Fixing Weber Burner Valves

[drallan81]

Anyone have experience with fixing sticky gas grill burner valves. I've watched a few videos and it seems pretty straight forward.

I've got a 20 y/o Genesis C 3 burner side mount that I love. There are a couple of problems I'm trying to troubleshoot.

1) Sticky rear valve. Doesn't like to turn, doesn't stop at the preset (H, M, L) notches, etc.
Hopeful a quick clean will take care of it without having to replace. I'll do them all while I'm at it.

2) Rear burner flame control issue. On High the rear burner seems to partially go out. On med/low it works as expected, but when set to high I can hear and see the flames disapear from half of the tube (closest to the valve). They then relight and go out again, kind of like watching the flame dance down the tube. I also hear a bit of a hissing sound from the valve (no gas smell) and a ringing sound from the tank.
I've changed out the regulator and messed with the air flow vent without much luck. Any thoughts on this? I'm hoping that there is a gasket or something that is worn and letting too much air/gas through the line and the valve rebuild will help.

Anyone have any experience with this? It looks like a new manifold and valves runs 100$+ so I'd like to avoid that if possible on a 20 y/o grill. Might remove everything and give it a good sand and fresh coat of paint, but hoping to avoid throwing too many parts at it. Burner tubes, flavorizor bars, and grates were all replaced w/ SS a few years ago.

Thanks,

 

[Zak]

I've had to do this before, pretty simple. Your best bet is to take the burner tubes out and inspect for holes, clogged ports or rust buildup. A wire wheel cleans them up nicely. For the valve, i used a little Seafoam spray to loosen them up. Not entirely sure if thats what should be used since i dont know what they use for seals.

 

[RemoGaggi]

If the burner tube has not been maintenanced in awhile, there will likely be some clogged holes and junk inside the tubes. On the Webers I've rehabbed, I just use a push pin to open the holes, then shake out the rust and crud from inside the tube. You'll be surprised how much stuff can be inside of the tube.

As for the valve, here's the procedure from youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC0_5Uo2ueY&ab_channel=TheVirtualWeberBullet.

Also, be sure to check for a gas leak with some soapy water. Although you can usually smell the leak, there could still be a leak that you don't smell.

Good luck!

 

[Dweverett]

I had a similar problem with mine a few years ago. Burners run side to side and the middle knob wouldn’t turn right.

I left it on after a cook to burn off the crud and was surprised at how hot the knob was when I turned it off. The next morning I noticed that I’d dripped bbq sauce on the deck - which was weird because I hadn’t been using it in the control side. When I looked closely I realized it wasn’t sauce but melted plastic. When I pulled the knob off the stem was completely melted off. :shock:

I’m still not clear what was causing it to be hard to turn nor have what I assume was tHe flame coming back through the manifold.

Weber did send me a new manifold and knobs - though mine was under 10 years old at that point. Very appreciative of the service.... still not happy about what might have been potentially dangerous

 

[Happy Hapgood]

You should replace the gas valve assembly and burners period. 20 years is a good run. I rebuilt my Weber Spirit S-320 after 12 years and it works like new. I too have the side to side burners. Cost about $250. I'll get another 12 out of it if I last that long. :becky: Good Luck!