Why My Traeger Auger Making Noise [Solved]

You get your Traeger Smoker for about five weeks, and you cook a lot of juicy, delicious, and mouthwatering recipes with it till now. But on your 7th cook, you start hearing a grinding, popping, or creaking noise from it.

This sounds just end you up going nuts as you can’t figure out the issues behind it. So, you ask yourself- why is my Traeger auger making noise?

Your Traeger auger will make a grinding noise because of using longer pellets, wet pellets, bent auger, loose screws in the auger, and faulty gear.

There are also other reasons behind this issue, and we will cover them all in this guide. Turns out, we will provide their solution as well to stop the auger from making the annoying noise. So, keep reading till the end. 

Why Is My Traeger Auger Making Noise

Let’s discover why your Traeger is making the creaking noise and how you can overcome those issues. 

1. Twisted Auger

The Auger of your Traeger uses a corkscrew mechanism. It means it moves the wood pellets slowly from the hopper to the firepot.

There is a possibility the auger screw may get bent or twisted if your Traeger is old or you use the Traeger for years to come. But for a new smoker, it’s almost impossible that the auger screw is bent. 

Solution:

Disassemble your Traeger smoker or grill and pull the auger out from the unit. Then, roll it on a flat surface.

Make sure the Traeger auger rolls smoothly. If not, it’s time to replace the Auger. In this case, call Traeger customer service for help. 

2. Loose Auger Screw

A loose auger screw is something that may cause the Traeger auger to make a clicking noise. You can easily figure out whether the auger screw gets loosened or not by testing it.

Just run your Traeger for half an hour. If you hear the noise after running the grill for half an hour, we bet something loose near your auger motor.

Solution:

Just turn your smoker off and reach out to Traeger customer service and share this issue with them. They will help you to fix this problem for you.

3. Issues with Auger Fan

Traeger grills, especially AC Grills, have a fan. The fan is generally attached to the auger of your grill, which indicates your auger is running.

The auger fan is in line with your auger and placed in front of the hopper. So, there is a chance the fan may hit the sidewall which will cause the clicking noise.

Check to ensure wires under the hopper are not hitting the fan. If they hit the fan, they will produce a buzzing sound instead of a grinding noise.

Often a wire may get loose, and it may get whacked by one of the fans inside the grill. 

Solution:

First off, locate the screws that hold the bottom panel of the hopper together with your grill or smoker unit. Then, use a screwdriver to unscrew the screws to take the bottom panel apart.

Now, inspect the fan’s path to check whether there is anything or not. If yes, remove the stuff from the path. Then, assemble the bottom panel again. We hope it will solve the issue.

Make sure the wires are secured inside the body of your Traeger. A couple of zip ties or wire cables will help you fix this issue by bundling the wire together. 

4. Malfunction in Gear

If everything in the auger like the screw, fan, or wire is in good shape, we bet the gear within the motor is malfunctioning. Due to the malfunctioning gears, your auger may produce a clicking noise.

Solution:

You can’t solve the problem by yourself if the gears within the auger motor get defective. The best bait is to call Traeger customer service to do this task for you.

5. It’s Natural

Traeger auger making grinding noise! Is it natural? Yes, it is. At normal operation, your auger motor will produce whining and groaning noises. It makes those noises when the auger breaks through longer pellets. So, you don’t need to worry about it. 

Solution:

We recommend you run your Traeger for half an hour and monitor what is going on there. If you notice the clicking noise your Traeger is making stops at some point, understand your grill is fine. On the other hand, if you hear the clicking noise during the test, we bet there is something loose near your auger motor. Regarding this, shut down your grill unit and call the Traeger Support Team for help. 

6. The Wood Pellets You Use May be Longer:

The wood pellets you are using can also be the culprit behind making the creaking noise. If they are longer than usual, your auger will snap the pellets. Sometimes these pellets collect at the hopper bottom, causing roadblocks.

Consequently, it doesn’t allow more wood pellets to get pulled in. Besides making a grinding noise, it may even shut your smoker down in the middle of a cook. 

Solution:

To fix this issue, get small wood pellets (1/2-3/4 inches) so that they can go into the auger easily. Therefore, you can also break the pellets into small pieces (if you have long wood pellets) and put them in the hopper. We hope your Traeger auger will not make any noise after this. 

7. Maybe You Use Wet Pellets

Your Traeger auger creaked if it gets bound up or stuck because of some wood pellets left in. Besides, pellets will gum up with your auger if they get soft from humidity. Consequently, it stops your auger from feeding the pellets into the firepot which will make a popping noise. And thus, it may shut down your smoker finally.

Solution:

When your auger makes a creaking noise, it means the wood pellets get wedged between the Traeger auger and the tube. To avoid this issue, make sure you use dry and shiny wood pellets.

Never leave the wood pellets in the hopper after finishing your cook. Otherwise, it will receive moisture from the outdoor environments and will stick with the auger. 

Why Is My Traeger Auger Not Turning

Traeger auger is not turning, or spinning is another common issue every Traegerer encounters. Here from this chapter, you will learn the reasons for not spinning your Traeger auger. 

Power Issues:

First off, make sure the cord connection of your grill is secured and does not get damaged. If it gets damaged, your smoker unit will not get any power to let the auger turn or spin. Also, make sure the outlet you use doesn’t get tripped. Loose wire connections or wires are another culprits behind not turning your auger. 

Solution:

If the power cord of your grill gets defective, replace it with a new one. Don’t forget to check the outlet to see whether it works or not. Change the outlet also if you find it faulty. 

When it comes to fixing the loose wire connections, you need to unplug the unit first. Then, use a screwdriver to unscrew the four screws fastening the control panel to the hopper. Make sure you keep the control panel secured back to the grill. Now, check for wire damage like scorch marks or broken ones. If you find the wires getting broken, call customer service. 

Check Whether the Auger Pin is in its Place or Not

During assembly, sometimes the auger pin may lose inside the grill. So, inspect on and around the grill to ensure the auger pin doesn’t drop or fall. Without an auger pin, your auger motor will not spin.

Solution:

Find out the auger pin inside the grill if it falls out and install it in its place. If your Traeger doesn’t include the pin, call the Support Team of Traeger to get one. 

Maybe The Auger Gets Jammed

A jammed auger is another felon that stops your auger from turning. Now, you may ask- how to know if Traeger Auger is jammed? In this case, turn the grill or smoker off and remove the cooking grates. Then, pull out the drip pan and take out the heat baffle from the smoker. Next, remove the hopper shell to see the hopper parts. 

Now, rotate your Traeger auger manually. Inspect the auger to see whether the wood pellets get stuck inside the auger or not. If yes, your Traeger auger will struggle to turn, which means it gets jammed. 

Solution:

Just clear the auger jam to let your auger spin as it did before. If you don’t know how to clear the Auger jam, go for the next chapter. 

How To Fix A Traeger Auger

Whether you need to clean the Auger jam or replace it, you must disassemble the unit to do that. Follow the below steps to release the Auger jam. 

• First off, locate those 4 screws that hold the hopper in its place. Then, remove them using a screwdriver. 
• Unscrew the 4 screws that hold the controller.
• Once you remove them, push the controller through where it was housed. Make sure the zip ties or wire cables hold the wires together. 
• Now, disassemble the hopper from the grill by unscrewing those screws.
• Take out the hopper assembly from the unit carefully.
• Don’t forget to remove the 1/4-inch bushing screw.
• Now, loosen the auger jam by pulling the Traeger auger back and forth. 
• We hope it will resolve the jammed issue.
• On the other hand, if you notice any parts of the auger motor get broken, replace the auger with a new one.
• Finally, reassemble the unit.

FAQ

Should my Traeger smoke all the time?

Set your Traeger to smoke and cook your food for a long period to get the smoky flavor. Now, whether your Traeger should smoke the meat all the time or not depends on what you are cooking. For example, a salmon requires a few minutes of smoking. On the other hand, it requires a few hours to smoke a large brisket. 

How do I know if my Traeger hot rod is bad?

Turn on your Traeger and set it to smoke. Now, keep your hand over your firepot without touching it and check whether the heat comes from it or not. If the heat doesn’t radiate from the firepot, understand the hot rod is defective. In this case, you need to replace the hot rod. 

How long should a Traeger hot rod last?

Generally, a Traeger hot rod will last 1-2 years. However, you can use it and get heat from it for over five years if you take care of it. 

How fast does the auger turn on a Traeger?

When you turn on your Traeger for the first time, it takes approximately 7 minutes for your auger to move the wood pellets from the hopper to the firepot. Next, open the lid and set your Traeger to smoke. Then, you can see the wood pellets moving into the firepot. 

Does Traeger still smoke at 225?

Yes, Traeger smoked at 225. Generally, the Traeger smoker is specially designed to generate smoke between 165-225 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Conclusion

A grinding noise or popping noise that comes from the Traeger auger is a common issue. If you use longer pellets than usual, the auger will snap them and break them into pieces. Consequently, it will produce a creaking noise. To solve the issue, get smaller wood pellets or break the longer pellets. Then, put them into the hopper.

Also, follow the other solutions we provided above to stop the annoying noise from the auger. If still the noise persists, it’s time to call the Traeger Support Team for help.