AC Grill Not Igniting

Is your AC grill struggling to ignite or not igniting at all? Try checking out some of the troubleshooting tips below to help you get back grillin'.

• The first thing to check when your grill isn't igniting is the pellets at the end of the auger.

  • Pellets should have a nice sheen to them and have a "snap" to them when breaking (similar to a pencil).
  • If the pellets crumble or are dull looking (not shiny), empty your hopper and try a new bag of pellets.

1. Remove the grill grates, drip pan, and heat baffle.

2. Plug in the grill, turn on, and set to SMOKE.

3. Look in the firepot and verify that the auger is turning—the auger motor should be turning on a cycle, roughly 15 seconds on, 1 minute off (this can vary).

4. As the cycle proceeds, check to see if pellets are feeding into the firepot.

   • If the auger is not turning, go to the next step.

5. While the grill is still on, look underneath the hopper and verify if the small fan attached to the auger motor shaft is turning, that the shear pin hasn't fallen out (see Auger Motor Pin article for more info), and that the motor is trying to turn the auger screw—is it turning?

   • Yes? Then the Auger is working, and you can move onto checking the Hot Rod and Fan next.
   • No? Please contact Customer Service at 1-800-TRAEGER.

With the grill still on and set to SMOKE, hold your hand over the firepot without touching it and check if you feel heat radiating from it.

1. Disconnect the fiberglass-wrapped wire's Molex connector from the purple and white Molex connector.
2. Reconnect the fiberglass-wrapped wire's Molex connector with the purple and white Molex connector.
3. Turn the grill on and let it run for 5 min to check if it starts working (pellets in firepot should start to smoke).
4. If the hot rod still does not heat up, please contact Customer Service.
5. Follow the Hotrod's high heat fabric wire until you find its Molex connector. Disconnect the orange wire's Molex connector.
6. Reconnect the wires by using the other component's Molex connector (see diagram).
7. Plug in the grill and turn it on and allow 3 minutes for the Hotrod to heat up.
   • If the Induction Fan turns on – the controller is fine, and the Hotrod is bad.
   • If the Hotrod turns on (3+ minutes) and the induction fan does not – the controller is bad, and the components are fine.
   • If neither component is turning on – the controller and the Hotrod need to be replaced.
8. Reconnect the correct wires back and contact Customer Service

With the grill still on, you should be able to hear the fan running. You should also feel some air flow if you place your hand hovering over the firepot.

• If you feel air flow, the fan is working correctly.
• ​​​​​​​If you do not feel air flow, please contact Customer Service.