I got this grill off FB marketplace and it needs a lot of work! I have to change the burners out but can’t for the life of me either remove the screws that hold the burners down, or remove the manifold which is either rusted or welded to the cook box!!! Any advice??
I’ve tried: Rustoleum, wd-40, draino, brute force…What has worked for you guys?
by thuyn821
5 Comments
https://preview.redd.it/mpciwodbj91f1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=59d8d9af531075b7c68832251dd36746b75fc0df
This is what the inside looks like!
I used vise grips on mine. That was almost as bad as those screws. Then I ordered new ones
They’ve probably gone through galvanic corrosion. This occurs when steel (bolts and braces) and aluminum (firebox) contact each other and is accelerated by heat and grease.
You should be able to remove the braces that hold up the manifold by getting a screwdriver between the brace and firebox and twisting either the screwdriver or the braces themselves. You don’t need to remove the bolts themselves.
As for the screws holding in the burners, I’ve restored a bunch of Webers for friends and while sometimes they can be loosened with something like an impact wrench, sometimes you just have to drill them out. Fortunately I found that the screws aren’t really necessary unless you’re moving the grill a lot over bumpy ground. You can just lay the burners in the indented areas for them and they stay in place. If you can unscrew them don’t screw them all the way back in when you replace them. I only screw them down enough so I can pull out the burners without needing to unscrew it more.
I’d first get the burners off so you don’t have to worry about them when you start twisting the manifold.
THOSE BOLTS ARE NOT TIGHTENED DOWN! They are there to simply capture the tube’s end notch to prevent movement during shipping and usage. If you can get the tubes out, then leave the bolts in place to prevent messing up the cast aluminum’s tapped threads.
Please reply you saw this.
I didn’t need to remove the screws for the burners on mine, they just slide out 👍