Adjusting XL Egg Dome

BHam_Egg

So I have a underbite and the back half of my egg is not sealing properly. Does anyone know which bolts I need to adjust to help my problem?  

westernbbq

@RRP had a great method for correcting this issue which both of my xls have...but being the impatient sort i am, i simply undid the springs and that cured the underbite...


Im goung to pay someone to get all 4 of my bges lined up and properly adjusted

DoubleEgger

The underbite doesn’t look bad at all. Just loosen the top band, push down the dome, and retighten. 

BHam_Egg

Thanks fellas. I took the springs off and that does the trick. I guess I’ll just do it the old fashioned way and go with @DoubleEgger’s suggestion. 

Thomasc18

I leave my springs off my XL and it fixed it. Not the best solution, but a solution. 

frazzdaddy

It just takes patience. Took me an hour but shes spot on now. Do what DD said.

frazzdaddy

Sorry doubleEgger

Chase2016

Does taking the springs off effect anything else? I have this same underbite problem 

BHam_Egg

Alright after reading the manual and trying to figure out the torque spec on all the bolts (there isn't one, only for the carrier bolts). I noticed page 11 has suggestions to remedy the situation.  Tried it and didn't work.  
but while doing this I noticed the band wasn't straight all the way around.  It had a slight "sag" on the back side.
So I loosened the top carrier bolt a little pushed down slightly on the top dome and presto. 
I tightened  the carrier bolt and everything fits perfect.

Hopefully this will help someone out there.

Cheers!
 

Thomasc18

I’ll need to try. Thanks

RRP

westernbbq said:

@RRP had a great method for correcting this issue which both of my xls have...but being the impatient sort i am, i simply undid the springs and that cured the underbite...


Im goung to pay someone to get all 4 of my bges lined up and properly adjusted

I hear you, pal. BUT I would be there to watch what they do to fix it since that will not be the last time your eggs need that adjustment!

abpgwolf

Here are 2 posts that I saved to ensure my XL is aligned and functioning properly. I hope they help:

Crisis averted!!!  I called this morning and spoke to Dewayne at BGE HQ Customer Service.  He was extremely helpful and guided me through the steps to level out the top.  It was extremely simple to do, even for someone who didn't understand the way these things are put together. 

So basically here's what was the problem and what I did.  The first problem was that the lower band was not wrapped around evenly - it was lower in the rear than in the front.  He explained to me that the lower band should come right up to the edge of the lower gasket all the way around the lower half.  So I loosened the carriage bolt on the lower rear band and GENTLY tapped along the band using a block of wood and a rubber mallet until the band was placed evenly around the whole bottom.  Then I tightened the band.  From that point, the underbite had improved significantly, but there was still a bit of unevenness along the planes where the gaskets met and it still did not pass the dollar bill test.  In fact, the gap on the rear side between the gaskets was slightly worse, but I wasn't worried because I knew there were a couple more steps to 

Next step was to adjust the front to back placement to fine tune the sitting of the top to the bottom.  There are two slotted acorn nuts on the top part of the hinge (above the spring) on both sides of the top that needed to be loosened so that I can 'wiggle' the top into a centered position.  So I loosened all 4 nuts, wiggled it into position, then tightened.  Now the top was centered properly (no under or overbite), but there was still unevenness on the plane of contact - in other words, it still failed the dollar bill test. 

The last step was to somewhat repeat the first step (loosening the carriage bolt) except for the upper band.  Wherever there was the largest gap between the two gaskets, I GENTLY tapped the band upward which essentially pushed the lid downward by it's own weight.  Once I saw that the upper band was positioned in such a way that the entire top part of the egg sat nicely and evenly on the bottom, I tightened the carriage bolt of the top band and vuala!  It was fixed.  Dollar bill test passed all the way around the egg.  No more underbite (or overbite). 

I'm happy as a clam!

If your XL Egg is difficult to open or close, the grill is telling you it is time to perform some preventative maintenance.  Over time the hinges will tighten up each time the hinge assembly is opened and closed.  The XL has (2) side hinge assemblies and (2) rear hinge assemblies.  There is a linkage bar connecting the upper and lower brackets on each hinge.  There are (2) nuts and bolts on each of these linkage arms.  Make sure each nut is completely tight, then back (loosen) it off ¼ turn.  Apply lubricating oil ( 3 in 1 oil or gun oil) or graphite powder to each of those pivot points and work the hinge.  DO NOT USE WD40.  This adjustment should let your hinge work normally again.  Do this on a yearly basis to keep the hinge assembly in good operating condition. 

Once you have lubricated and adjusted the hinges, check the placement of the black bands and  tightness of the carriage bolts.   To move the bands on an XL Egg you must first remove the springs.  When the bottom band is too far down, it can cause the dome set back on the base and you start losing the adjustability of the side hinges.  The bottom band needs to be mounted 1/4” below the bottom gasket.   Make sure the bottom band is level and tighten its carriage bolt until the ends of the black bands are about ¾” apart.  Next make sure the top band is level and tighten its carriage bolt the same amount.  The placement of the top band is not as crucial.  Just make sure the band is level and tighten its carriage bolt the same amount.

Check the placement of your bands and tightness of all fasteners at least once a year to keep the grill in safe operating condition. 

Photo Egg

abpgwolf said:

Here are 2 posts that I saved to ensure my XL is aligned and functioning properly. I hope they help:

Crisis averted!!!  I called this morning and spoke to Dewayne at BGE HQ Customer Service.  He was extremely helpful and guided me through the steps to level out the top.  It was extremely simple to do, even for someone who didn't understand the way these things are put together. 

So basically here's what was the problem and what I did.  The first problem was that the lower band was not wrapped around evenly - it was lower in the rear than in the front.  He explained to me that the lower band should come right up to the edge of the lower gasket all the way around the lower half.  So I loosened the carriage bolt on the lower rear band and GENTLY tapped along the band using a block of wood and a rubber mallet until the band was placed evenly around the whole bottom.  Then I tightened the band.  From that point, the underbite had improved significantly, but there was still a bit of unevenness along the planes where the gaskets met and it still did not pass the dollar bill test.  In fact, the gap on the rear side between the gaskets was slightly worse, but I wasn't worried because I knew there were a couple more steps to 

Next step was to adjust the front to back placement to fine tune the sitting of the top to the bottom.  There are two slotted acorn nuts on the top part of the hinge (above the spring) on both sides of the top that needed to be loosened so that I can 'wiggle' the top into a centered position.  So I loosened all 4 nuts, wiggled it into position, then tightened.  Now the top was centered properly (no under or overbite), but there was still unevenness on the plane of contact - in other words, it still failed the dollar bill test. 

The last step was to somewhat repeat the first step (loosening the carriage bolt) except for the upper band.  Wherever there was the largest gap between the two gaskets, I GENTLY tapped the band upward which essentially pushed the lid downward by it's own weight.  Once I saw that the upper band was positioned in such a way that the entire top part of the egg sat nicely and evenly on the bottom, I tightened the carriage bolt of the top band and vuala!  It was fixed.  Dollar bill test passed all the way around the egg.  No more underbite (or overbite). 

I'm happy as a clam!

If your XL Egg is difficult to open or close, the grill is telling you it is time to perform some preventative maintenance.  Over time the hinges will tighten up each time the hinge assembly is opened and closed.  The XL has (2) side hinge assemblies and (2) rear hinge assemblies.  There is a linkage bar connecting the upper and lower brackets on each hinge.  There are (2) nuts and bolts on each of these linkage arms.  Make sure each nut is completely tight, then back (loosen) it off ¼ turn.  Apply lubricating oil ( 3 in 1 oil or gun oil) or graphite powder to each of those pivot points and work the hinge.  DO NOT USE WD40.  This adjustment should let your hinge work normally again.  Do this on a yearly basis to keep the hinge assembly in good operating condition. 

Once you have lubricated and adjusted the hinges, check the placement of the black bands and  tightness of the carriage bolts.   To move the bands on an XL Egg you must first remove the springs.  When the bottom band is too far down, it can cause the dome set back on the base and you start losing the adjustability of the side hinges.  The bottom band needs to be mounted 1/4” below the bottom gasket.   Make sure the bottom band is level and tighten its carriage bolt until the ends of the black bands are about ¾” apart.  Next make sure the top band is level and tighten its carriage bolt the same amount.  The placement of the top band is not as crucial.  Just make sure the band is level and tighten its carriage bolt the same amount.

Check the placement of your bands and tightness of all fasteners at least once a year to keep the grill in safe operating condition. 

"He explained to me that the lower band should come right up to the edge of the lower gasket all the way around the lower half."

"The bottom band needs to be mounted 1/4” below the bottom gasket."

The first paragraph and second paragraph give 2 different set of placement instructions for the lower band.

SonVolt

Would you guys worry about a slight under-bite if it WASN'T leaking visible smoke? My dome and bottom aren't 100% aligned, it's probably off by 1/8" maybe. 

RRP

SonVolt said:

Would you guys worry about a slight under-bite if it WASN'T leaking visible smoke? My dome and bottom aren't 100% aligned, it's probably off by 1/8" maybe. 

1/8" is nothing to fret about - even up to 1/2" personally!

Cornholio

SonVolt said:

Would you guys worry about a slight under-bite if it WASN'T leaking visible smoke? My dome and bottom aren't 100% aligned, it's probably off by 1/8" maybe. 

I could only get mine lined up as good as what you describe and I just live with the slight underbite since there are no leaks.  Been that way for a year now. 

SonVolt

Are under-bites a reality of the BGE design, or result of shoddy DIY installations? 

bikesAndBBQ

Slight variances in the measurements of the base and dome are to be expected. These aren’t engineered to be perfect nor do they need to be. I bet mine is off by 1/4 inch. It doesn’t leak smoke. If the dome and base are 1/16 off and the gasket install is 1/16 off, that is an 1/8 inch off total.  Nothing I would fret about. 

DoubleEgger

RRP said:

SonVolt said:

Would you guys worry about a slight under-bite if it WASN'T leaking visible smoke? My dome and bottom aren't 100% aligned, it's probably off by 1/8" maybe. 

1/8" is nothing to fret about - even up to 1/2" personally!

My medium is off about half the width of the gasket side to side. Never leaked, never worried about it.