Problem with my 78 Royale gas water heater.

[Bob Dunahugh]

When I turn the 12V switch on under the sink. The red light comes on for a half second with a click from the water heater. Then off. OK. I must have an issue with the automatic circuit board. Not an issue. As I have another automatic start circuit board with igniter that I know is good. So I put the spare one in. No bingo. This one does the same thing. When I took ALL. And I mean ALL wiring out of this GMC. I had number coded all wires. But apparently I messed something up. Remember. I'm NO sparky.

Bob Dunahugh

 

[Bob Dunahugh]

When I turn the 12V switch on under the sink. The red light comes on for a half second with a click from the water heater. Then the light goes off. OK. I must have an issue with the automatic circuit board. Not an issue. As I have another automatic start circuit board with igniter that I know is good. So I put the spare one in. No bingo. This one does the same thing. When I took ALL. And I mean ALL wiring out of this GMC. I had number coded all wires. But apparently I messed something up. Remember. I'm NO sparky.

Bob Dunahugh

 

[Ken H.]

Bob,

It's been several years since I had an automatic start LPG water heater,
but IIRC, that's the way it works: The light indicates that the spark
igniter is firing -- accounting for the click you hear from the heater. If
the gas doesn't ignite during that time, you have to recycle the switch.
Are you sure the heater has gas available and isn't firing off?

At least check those possibilities before you assume you miswired it.

Ken H.

> When I turn the 12V switch on under the sink. The red light comes on for a
> half second with a click from the water heater. Then the light goes off.
> OK. I must have an issue with the automatic circuit board. Not an issue. As
> I have another automatic start circuit board with igniter that I know is
> good. So I put the spare one in. No bingo. This one does the same thing.
> When I took ALL. And I mean ALL wiring out of this GMC. I had number coded
> all wires. But apparently I messed something up. Remember. I'm NO sparky.
>

 

[wayne rogewski]

From recollection in the owners manual for the Royale, and at least on my 77. when I flip the switch, I here a 2-3 clicks and then it fires. If
there is an issue or it does not fire the red light stays on indicating there is a failure.

As Ken said, gas on? I find that after turning on the gas, it sometimes takes 5-6 tries before there is enough pressure to ignite. Cant really say
if turning a stove burner on for a few seconds helps or not to bring gas to that side of the coach.

Assuming the burner slide shield is adjusted enough to allow a flame and that the flame spreader is in position? Those all played a minor role when I
was going through my heater.

--
77 Royale, Rear Dry Bath. 403, 3.55 Final Drive, Lenzi goodies, Patterson carb and dizzy.
Mid Michigan

 

[thomas phipps]

Turn a burner on the stove to encourage gas flow. When you smell gas, try the water heater again. This solved my gas heater problem.
Tom, MS II
--
1975 GMC Avion
KA4CSG

 

[LarryW]

When I did some remodeling in my coach, I had most everything in the kitchen of my coach out, including the gas lines and the tank. When I put it all
back, it took 8 or 10 times doing a start to get the thing to fire. My guess is that it senses no fire because the gas has not reached the igniter and
there is no fire, it shuts the gas off so that you do not fill the coach with raw gas leading to an explosion. Check to make sure the igniter is
indeed firing. If it is, cycle it as many times as is needed to get gas from the tank, through the empty lines and up to the igniter. Basically what
you are doing is purging the line of all of the air. JWID
--
Larry
78 Royale w/500 Caddy
Menomonie, WI.

 

[johnny]

The options are: There ain't no spark. There ain't no flame. The flame sensor doesn't. I'd check the new spark board out of the heater
(carefully). If it makes sparks, see if the gas solenoid is opening and there is actually gas coming out of it. If there is, you may have to figure
a way to watch the thing on startup and see what's happening - mirror(s) are probably in order.
I have the same thing going with my Norcold, I've just not yet had a day to pull it out of the cabinet and see what's happening. It works AC and DC
so I've been getting by.

--johnny
--
'76 23' transmode Norris upfit, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.

"Sometimes I wonder what tomorrow's gonna bring when I think about my dirty life and times" --Warren Zevon

 

[jim kanomata1]

You can crack the fitting at the tank and let the gas leak for few seconds
till you smell it .
Avoids having to hit the switch so often.

> When I did some remodeling in my coach, I had most everything in the
> kitchen of my coach out, including the gas lines and the tank. When I put
> it all
> back, it took 8 or 10 times doing a start to get the thing to fire. My
> guess is that it senses no fire because the gas has not reached the igniter
> and
> there is no fire, it shuts the gas off so that you do not fill the coach
> with raw gas leading to an explosion. Check to make sure the igniter is
> indeed firing. If it is, cycle it as many times as is needed to get gas
> from the tank, through the empty lines and up to the igniter. Basically what
> you are doing is purging the line of all of the air. JWID
> --
> Larry
> 78 Royale w/500 Caddy
> Menomonie, WI.
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
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>

--
Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC, Fremont,CA
jimk
http://www.appliedgmc.com
1-800-752-7502

 

[Bob Dunahugh]

OK. I got EGG on my face. Linda asked how the final checks were going. So I told her about the water heater. She told me that's how it starts. And the light didn't stay on. My response. REALLY. The thing is that she was the one that always started it. And my pulling all the copper gas lines out didn't help. OH WELL. The water heater has now been taken apart. Cleaned, and painted now. Thanks for the input in the e-mails. And egg does come off nicely with water. Bob Dunahugh

________________________________
From: Bob Dunahugh
Sent: Thursday, September 8, 2016 10:54 PM
To: gmclist
Subject: Problem with my 78 Royale gas water heater.

When I turn the 12V switch on under the sink. The red light comes on for a half second with a click from the water heater. Then off. OK. I must have an issue with the automatic circuit board. Not an issue. As I have another automatic start circuit board with igniter that I know is good. So I put the spare one in. No bingo. This one does the same thing. When I took ALL. And I mean ALL wiring out of this GMC. I had number coded all wires. But apparently I messed something up. Remember. I'm NO sparky.

Bob Dunahugh

 

[Jim Hupy]

Especially propane heated warm water. (Grin).
Jim Hupy
Salem, Or
78 Royale 403.

> OK. I got EGG on my face. Linda asked how the final checks were going. So
> I told her about the water heater. She told me that's how it starts. And
> the light didn't stay on. My response. REALLY. The thing is that she was
> the one that always started it. And my pulling all the copper gas lines out
> didn't help. OH WELL. The water heater has now been taken apart. Cleaned,
> and painted now. Thanks for the input in the e-mails. And egg does come off
> nicely with water. Bob Dunahugh
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Bob Dunahugh
> Sent: Thursday, September 8, 2016 10:54 PM
> To: gmclist
> Subject: Problem with my 78 Royale gas water heater.
>
>
> When I turn the 12V switch on under the sink. The red light comes on for a
> half second with a click from the water heater. Then off. OK. I must have
> an issue with the automatic circuit board. Not an issue. As I have another
> automatic start circuit board with igniter that I know is good. So I put
> the spare one in. No bingo. This one does the same thing. When I took ALL.
> And I mean ALL wiring out of this GMC. I had number coded all wires. But
> apparently I messed something up. Remember. I'm NO sparky.
>
> Bob Dunahugh
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>

 

[johnny]

Experience is directly related to ruined equipment and egged faces.

--johnny
--
'76 23' transmode Norris upfit, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.

"Sometimes I wonder what tomorrow's gonna bring when I think about my dirty life and times" --Warren Zevon