Reconditioning Suburban NT17a furnace
I am in the middle of a total frame-up rebuild of a 1970 Safari Special. At the present, I am working on the original furnace. The outside of the furnace looked good, but as I disassembled it, the insides were not as good. I removed the burner and poured a couple of cups of rust out of the burner chamber. Otherwise the chamber is in good shape. I have read that this furnace was the subject of a recall for the rubber crossover tube, the one on this furnace looks like metal, possibly aluminum or galvanized. Is this the Suburban retrofit? I hooked up the bare burner to check it out first. The pilot would not light; I found the pilot tube to be corroded shut. After cleaning this tube the pilot light lit (with about a 8" flame). The flame was adjusted by means of an adjusting screw. The valve and thermocouple worked properly. The main valve clicked and worked but only very small flames at the burner. I disassembled the main burner tube and cleaned the main tube, which was also corroded closed. The main burner then worked. I assembled the burner into the cabinet and hooked up the wiring to a battery charger. The sail switch was sticky and I had to take it out and spray it with WD-40. Finally the burner fired up correctly. Now the only problem is the fan motor goes off as soon as the thermostat wires are unjoined. I guess that means a defective fan switch. I will most likely replace it and the limit switch, just to be on the safe side. By the way, I will use a CO2/ LP detector in the final installation. Where is the best place to get parts for these older Suburbans? Also, any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
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