Olan 40 door problem?

[Bliz]

Hello all, It has been a while since I have been on here. I got a great deal of advice when I was selecting a new boiler about 4 years ago. My Orlan 40 has been great except for a smoke smell issue from time to time. Today, I installed the new gasket and hoped that would end it. It did not and I think part of my problem is the rod on the handle that goes through the door and catches the plate on the side of the opening. I noticed the rod is not straight through, but cocked off to the left. It almost appears the hole for the rod has become elongated. I can't seem to get a good tight seal.

Has anyone had this problem? If so, how did you solve it? Can the upper and lower doors be swapped? Thanks for any help.

Bliz

 

[Fred61]

It hasn't happened to me but I can see where it could happen if you don't keep the shaft or cam lubricated. That being said, if the cam is still engaging and you are able to tighten the door up your new gasket should be sealing in the smoke.

Is it the new silicon clad gasket? Did you back out the hinges in order to make the door rest evenly on the opening? That new gasket really fills the cavity and the hinges need to be backed off.

Be sure to keep the latch and cam lubricated with high temperature grease. Do it often. It evaporates. If you haven't lubricated in the past, you will see a lot of wear on the cam.

 

[Bliz]

I have never lubricated the cam so that may be part of my problem. The other thing I notice is that the door seems too far to the left (as you face the door) and I am having a difficult time getting it to the sit level. My cam hardly grabs the latch. I did back off the hinges but then ended up tightening them to almost back where they were with the old gasket. Is there a procedure to get the door back in the proper position?

 

[Fred61]

There's no left/right adjustment on my 25. I can look behind the door on the hinge side and see about 3/16" of gasket on the outside of the door jam.

You may have to disassemble the latch and re-bush it. I hope you'll be able to make it to spring for now. That drive pin is no fun to get out so you'll probably be swearing for a few minutes.

 

[mr.fixit]

Fred is right on the pin in the latching handle,it comes out hard.
But if you do,it helps on the door sealing if you put a washer in between the handle and shaft tube.
It takes up some of the fore and aft play in the shaft and allows the cam to tighten properly.
If the shaft tube bore is worn you could wrap some thin shim stock around the shaft.Lube it up good.
Really the only door alignment is made with the hinge stud nuts.

 

[Bliz]

Thanks for the info. How do you get the pin out, drill it? I think I may need a new shaft and cam. My shaft seems to have a lot of slop in it and the cam is worn. I may try to shim it if I can get the pin out.

 

[mr.fixit]

Thanks for the info. How do you get the pin out, drill it? I think I may need a new shaft and cam. My shaft seems to have a lot of slop in it and the cam is worn. I may try to shim it if I can get the pin out.

Should be able to drive the pin out with a punch.

 

[stee6043]

When my latch started to wear I worried a bit about it giving up and letting go during a run whilst sleeping. After careful consideration I started using this sophisticated, high price fix so I could sleep better at night.

I can appreciate that not everyone will have the capability or resources to implement such an extravagant safety setup, but I thought I'd share anyway.

 

[stee6043]

Nothing better than a photo of a Polish boiler being held together by a USA made screwdriver.

 

[mr.fixit]

Stee, if you would pull the pin out of the handle,and fill the gap in the shaft with a washer or two it might help the latch work better.
I am still using the original door gasket. I fixed the play in the latch shaft and the door gasket seals perfectly.

 

[stee6043]

Stee, if you would pull the pin out of the handle,and fill the gap in the shaft with a washer or two it might help the latch work better.
I am still using the original door gasket. I fixed the play in the latch shaft and the door gasket seals perfectly.

My problem is not with the handle/latch assembly, it is with the strike plate welded to the boiler. After several years of "agressivley" latching the door I had a groove start to wear in the not-so-hard metal strike plate. The screw driver insures that the latch is making contact with much more than just the material left at the strike plate.

 

[Bliz]

I have tried repeatedly to get the pin out with no luck. I don't think it moved at all. However, I did cut a slot in a washer and slid it over the shaft by the handle to take up the slop. I then repositioned the door to kind of center the opening on the new gasket. It is not level at all, but so far no evidence of smoke leakage. I am keeping my fingers crossed. At some point I will have to replace the entire handle/shaft and cam assembly. Thanks for the help. I'll let you know if it continues to work.

 

[Bliz]

My problem is not with the handle/latch assembly, it is with the strike plate welded to the boiler. After several years of "agressivley" latching the door I had a groove start to wear in the not-so-hard metal strike plate. The screw driver insures that the latch is making contact with much more than just the material left at the strike plate.

I have actually started to have the same issue. I don't think it's a concern now, but may well be down the road.

 

[Fred61]

I have actually started to have the same issue. I don't think it's a concern now, but may well be down the road.

You will slow the wear by keeping it lubricated. I never thought of posting it here but I noticed the grinding sound early on and upon seeing some wear, I immediately grabbed the white grease spray can. I keep a can in the basement, in the garage and in the motor home garage.

 

[JTWALL]

I made up this locking mechanism several years ago. The lock serves two purposes. First, it prevents the door from opening no matter what happens to the handle. Second, it prevents the bypass lever from accidentally opening. On two occasions, the bypass lever opened when the boiler went into gasification...not a good situation! I am not sure if it just my eko or not, but when it goes into gasification it can be borderline violent. Anyway, this lock gives me piece-of-mind. I made it from a scrap piece of wall shelving bracket. It fits snugly around the bypass lever. Regards.