Vigilant Door Play

[P3ax]

Hi There,


I have a 1980ish Vigilant stove and decided to change the gaskets touch up the paint, etc. over the holidays. I purchased the stove in the mid 90s after a fresh rebuild and use it mainly on weekends or when we have a cold snap. I perform regular cleanings and changed the gaskets when needed and it is still in nice shape. While checking the door gasket seal (solid front doors) I noticed some play in the doors/attach points and am looking for a good way to resolve it. I ran into this site while searching the web for a fix (excellent info here) and even incorporated some of the tips/recommendations from the posts I read, but have not found a post regarding door play.

After changing the gaskets, I noticed a slight gap in the bottom of the right door from the mid point running inboard towards the left door. While closing the doors and securing them with the handle, the right door would lift up a bit while the handle pawl locks. To make a long story short, I cleaned the door pin bores, replaced the left and right door lower pins (the shop only had two in stock), installed SS thin washers between the door and stove hinge points, and adjusted the door handle pawl to get a good fit/seal. The original pins do not appear to be that worn as the new pins I installed helped but not that much. I also lubed the pins with C5A a high - temp antiseize/lubricant used for turbine section components in aircraft engines which seems to work nice as the doors are smooth. The fit is currently good, although I’d like to find a permanent fix to perform at the next gasket change or when needed.

Has anyone run into this before with their VC Stove and figured out a good way to correct it? I’ve gone through the posts and have not found any posts regarding this issue? Any and all advice is appreciated.

Thank you

 

[mikepinto65]

Im not sure but it sounds like you fixed your problem. Maybe you used the wrong size gasket, or maybe the handle was too tight pushing the door off while it reformed itself. If you dont have any air leaks and the door is sealing nicely and evenly than I dont see a problem.

It dosnt sound like you just jimmy rigged the stove back together either, you bought all OEM parts from the sounds of things. I dont think there is another way to better fix something.

 

[P3ax]

Thanks for the response mikepinto65. I appreciate the encouraging words - especially from a Firefighting professional (from MA no less).

I checked the door gasket seal and there are no leaks so I'm all set. Since VC stoves have been around for so long, I think someone out there has run into the same problem and devised a more permenant/professional fix. As VC parts are scarce and expensive, using my limited machining backgroud, I figure the door pin bosses in both the door(s) and front stove panel should be drilled/reamed true and the use of oversize pins/bushings would do it. But, sometimes I can be a tad too enthusiastic devising repairs to things.

Thanks again.

P3xa

 

[mikepinto65]

Glad to hear its working properly. I had a Vigilant just least season and it really throws a lot of heat with good dry wood. Im not sure where in MA you are, but if you ever need new VC parts for a decent price Feens country living in Fitchburg has access to much of what you can need (although they are sometimes back ordered).