Taking Apart The Wallas 95 DU

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On remote and weekend trips alike, we depend on our Wallas to keep us warm and cook our food. While we also take a back-up backpacking stove and mini propane heater, we would rather be using the Wallas. We needed to get over our fear of some of the basic maintenance issues. Here is a record of our experience last winter learning to take apart our stove, hoping it will be useful to some of you.

Tom & René
 

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Tom,
Wow! What a great job of documenting the servicing of the Wallas. I have taken mine apart a couple of times (two different stoves) and serviced them but have never taken the time to document what I did. Your document is amazing and will be a great service to others. Thank you very much for not only taking the time to do it, but for the superb way you have shared your knowledge.
Ron
 
Tom-

A terrific job on the Wallas service document!

Makes me want to buy a Wallas just to have it to tinker around with!

Joe. :thup :teeth
 
This is truly one of the best, most informative posts I have ever read. Thank you so much for putting together this much needed document.
Al
 
I gree with what everyone has said. What an awesome bit of documentation.
It would be great to have all the systems in our boats documented to this extent, particularly the electrical.
 
Thanks for your kind responses. It's really gratifying as we've burned ourselves out on it a time or two. Or three.

We have absolutely no technical writing background, limited mechanical experience and this is our first manual. We're just following in the footsteps of you who've already offered so much information on this site. We wanted to "pay it forward", and we loved and feared our Wallas stove. After reading "ZEN and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Tom, with his tenacious and perfectionistic rigging abilities, found this writing to be a good way of coping with his Wallas frustration. After many years of doing graphics and design as artist for our local paper, The Oregonian, Rene has picked up a few editing skills. We've had many discussions in choosing the best language -- after all, we hope to make sense of it ourselves the next time we disassemble.

Apologies for it's dearth of humor!

In addition to the tools list, Tom keeps baling wire, suction cups, velcro and electrical tape on board at all times. He wants to add that, in case of emergency, he maintains the right to blow a hole through the ceiling with his 12-gauge to insert a wood stove pipe as his brother in Alaska recommends. Rene suggests she may not be accompanying him on many voyages in that event.

- Tom & René
 
Tom, this is a very well done document, and what this document absolutely convinces me is that there is no way in HELL that I could take the Wallas apart, clean a glow plug or anything. Every direction is a disaster waiting to happen for me. But thanks for putting this together!

Our Wallas went bad the last time out - cooked lunch just fine, next time we fired it up, light was on for a few seconds, and then the 2 amp fuse on the circuit board blew. I have checked all the connections that I can see how to check, and tried it three more times - it blows the fuse each time. Now it is time for Patty to take it in to Scan Marine I guess.

All I want to do is take this SOB out so Patty can take it in, and it seems I can't even manage that. This is the lug nut redux. Two questions for starters:

1 - The GD green connector on the circuit board from the switch won't budge. Whatever pull I exert just flexes the circuit board without loosening the connector. I really can't even get my fingers in there, so I decided to try to disconnect the adjacent connectors - they won't budge either. Is there a release tab on the connector or something? I don't have real good vision to start with, but upside down in the recesses of the galley cabinet, it is even worse. Do you use some kind of a tool? Tom says "wiggle it side to side" - there just plain ain't no wiggle in this puppy . But for starters I have to get it out, don't I? Hope I can do that without destroying the ciruit board, any suggestions would be welcomed.

2 - Tom says to take the unit up through the countertop with the fuel line attached. Is there any reason for this? This would take four hands. Can the fuel line be easily detached at the Wallas end? I see where it goes into the unit, but again, I don't want to start yanking on it with brute force. How is it attached? I do I get it out?

Thanks for any suggestions anyone has. This whole thing is completely non-obvious to me...
 
1) That green connector plug is a baffler alright. You gotta pull on the wires and not the green plastic deal. Rock it back and forth lengthwise while pulling on the wires and she slips off easy. No lock tabs. You'll see when you get it unplugged why you can't pull it like it looks likes it should be pulled.


2) Use two little bitty wrenches for the fuel line. One to hold the elbow fitting in the pump and one to turn the nut on the tube. If it is easier to unhook it before you take the stove out ten that's the best way. You do want to unhook the stove end of the tube.
 
Pat,
In the past I've found it somewhat easier to just disconnect the exhaust pipe, undo the screws from the top mounting bracket, make sure there is enough slack in the control module wire and the fuel line, than lift the wallas out and disconnect the wiring and fuel line once I have the stove up on the counter. I too am somewhat challenged in seeing the connections and working upside down under the counter. Once you have taken the stove out a few times, you'll get it down to a science. :lol:
Ron

And to Tom and Rene for creating that service manual. What a great job! :beer :cigar
 
Well, the ##!@@# Wallas is out, I see what you mean about the connector - I see what I had been trying to do was to rip the socket off the circuit board. Pulling on the wires is so contrary to everything anybody has ever told me about connectors. When it was out, trying to detach the fuel line was a nightmare, the part that screws onto the "L" was so tight that I thought I was going to break it all apart, but it finally popped loose with no apparent damage. I would throw this sucker overboard but Patty won't let me.
 
Hi Pat,

Last Sept. while cruising the SJ and Gulf islands I had a similar problem. When I replaced the 2amp fuse with a 5amp the stove worked fine for dinner. The next morning I started it and went out to the dock. When I stepped back in the cabin was filling with smoke. I had to pull off the power lines to stop the burning of the components on the main circuit board. Scanmar said it should not have done this even with the 5amp but I won't do that again.

I stopped at Scanmar and they replaced the circuit board at no cost and I was very relieved. I would suggest leaving the fuel line on and sending the control knob on/off switch assembly. They run the stove after repair to test it and this will test the entire system.

I was on my way home when I stopped and they fixed it while I waited - again great service that I was thankful for. I re-installed the stove and tested it before leaving. It worked fine but I did not wait for it to completely shut off before I went on down the road. About 2 hours later when I stopped the fan was still running and it had not shut off completely. I call the tech. and he said it had tested fine and it could only be the on/off assembly that I had left in the boat. I did not have the time to go back so I went on home.

At home I checked the on/off assembly which is just a variable resistor and switch and it looked fine. I tested the stove again and it worked fine and has ever since.

Good Luck,

Steve
 
Tom and Rene,

That's an awesome piece of work, Thanks. I printed it out and it will go in my on-board file of equipment manuals. Roger
 
Well, I got the Wallas out without destroying it, Patty hauled 'er into Scan Marine yesterday, we'll have it back by the end of the week. The boat goes down to LUSR as soon as we can get her down there for electrical troubleshooting, since Bob Austin does not live next door. I have every confidence in Aaron and crew at LUSR, as Patty says, "It's only money"...
 
Scan Marine turned the Wallas around in a couple of days, Patty brought it home yesterday. Bill was $278 for the service and N/C for the circuit board, which was replaced under warranty. It would have been $591 if not under warranty (plus the $278 I guess), so kind of dodged a bullet. Now the boat is in at LUSR Fife for the electrical troubleshooting, so I can't stick the Wallas back in to try 'er out...but hopefully we'll have Daydream back soon, Friday Harbor is coming up quick!
 
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