From: "ligneousdotcom" <ligneousdotcom@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue May 2, 2006  9:15 am
Subject: Fridge fix - was "newbies need advice"
Message 2285 of 2342
 
The fridge in my '04 Arrowhead mysteriously stopped working on propane this winter & I suspect a wiring problem. Can you provide more info on the fix for this? Would save me a bunch of time trying to track it down! Thanks very much! -Dave
From: "Bill Marshall" <marshall_b@...>
Date: Tue May 2, 2006  9:39 am
Subject: Re: Fridge fix - was "newbies need advice"
Message 2286 of 2342
 
See message 1614. I had the repair and it works!
From: "Deb Ross" <nrgdeb@...>
Date: Tue May 2, 2006  10:28 am
Subject: RE: [chaletcamping] Re: Fridge fix - was "newbies need advice"
Message 2287 of 2342
 
Thanks, Bill, for hunting up that previous post. My recommendations to folks just picking up their Chalets this season is to make sure that the fridge works well on propane before you take it off the lot, and bring that post #1614 with you. If it's working correctly, the fridge should start right up, and not have to try over and over to get it going. It's not really a do-it-yourself fix unless you are someone who is really adept. When we first bought our unit last spring, and went through the run-through at the dealership, it took them several tries to get the fridge working on propane. Then, when we were out dry camping on our own, it didn't work at all. If you do a lot of camping with utility sites and don't usually use the propane operation, you might not even find out that you have a problem until your 1 year warranty is up.
From: Bill Marshall <marshall_b@...>
Date: Tue May 2, 2006  11:34 am
Subject: Re: [chaletcamping] Re: Fridge fix - was "newbies need advice"
Message 2288 of 2342
 
Deb, In my experience starting isn't always a good diagnostic. Mine would light easily enough but would go out as soon as the main burner went off. And the problem was initially intermittent. I think the symptoms vary according to how much resistance there is in the defective harness. If your harness isn't completely shot some current will get through especially if the main burner is on. The question is does the the pilot stay lit after the fridge has reached its operating temperature and the main burner goes out. At that point the feeble little pilot can't push enough current through the wiring harness. The fridge thinks the pilot has gone out, shuts off the propane and the pilot really does go out. I test it by lighting the pilot and then turning the fridge temperature dial counterclockwise below the point where you here the faint click of the thermostat and the main burner goes off. The pilot should stay lit - the needle stays in the green. For what it's worth the technician I spoke with told me that crimping the heck out of the connectors would also improve the contact and eliminate the problem for a while. Bill
From: "ligneousdotcom" <ligneousdotcom@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue May 2, 2006  3:21 pm
Subject: Re: Fridge fix - was "newbies need advice"
Message 2290 of 2342
 
Thanks for the quick follow-up Bill. I've got a call into my local Norcold distributor to obtain the repair kit you mentioned. Best regards, Dave
From: "spthardesty" <RJHardesty@...>
Date: Tue May 9, 2006  9:59 am
Subject: Re: Fridge fix - was "newbies need advice"
Message 2309 of 2342
 
I wrote a long message on this an hour or so ago but it has not been posted so I am trying again. My apologies if both show up. I have this fridge problem that has been described here. I went to authorized service guys and had the thermocoupler and interrupter replaced eleven days ago. This fixed it for about two days. I called Norcold this morning. Their rep said she had no info on the part number listed in message 1614 and said I needed to go to a service center and have the service tech call them. I have found the service bulletin on this very problem for the N300 fridge on the Norcold web site but it seems to say just replace the interrupter. Grrrr. The Norcold support lady also said she did not have any information on this specific problem on this specific fridge despite the existance of the service bulletin which I found after the call to Norcold. I cannot find any authorized service person to look at my unit here in San Cruces NM, so I will move on towards Tucson where there are more reps. Does anybody have any more identification info on this part or part number that I can give the tech person if I can ever find one to look at the fridge? I've printed out the service bulletin and the message 1614 to give to the technician if I can ever find one who will work me into his schedule. Any other suggestions? We will be forced to stay in shore-powered RV Parks till I get this done, I am afraid, but we really want to be back in the wilder areas. Thanks for any additional help you can offer. This forum is a wonderful resource. Rich of E NC, frustrated in Las Cruces NM, still headed West. 2005 Chalet Alpine 2002 Mercury VIllager
From: "Deb Ross" <nrgdeb@...>
Date: Tue May 9, 2006  10:31 am
Subject: RE: [chaletcamping] Re: Fridge fix - was "newbies need advice"
Message 2310 of 2342
 
Don't know if this will help. I have the Warranty Claim Form issued by Thetford/Norcold to my dealer, Auburn RV, from last year. The Repair information is listed as follows: Part # 628119, part description, Kit-Switch Wire Installation. It was fully covered by Norcold. (The telephone number on the warrqanty claim form is 1 800-543-1219. We have had no problems with the Norcold since they replaced the wire. Your frustration seems to be shared by others. I feel lucky that my dealer recognized the problem and the solution (at least I hope so).
From: "Varon H. Fugman" <vfugman@...>
Date: Tue May 9, 2006  6:43 pm
Subject: RE: [chaletcamping] Re: Fridge fix - was "newbies need advice"
Message 2311 of 2342
 
>>I have this fridge problem that has been described here. I went to authorized service guys and had the thermocoupler and interrupter replaced eleven days ago. This fixed it for about two days That sounds familier! First time I took mine in the dealer demonstrated it was working, it worked when brought the trailer home, but didn't work next time we went camping! Unplugging and reconnecting the connections in the millivolt circuit seems to clean them enough to get is working agian... for a few days. >>I have found the service bulletin on this very problem for the N300 fridge on the Norcold web site but it seems to say just replace the interrupter. Grrrr. That service bulletin is obviously not update-to-date enough to refer to the new wiring kit! >>The Norcold support lady also said she did not have any information on this specific problem on this specific fridge despite the existance of the service bulletin which I found after the call to Norcold. They don't seem to have a very good knowledge-base at Norcold. You'd think with the number of people that have had this problem they would have figured out a pattern by now. >>I've printed out the service bulletin and the message 1614 to give to the technician This is what I did when I had mine in for service a few weeks ago. I told the technican they needed to talk to Norcold and find someone who knew the wiring kit (#628119) because I didn't want my fridge back unless it was fixed for good this time! I also adviced them that the troubleshooting bulletin pre-dated the wiring kit, and because the kit is new not everyone at Norcold seems to know about it. I'm assuming they talked to the right person, because they ended up replacing the interrupter as well as the wiring kit. So far it has stayed fixed! >>We will be forced to stay in shore-powered RV Parks till I get this done, That's certainly no fun when you want to be dry-camping. Our fridge problem messed up our first two-week trip quite a bit. Because we were staying some places without shore power, we had to put bags of ice into the fridge to keep it cold... a big flood when all the ice melts, for one thing! I can tell you that experiance was a big disapointment for me... and one of the reasons we got the tall-wall Chalet was to get the N300 with freezer! Hope you find a technican that can fix it right the next time around. Varon 2005 Chalet Alpine with fridge working on propane finally! :-) 1999 Saab 9-5 SportWagon
From: "spthardesty" <RJHardesty@...>
Date: Thu May 11, 2006  7:55 pm
Subject: Re: Fridge fix
Message 2317 of 2342
 
I thought I would provide an update on my problems getting the Fridge fixed. After unsatisfactory calls to Norcold who would not sell me the wiring kit I started calling authorized repair places along the route we are traveling. I finally got the parts department at Temecula Valley RV in Temecula, CA to order the part. They called me this morning and they have it in hand awaiting my arrival there next week. Interesting enough their service people would not give me an appointment to have them install it and said they would not work me into their scheduled workload during the week I will be in that area in California. We are visiting our Son and his family, so we have some time to get this installed. Once I see the kit I will know whether I can do it myself, however my fear is that I would break something else if I tried it myself. A supervisory customer service person at Norcold called me back this morning - two days after I demanded to talk to a higher level of customer service than the two idiots I had talked to. She said that Norcold changed the wiring that produced this problem with all N300 fridges that they manufactured after March 15, 2005. Mine was made in 2004. They obviously were aware of the problem and did what they needed to do in their manufacturing process to fix the problem. Why their first line customer service people denied it existed baffles me. Those other Chalet owners who have this problem - or fear they may get it in the future -may want to call Norcold with their serial number which would allow them to determine the date of manufacture. Hopefullyt I can get this part installed Ok. We have reservations at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and at Zion where we will have no shore power. Wish me luck. Thanks for listening. Rich of E NC - In Arizona at the moment where ist is HOT.
From: "spthardesty" <RJHardesty@...>
Date: Wed May 17, 2006  9:04 pm
Subject: Re: Fridge fix
Message 2333 of 2342
 
I wanted to give an update on getting my fridge fix accomplished. I think I have now succeeded. I had gotten an RV dealer (Temecula Valley RV) in Temecula, CA to order the part for me since Norcold absolutely refused to sell it direct to me. The part was there and I took it back to my son's house where we are staying for a few days. The part sent by Norcold consists only of two wires with clips to slide on spade terminals on each end and a clearly written and illustrated installation instruction sheet. I made an initial attempt to slide the fridge forward to gat access to the place where the wires go but could not budge it. I called Chalet RV and spoke to someone (Debbie, I think) who went back to the shop and got specific instructions on which screws to remove which she relayed to me. With this info I could slide the fridge forward enough to switch the new wires for the old wires. This is really a simple job, provided you can get the part and can figure out how to get the fridge to slide forward. So far I have gotten the fridge to light on propane and stay lit a couple of times so hopefully the problem is gone forever. For anyone else who is having a chronic problem of getting the fridge to stay lit on propane, explore getting this part from Norcold. N300 fridges made before March 16, 2005 may have the problem. Norclod can tell by your serial number when your N300 was manufactured. Getting your Chalet dealer or a service center to recognize that this solution exists may be a problem if you do not tell them. I found that even the customer support people at Norcold did not know about the repair solution, so your service center or dealer may need your help to order the right repair kit. Good luck to others trying to get this done. If you need more info or sympathy or if I can be of any help feel free to email me directly. Rich of E NC - Currently in CA 2005 Chalet Alpine 2002 Mercury Villager.
From: "Deb Ross" <nrgdeb@...>
Date: Thu May 18, 2006  9:08 am
Subject: RE: [chaletcamping] Re: Fridge fix
Message 2336 of 2342
 
It should not be necessary for Chalet owners to do this fix themselves. I had it done at my dealer's (Auburn RV in Washington) and both parts and labor were fully covered by Norcold's 3 year warranty so the service centers should not be reluctant to perform the work. The trick seems to be finding a dealer or service center that 1) recognizes the problem and 2) will take care of ordering the part and installing it for you. I am lucky that our dealer was aware of the defect and promptly fixed it for us. The main inconvenience was just driving up to have it done and waiting for several hours for the repair.
From: "spthardesty" <RJHardesty@...>
Date: Thu May 18, 2006  11:33 am
Subject: Re: Fridge fix
Message 2337 of 2342
 
Deb- I agree that owners should not have to make this repair themselves. I chose to because although the RV dealer who got me the part (an authorized Norcold Service Center) gave me a service appointment for the next day and was willing to do the work, I was dubious about them doing the job right. The RV dealer seemed to have only big motorcoach units there, and I had my serious doubts that they would even know how to pop open my Chalet to get inside to do the work. Had it been a dealer that dealt with small campers, I would have been more trusting and willing. I made the appointment, but since I had a day, I tried to fix it myself, and found it a simple job, once Debbie told me how to get access. When I had the thermocoupler replaced in Texas the authorized service place did not bother to call Norcold, so I wound up paying $140 for the service. I paid for the part ($24 including $10 for overnight shipping) out of pocket too. I may try to get Norcold to reimburse once I get home, but I am so happy to have the problem fixed, that the money I've spent does matter right now. I just want the fridge to run on propane so that our visits the no-shore-power campgrounds of the North rim of the Grand Canyon, Zion and some other parks we are headed for will not be inconvenienced. This is my "trip of a lifetime" and I want no more hassle from my refrigerator. Thanks to all who gave advice and sympathy. Rich of E NC, in CA at the moment enjoying my delightful granddaughter. 2005 Alpine 2002 Mercury VIllager.
From: "ligneousdotcom" <ligneousdotcom@yahoo.com>
Date: Thu May 18, 2006  1:25 pm
Subject: Re: Fridge fix
Message 2338 of 2342
 
Rich, Since I currently have the repair kit on order & will face this same problem, would you care to share the info about which screws to remove? Much appreciated! -Dave
From: "spthardesty" <RJHardesty@...>
Date: Thu May 18, 2006  3:58 pm
Subject: Re: Fridge fix
Message 2339 of 2342
 
Dave- I'm happy to share. On the front of the fridge, remove the big screw on the top hinge to remove the door. Note carefully where the nylon washer goes on the top hinge and how the nylon pivot fits over the spike for the bottom hinge. Removing the door gives access to the three screws on each side of the door which you need to remove. Don't remove the screws at the bottom of the fridge that are part of the hinge mechanisms. Go out to the access panel on the outside of the Chalet where there are two screws that need to be removed. On the right, sort of below the box where the pilot light lives is a horizontle flat plate with a screw that goes through it into the bottom of the compartment; remove this screw. On the left side there is another horizontle flat plate with a screw that goes through a grounding wire into the bottom of the compartment; remove it. Removal of these two screws will allow the fridge to slide forward on these flat plates. On the left side is an electrical contact block. Remove the two power wires on the right on the top. Mine had yellow plastic around the ends and one wire was white and the one on the right was yellow. When all this is done you should be able to push the fridge (from outside of the camper) so that it comes out of the cabinet a few inches inside the cabinet. THe instructions that come with your part will show you what to replace. I had little space to work with but it was enough to replace the wires using my fingers and long nose pliers. If you are unable to move the fridge forward enough to make the change of wires, it is probably being held back by the copper tubing that brings the propane to the burner. Disconnecting this might give you more room. I did not have to do this and did not want to do this under the theory that anything I did not meddle with might not get messed up. You are on your own if you need to do this, although I have worked with this kind of tubing before and it is usually not a problem. When installing the new wires, check closely to make sure you put the new wires on the same terminals the old wires came off of. To restore everything after you have made your wire switch, simply push the fridge back into place from inside the Chalet. Get the holes lined up on the flat plates and insert those securely first before doing the inside screws. Reconnect the electrical wires (you did note which wires went on which terminal, did'nt you?) and then go inside to install the three screws along each side of the fridge and put the door back on. Then turn your propane tanks on, try your lighting procedure and hope it all works. Best of luck with this. If I am not clear or if you need further info let me know and I will do what I can to help you. Rich of E NC. In CA at the moment.
From: "ligneousdotcom" <ligneousdotcom@yahoo.com>
Date: Fri May 19, 2006  9:49 am
Subject: Re: Fridge fix
Message 2342 of 2342
 
Rich, Thanks very much for the clear & concise instructions! -Dave

Past Threads

From: "Bill Marshall" <marshall_b@...>
Date: Thu Jul 28, 2005  12:52 pm
Subject: Refrigerator Repair for Norcold N300
Message 1614 of 2342  
 
I have the Norcold N300 and like others, I have had continuing problems keeping the pilot lit and running on propane. A couple of attempts by different dealers to fix it haven't worked in the long term. Today I called the Thedford Norcold suppport line number in the manual to see if there was anything new on the problem. The women I spoke with was unaware of any problems with this model. Nonetheless she gave me a support number for Canada. I called the Canadian number and was patched through to a technician who seemed was familiar with the problem and who told me there is a new repair kit available. It is part number 628119. The problem(as already posted here)is faulty connections between the thermocoupler and the regulator. It sounds like the kit is just a new wire set. The units which have the problem have pink plastic casings where the connectors are crimped to the wires. I currently have a dealer ordering the part for me and and hopefully I will have it installed soon. Bill
From: "Jim" <jcgc50@...>
Date: Fri Nov 25, 2005  1:13 pm
Subject: Re: Refrigerator Repair for Norcold N300
Message 1915 of 2342
 
Bill, what was the ultimate fix for your problem? Jim
From: Bill Marshall <marshall_b@...>
Date: Fri Nov 25, 2005  1:46 pm
Subject: Re: [chaletcamping] Re: Refrigerator Repair for Norcold N300
Message 1916 of 2342
 
Jim, I had the part installed by my dealer - it's really easy and I would have done it myself except the fridge was still under warranty. It's just a replacement for a couple of wires on top of the refrigerator. It worked, I spent over 30 days on the road in September and had no problem whatsoever with the fridge. Bill
From: "panorama81623" <buckm@...>
Date: Sun Nov 27, 2005  9:14 am
Subject: Re: Refrigerator Repair for Norcold N300
Message 1917 of 2342
 
I camped in my NEW Chalet XL1910 over Thanksgiving in Arches National Park, where the temperature dropped to 26 nightly and daytime was only mid-50's. My Norcold refrig pilot kept shutting off. I thought it might simply be too cool to work properly? Maybe my problem is the same. My dealer is WAY TO FAR to take it back for repair. If it really is a simple do it your self fix. Can anyone elaborate on the steps for this?
From: Bill Marshall <marshall_b@...>
Date: Sun Nov 27, 2005  9:41 am
Subject: Re: Refrigerator Repair for Norcold N300
Message 1919 of 2342
 
I think you'll probably have to get the part through a dealer. But there are lots of Norcold dealers around. I didn't have my repairs done through a Chalet dealer. You can find a list of dealers here. http://www.norcold.com/service_centers.cfm?state= If you decide to do it yourself: The fridge (on the Alpine at least) is really easy to remove. I pulled mine to confirm it had the pink connector covers which identify the problem wiring. I don't recall the exact procedure but it was self evident and only took a few minutes to pull the fridge out. As I recall: Shut off the propane and shore power first. Unplug the electrical and disconnect the propane. Once you've removed the half dozen screws which hold the stove in place - I think I had to remove the door to get at a couple of them, it just slides forward. The wiring in question is on top of the fridge. Just slide off the spade connectors and replace with the new harness. Once you have reconnected the propane use soapy water to check for leaks. Bill