Hello! The fridge in our 1989 familia works fine on 240V but not on gas... I can see the spark is sparking through the little window in the fridge but the gas doesn't light. My question is... can the burner etc on the back of the fridge be accessed by removing the bottom grill on the outside of the van? Or do I need to remove the whole fridge to get access?

Just wanted to confirm before trying! Pic is not my van but it has the same arrangement.

The definitive answer as to whether the burner can be accessed from the lower vent is maybe, or maybe not.

The only way to find out is to have a look by removing the vent.

A fridge of that age will probably require a new burner and jet.
You could remove those and clean them through but from experience you'll end up with the same issue in less than a year.

Ok thanks, just checking to see whether anyone had done it before. It's probably easier just to remove the fridge then.

Thing is @jonny2x4, JohnE probably has done it before. More than likely, many times....

JohnE is definitely the expert on this...

Removing and replacing a fridge is easier said than done. You have 12v, 240v and gas connections to break and remake and the gas should be checked by a GasSafe tech or similar. Plus the fridge needs room sealing so no nasties get inside the van.Vent removal to check first is dead easy

I've managed to gain access to my fridge gas burner through the lower vent on my 2007 Triton 430. Bit fiddly but possible. There is a cover plate held on with a couple of screws, relatively easy to get off but definitely
fiddly to get the screws back in again!

I guess I just wanted to check first as the vents are sealed on as well as screwed so wanted to make sure it was worth it before trying! Thanks for the help, I will see how I get on.

Whether you can gain access to the burner or need to pull the fridge out it's best to remove the vents anyway.

The gas connection and electrics are usually on top of the fridge so you'll need to pull the fridge out 6 inches or so, but they may be clipped at the rear, hence why it's best to see what's occuring behind the vents. Also you may need to remove the flue vent.