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Auger jam: shear pin and bushing

Is it jammed? Watch the motor fan

The manual's FAQ (page 25) and Traeger support. A jam is almost always wet or swollen pellets, sawdust or something foreign in the hopper. There is no "clear auger" setting on this controller.

  1. Empty the hopper through the clean-out door, getting rid of any wet or swollen pellets.
  2. Remove the bottom grate under the hopper so you can see the auger motor and the small fan on its back.
  3. Keeping hands clear, switch on and turn the dial to SMOKE, and watch that small fan.
  4. Turn the dial back and switch off. If the fan never turned, the motor has failed. If it turned a little and stopped, then unwound slightly when you switched off, the auger is jammed (the manual).
  5. Unplug, then check the motor's 4 screws: over-tight screws can stop the motor, so loosen them slightly (Traeger support).
  6. Still jammed: clear it. Failed motor: replace it.

Clear the jam

Power switch off, cord unplugged, grill cold. The manual: "Disconnect the power cord before servicing the grill." Use hand tools, not a power drill (Traeger support).

Traeger support, "Clearing an Auger Jam in an AC Grill", and the manual's FAQ.

  1. Remove the 2 controller screws, turn the controller edge-on and push it back through its opening into the hopper, so it stays on its wires (Traeger support: "rotate the controller to push it through where it was housed"). Clip the cable ties.
  2. Remove the 4 screws holding the hopper (2 on each side) and lift the hopper box off. The controller stays behind on its wires.
  3. Remove the 1/4 in bushing screw and work the motor back and forth by hand.
  4. Still stuck: remove the shear pin that joins the motor shaft to the auger, with a 7/64 in hex key and pliers, or a 5/16 in socket.
  5. Grip the auger shaft with locking pliers or a small pipe wrench and turn it anticlockwise until it breaks free (the manual). Last resort: a 2 × 4 against the end of the auger and a mallet (Traeger support).
  6. Vacuum the auger, tube and firepot, sand rust off the auger with medium-grit paper and vacuum the grit (the manual), then refit the pin, the bushing screw and the hopper, draw the controller back out through its opening and screw it on. The bottom grate goes back last.