How to Clean or Replace any Pit Boss Auger | Pit Boss Pit Stops

In this tutorial Andrew will be replacing the wood pellet auger which feeds pellets into the grill. This works for replacing, cleaning, or fixing an auger jam.
An auger jam can be scary and unsettling, but the issue is thankfully pretty simple to resolve. You can do it yourself!

TOOLS:
- Phillips head (for case bolts)
- Allen wrench
- Wrench to grip auger and slide out
- Knee-high box or stool to rest hopper carriage on

STEPS:
1. Remove 8 phillips screws from beneath the carriage on the hopper.
2. Remove 2 screws on the face of the controller
3. Push the control panel through this new window to dangle beneath the hopper.
4. Remove hopper screws on the front and back. (have box or stool ready to set hopper on)
5. Place hopper on stand to keep it from pulling out the cords
6. A bolt is holding the auger into place. It has a nut on the bottom and an allen head on top. Take an allen head set to size it up, then grip the bottom with a wrench or socket to hold it still while you screw it out.
7. Remove the phillips screw holding the actual auger in place.
8. Grab the little base with a wrench, turn it counter-clockwise and slide it out.
*If you have an auger jam it will need a strong turn clockwise and a tough pull. Don't be scared to put your back into it.

9 . Here you can replace or clean the Auger. Putting everything back together is as simple as doing the steps in reverse order.

If you have any further issues, contact Pit Boss support for help!
877-303-3134

OR join the Pit Boss Owner's group on Facbook to chat, learn and more

[SH-ewlu]

After owning this product in humid New Orleans, I’ve learned a good hard lesson. My auger was stuck with pellets that turned into concrete. After calling the company I was sent a new motor and all is well. From now on I will shop vac after each use. The additional step takes 5 minutes and it’s definitely worth it.

[azsailor]

Thank you very much, got it fixed easy thanks to the video. FYI, a Pit Boss without a working auger is just a raised flowerbed.

[flhtc]

I've had my pit boss for 3 years and this is the first jam of the Auger. A couple of things they don't tell you when replacing or getting the Auger "un-stuck". 1. if you have any pellets in your hopper they will be all over the ground when you remove the hopper so have something for them to fall into e.g. large box or cloth.The "safety grid" in the hopper cannot be unscrewed to allow for easy emptying of the hopper prior to removing it. 2. the allen screw is nearly impossible to work on as there is no room to get to it, and the bolt securing it has no room to put a crescent wrench to hold it stable. I had to use pliers and it took me 30 minutes to get the allen screw free. Another 15 to get it back in place. Pro-tip sift out your pellets before using them so the saw dust does clog up the pellets if it get wet/moisture/humidity.

[coplock]

If any of you have been having trouble removing the auger like I have; here is what I ended up using. 5/16 socket for the nut and 7/64th allan wrench. It was very hard to find the right size, and also to reach the allan screw due to the positioning of the the screw on the auger. Very Hard. Lot's of frustration. I'll never buy another one of these types of pits again. I have to basically disassemble the entire unit. Some of the screws use the real soft metal and I stripped them immediately. So off to the hardware store trying to buy a similar screw. UGH!!!! Yes, it cooks really nice and makes good food, but clearing the auger was a nightmare. Hope this helps anyone.

[jeremyp]

I had a massive jam and this lead me down the right path to resolution. My display didn't have any screws, or was a different model than I have in the video, so I was unable to pop it back inside as shown. I simply moved the whole thing to the side and set it on a box. After that it was smooth sailing and we had dinner by 6!

[mikehenderson]

I own 3 Traegers, the oldest turns 25 years old this summer. I also bought Pit Boss that I keep at my Mothers when I come up for my monthly visits. Maybe 12 cooks on it. I have done more work on this PB than on my 3 Traegers combined on over 50 years of use between them. The reason my shear pin (yours as well) failed is that PB uses a thin wall tube that has pretty sharp edges because it is so thin. This cuts into the shear pin. PB save 25 cents on the build and it is causing me frustration. It is my fault however as I tried to save a buck. Now I am headed out to get Chinese take out for our Easter dinner versus tri-tip and baked potatoes. Save the headache and buy the original. Thanks Pit Boss.

[ryanpet]

Used twice. Pellets in the tube absorbed moisture and solidified locking the auger. Got it all apart, tube cleaned out and now the motor wont turn the auger. Icing on the cake, is after everything was put back together, the circuit board started smoking and now nothing works.

[DaveysWorldFishing]

I see a lot of people asking about the allen size. 7/64 standard is what I found to fit. Good luck! Hardest part of this project was getting the screws off of the bottom. All rested out and stripped. Good times! Other than that, no issues at all.

[thequickbrownfox]

I should have known I was in trouble when the "expert" called a crescent wrench a pipe wrench.

[mitchk]

After six years without trouble, I discovered that some of the pellets had deteriorated, gotten some moisture and solidified at the place where they enter the augur from the feed box. They also were blocking the slot where you can empty the feed box of pellets so I had to attack it from the top. Removed the grid at the top (four Phillips screws) and then scooped out pellets. Broke up the solidified stuff with a screw driver and held a shop vac as I did it to suck it out as it broke up. I turned the unit on to make sure Augur was rotating and filled pellets back up. Seems to be working. Lesson is that, even with a cover, moisture and probably some freezing in Northeast can do this over time. Still a pit boss fan.

[uuntied]

Life saving video. Thank you!!!! Other than cheap screws who's heads strip easily.... was a perfect fix

[DanielDaniel]

Learned a big lesson today. It totally sucked taking this apart but it was much easier to just take the screw out of the Delrin bushing, disconnect the motor, and pull the entire motor/auger assembly out as one piece

[TheRealRohnaH]

At 1:16 - what size Allen wrench and what size socket for the tiny ratchet? I bought a set of nut drivers but they’re too wide at the bottom and there isn’t enough clearance to use them. Plus the auger died in a position where the Allen wrench has to fit in the screw from underneath and I CANT SEE! please help!

[DanWebster]

Great video. In the deep south people should not leave pellets in the auger and hopper the humidity turns them pellets into concrete. I say keep the hopper and auger empty.

[Craneopsss]

A couple of things that I recommend for pitboss is to add lock washers on all the screws apply sealant around all the seams that cover the pellet hopper and at least make a cover for the hoppers trap door and make a better quality cover. But the other things before the cover would make for a long lasting unit. I bought a cover for my stand up smoker and it last one season. I've since added high temp rtv to all seams except the hoppers trap door and that's one of the biggest culprits of allowing rain into the augers operating area. My smoker has held up superbly until we had a weeks worth of rain and now I'm at this very moment cleaning out the mortar of wood from the auger lol. It's my fault for leaving it outside but thats where it's home is 😅 ps I still love my easy bake smoker oven hahahahaha

[jay]

Tip: Don't mess with the small Allen screw and nut. All I did was unscrew the main set screw and then unplug the auger motor from the electrical harness. Once it's unplugged, you can pull the whole auger and motor out and then clean the tube. It took me about 10 minutes all together.

[toniorubio]

My man said use vice grips or a pipe wrench ... but uses a crescent wrench🤯

[MainahTony]

i have this 700FB. i live in Maine. have used this thing alot. for almost a year. it sits out on a covered porch with a grill cover. there are pelletts in the hopper, and i keep other pellets in water proof buckets , the kind u can get on line used for dog food. and never had issue with pellets clogging up the hopper. like someone said, its the 2 % rule. u must be 2% smarter then the object you are using. take care of your eqiupoment and shouldnt have any issues
i love this grill Pit boss!

[josephnguyen]

Why design the motor hanging after installed into the Auger rod? I see the base of the motor not touching the bracket about 3/8"
That not standard to me so can you explain?

[matthewmcclure]

The seal around where the hopper and the Auger assembly is very poorly sealed. I would recommend after you clear you auger, apply a small bead of gasket seal to help prevent moister from entering.