Alaska Kodiak Stoker II --- Cam Lobe?

So I've searched through the forums looking for a guide troubleshoot my problem but haven't had much luck so here goes.

Got home from work today to find the stove had gone out at some point today. Everything still plugged in, plenty of coal in the hopper so I take a closer look. The feed mechanism that controls the cam lobe doesn't kick on. Tinker with it a little, check the wires, doesn't seems to be any loose connection. Put some pressure on the backside of the housing and the cam starts moving, goes through one cycle then stops altogether.

As a disclaimer... I may or may not be using the right terminology here. I am not at all familiar with coal stoves in general. Just bought the house a few months back and was hoping to learn more in time. It appears as though that time has come

So I think something might be stuck preventing the cam from traveling? How should I start? Take the squirrel cage for any blockage? I don't really know what I'm doing and that's why I'm coming here. I was thinking just about taking the whole motor out but would really like to avoid that if at all possible.

Any help is greatly appreciated, its pretty chilly here in the southern tier. Attached a picture just to avoid confusion.

There is a gear box on the feeder and it sounds like you busted a tooth in it.

Only fix is a new feeder...but better figure what busted the first one before the second one pops a tooth also.

Thanks for the quick reply. Could it be the control box and not the feeder? What could cause it? Not sure how old the part is? Could it just be normal wear and tear?

Fred

I have the same stove in my basement. Had a similar issue. If you listen to it run, does it occaisionally click? I ordered a replacement feeder, put it in and pulled the transmission in my old one apart and found one of the shafts that holds a gear in place was not supported on one side anymore. So I put shims on both sides and re installed the original. Now I have a spare, but the stove is a backup anyways. If you need one real bad I can ship you the new one I have until you get yours figured out.

I think a replacement feeder costs around 180 if I remember correctly and you can get them directly from Alaska if you don't have a local dealer.

Also no a matter what you put in next, be sure the carpet can move freely. As McGeiver said, best to find out the cause before implimenting any replacement parts.

You have the traditional triburner mechanism.

So here is what I would do ............................

Disconnect the acorn nut off the threaded rod. Remove the threaded rod from the feed plate. Now does the combustion fan run ?? Try putting a little pressure on the squirrel cage. Does this cause the motor to stop ?? If so, it would appear that the combination combustion fan/ feed motor is bad. Replace said motor. If the motor seems to be running well, then check the gear housing that the threaded rod connects to as McGeiver said.

You can also manually push the feeder plate back and forth to make sure that there is no binding on it. There could be some fines or a piece of coal stuck under the plate preventing smooth operation of the plate.

Rick

So I replaced the motor hoping that would fix it... $105. Not the problem... Same thing happening. The rod takes one turn then quits. I didn't see any fines or coal blocking the carpet so I guess prices of elimination... Feeder? Hope so... Back to the dealer.

You replaced the motor on the feeder?

When it comes around and stops, does it click?

If it doesn't click, when it comes around and stops, if you move the carpet by hand slightly does it continue until that point again?

If it clicks you may be able to fix it like I said above. If it it quiet it probably has a stripped portion of the gear. Either way, I would start looking into the transmission.

One last thing, at any time does the combustion blower stop ( the squirrel fan on the bottom of the feeder). If it does, another thing you can easily try it disconnecting the feeder power cord from the rheostat, and plugging it directly into a 120v receptacle. If that allows the feeder to make a continuous revolution, your rheostat may not be passing the current the motor needs.

bear198321 wrote:So I replaced the motor hoping that would fix it... $105. Not the problem... Same thing happening. The rod takes one turn then quits. I didn't see any fines or coal blocking the carpet so I guess prices of elimination... Feeder? Hope so... Back to the dealer.

Sorry to hear, motors do not usually start and start on their own...it is caused by something external to the motor that causes the start and stop thing...the motor is just a slave to everything else. This is why myself and *Mikeeg002* were pointing you towards the feeder gearbox.

So I ended up taking the carpet out completely. Something I wanted to avoid because I also had to take the stove pipe out. There was a piece of coal lodged that I didn't see before. Took it out hoping, but not really expecting this to be the problem. Voila! Up and running full steam.

Man do I feel stupid. Could of save myself a lot of time and money by doing my due diligence in cleaning it out in the first place.

I just want to thank everyone for taking time to help me out here. Wouldn't of been able to do it without you guys.

Happy Ending is all that matters.

Thanks for coming back to report findings...can help another find their cure.

Good work. Glad your back up and running. That's what matters most.

Glad you got it running again.

My old Alaska Stoker II has been running for years and years with only having to replace the distribution fans in it.

I still run it in the triburner configuration. Never changed anything.

Should have not said anything as it probably is now going to give me issues.........

Rick

Rick 386 wrote: Should have not said anything as it probably is now going to give me issues.........

Ain't that just the truth. I'm glad it's not only me with that kind of luck!