Originally posted: 08/01/2001
Last updated: 07/06/2008

• Access Door Doesn't Fit Tight
• Access Door Knob Is Loose
• Sections Out Of Round
• Charcoal Bowl Damaged
• Porcelain Finish Chipped Or Missing
• Vent Damper Bent
• Damper Tabs Bent
• Leg Misshaped

• Damper Rivet Backwards
• Cooking Grate Doesn't Fit Properly
• Lid Handle Loose
• Charcoal Chamber Out Of Round
• Vinyl Cover Logo Upside Down
• Wrong Or Missing Part
• Putting Things Into Perspective

One common affliction of new Weber Bullets is that the access door does not fit tight against the cooking section. An example of this condition is shown in Picture 1.

The access door is not meant to provide an airtight fit, so don't worry if there are small gaps or if you see a little bit of smoke creeping out from around the door on occasion. The main concern is that too large a gap allows unwanted air into the cooker, making it difficult to control temperature even with all the bottom vents closed.

To adjust the door, just bend it gently by hand, making small adjustments and checking the fit often on the cooker until you get it just right.

• If the curvature of the door does not match that of the cooking section, hold the door by the edges and gently flex to add or subtract curvature (Picture 2).
• If the curvature of the door is fine, but the vertical edges are warped or bowed, using the palm of your hand, hold the edge of the door on a sturdy surface with a straight edge and gently bend the door into shape using your other hand (Picture 3). Thanks to Doug D for posting this suggestion on The Virtual Weber Bulletin Board.

A door that fits properly will have a slight spring action that requires you to push on the knob slightly to engage the door latch.

If the access door knob turns too freely while the access door is in place, bend the latch a tiny bit toward the door so it engages the body of the cooker more tightly. Another approach is to gently shape the curvature of the door so that it has to be pushed tight in order to latch—sort of a slight spring action.

If the access door knob is coming off the threaded post, a few drops of Loctite Threadlocker adhesive should fix the problem. Otherwise, always turn the knob clockwise—that way you're always tightening the knob, not loosening it.

A less common problem is what's known as an "out of round" condition, where the middle cooking section or the charcoal bowl are oval-shaped instead of round. As a result, the sections don't fit together properly and air infiltrates the cooker, making it hard to control temperature even with all the bottom vents closed.

In a worst-case scenario like the one shown here in Picture 1, the cooking section will not even fit into the charcoal bowl. This was probably caused by a manufacturing error. An "out of round" this severe warrants a call to Weber Customer Service for a replacement.

Minor cases of "out of round" can be diagnosed by checking for any of the following symptoms:

• The two sections fit together, but you see a noticeable gap between the sections that varies in width as you look around the circumference of the cooker.
• The cooking section rocks back and forth in the charcoal bowl when you press down on it.
• The cooking section turns freely within the charcoal bowl, then binds at a certain point during the rotation.

Some people report that they get along just fine with a minor "out of round" condition--they just live with it. Others rotate the middle cooking section within the charcoal bowl until it binds, resulting in sufficient pressure to close the gap between the sections. Still others place sheets of aluminum foil between the two sections to form an airtight gasket.

With a little time and patience, you can permanently fix a minor "out of round" condition yourself. You'll need to bend the sections back into shape using brute force, but you run the risk of cracking the porcelain finish in the process, as shown in Picture 2. Do not undertake this project unless you're completely confident that you can do it and are willing to accept the consequences of some cracked finish.

Here's how to proceed:

• Start by checking both sections to determine if they are out of round, by how much, and in what direction. As shown in Picture 3, use a measuring tape or yard stick to measure the diameter of each section in four positions--first with your right hand at the 12 o'clock position, then at 3 o'clock, then halfway between 12 and 3 o'clock, then halfway between 3 and 6 o'clock. This results in four measurements separated by about 45 degrees.
• You now have an idea of how big a variance you have, and the dimension along which it occurs. You need to gently bend the section inward along the longest diameter you measured. Position the section on its side on a protective surface like a blanket or towel, then slowly and gently apply pressure.
• Repeat the process of measuring and adjusting until there's not more than about a 1/8" variance along any dimension. This takes patience, so take your time and go slowly. When you've finished, your WSM should exhibit little, if any, of the symptoms described above.

This problem usually manifests itself as a flat spot along the edge of the bowl. As mentioned in the Packaging topic, this can happen if the top edge of the box is crushed during shipping.

Examine the rim of the bowl carefully. It should be perfectly round, smooth, and have no flat spots. There should be no flaking porcelain finish or exposed bare metal spots.

If you have a damaged charcoal bowl, contact Weber Customer Service for assistance.

In rare cases you may find small areas where the porcelain finish is missing around the edges of the charcoal bowl, the cooking section or the lid. It may be that a spot was missed during the finishing process or that the part was dinged while moving through the factory or during the packing process.

Areas with missing finish can foster rust, so I recommend that you contact Weber Customer Service for assistance if you find this problem.

On rare occasions, a vent damper on the lid or charcoal bowl will get hung up on something and get bent out of shape during packing or unpacking, or while you are transporting the cooker to an event. Since the damper is curved to conform to the shape of cooker, it's just about impossible to bend it back into shape and get a good fit that controls air flow.

In this case, the damper must be replaced. Order a WSM vent damper replacement kit from Weber at 800-446-1071. It consists of three dampers and fastening hardware: 1/4-20 x 5/8" truss head screws, 1/4" flat washers, and 1/4-20 inch acorn nuts.

To remove the old damper, use an electric drill with a 1/4" metal bit to drill out the inside of the rivet to weaken it, then use a pair of pliers to crush the rivet and pop it out.

Sometime the tabs on the vent dampers are bent or flattened. The damper "stops" that control the open/close position of the damper can also become bent. This happens when the box is dropped during shipping, causing the lid and charcoal bowl to compress into the packing material, bending the dampers.

In this picture, you'll notice that the tab on the right side of the vent is almost completely flattened.

You can easily bend these pieces back into shape by hand or with a pair of pliers.

Here's a picture that compares two WSM legs. The bottom leg is normal, but the top leg was misshaped during the manufacturing process and could not be attached to the charcoal bowl. Notice that the position of the bottom bolt holes don't match.

Contact Weber Customer Service for assistance if you get a leg that just doesn't measure up.

The tubular aluminum rivets that fasten the dampers to the lid and charcoal bowl are supposed to be "outies"--the round head on the outside of the cooker. But sometimes you'll see an "inny", where the rivet is installed backwards.

This is purely a cosmetic defect and in no way affects the performance of the cooker.

In early 2000, there were reports of new WSMs being shipped with top cooking grates that were too large in diameter. The handled top cooking grate should fit easily within the diameter of the cooking section and sit flat on the top flanges of the four grate brackets.

In late 2006, there were reports of new WSMs shipping with top cooking grates that were too small in diameter. The slightest movement would cause the top grate to fall down into the middle cooking section.

If you have cooking grates that don't fit right, contact Weber Customer Service for a replacement.

If you have a grate that "rocks" or doesn't sit flat on the grill strap flanges, just bend it gently into shape.

A loose lid handle can be tightened with a Phillips-head screwdriver.

Sometimes Weber gets a little sloppy with the fabrication of the charcoal chamber, resulting in a ring that's not quite round.

While it looks odd, this condition does not affect the performance of the cooker. You can try bending it back into shape by hand if you like.

I have a friend who unpacked a new WSM and found that the Weber logo was applied to the vinyl cover upside down! Someone was clearly asleep at the wheel on this one!

This faux pas does not affect the functionality of the cover, but I'm guessing that Weber would replace it if you asked nicely.

It doesn't happen often, but occasionally Weber ships a cooker with a part missing or a wrong part in the box. I know of one person who received two charcoal bowls but no lid!

Give Weber Customer Support a call and they'll provide a free replacement part right away.

I hope you don't read this topic and think, "Gee, look at all those problems. I'm not going to buy a Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker." These problems can and do occur, but as I said before, most units arrive in good shape. I just want you to be aware of the problems you should be looking out for. And if you find one, give Weber Customer Service an opportunity to make things right. That's what they do best.