problems getting everything off, No problems putting the gasket on. The problems all started when I tried to put it back together. I couldn't get anything to even come close to lining up. After fighting it for a couple of hours I went to the BGE website to figure out how all this goes together. Where I got my answers were from the original assembly instructional video on the website. I got 4 things I want to share to make this easier for the next guy. 1. Noone on the Youtube videos has you take off the springs. Its real easy, all you have to do is open the lid all the way and the springs easily come off. Now that the springs are off, you can better maneuver everything. 2. The second big thing I learned is that the bands are not suppose to bottom out, the bottom band is supposed to be about a quarter inch from bottoming out, and the top band a quarter inch from the top. I basically centered both bands in the space that they go in. 3. The third thing I didn't realize was that the screws that hold my handle and and side tables all fell out, and I had to find them and put those back in. You can use a piece of tape to hold these in place while you mess with the bands. If you bought the egg new, you may have the temporary nuts to hold them on there when you put on the bands. 4. The fourth and final learning that I want to share was that nobody seemed to be using a socket set for tightening the bolts, I found it to work awesome and would recommend you use a combination of sockets and wrenches to do the job. The best thing was taking off that spring, everything lines up well after I did that. The one thing I would still love to see a video on is how to adjust the lid so that it perfectly opens and closes. Depending on which hinge bolt you tighten, you can drastically impact the way the dome lid opens and closes. I noticed if I overtightened them, that I could not open or close the dome, so I experimented with a lot of tightening and loosening of bolts. Job is done, but took 3-4 hours instead of the 45 minutes I would need to do it again. __________________ Kamado Joe (4) 18.5" WSMs Weber OTG 26.75" Traeger 070 Stoker Worlds Fastest "Green" Thermapen "Not a competition cook, just a guy who loves eating and cooking Q."

03-04-2012, 09:09 PM	#2
bbqbull Watching over us. Join Date: 12-27-05 Location: Mid Michigan	I am thrilled you got the job done, sorry it took so long. Thanks for your tips, got to replace my gasket if the temperature ever gets above 60 degrees here on my lge bge. I am replacing it with a nomex gasket. __________________ "You have never really lived until you have done something for someone who can never repay you." "I wish my mind could forget what my eyes have seen. :shocked:" "Heavily medicated for your protection. :doh:" Klose Mobile Pit Klose Owners Reccomended Pit Cookshack Smokette Gasser Little Chief Smoker Large BGE Gifted to me my Pit Barrel Smoker :mrgreen::clap:[URL="http://www.bbq-brethren.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/"][/URL]