Turn off refrigerator before starting generator!

[HandyDan]

Well, I did it this time!  I am trying to get everything in working order before leaving for a 10 day trip to Truman Lake.  First I decided to finally put the trim limit switch and sender on my boat.  I totally screwed that up because of a ****bolt that Mercury decided to place in an absolutely impossible place to remove or replace.  I gave up on the boat and started on the motorhome.  Everything was running well, the refrigerator was cold, the ice maker was spitting out ice, the microwave would boil water in a minute, and the oven and stove were firing up.  What could go wrong??  Well, first I decided to replace the battery in the clock.  It is a built in part of the Holiday Rambler.  As I took old battery out, the contacts fell out, too, because they were so corroded.  I tried to find another clock mechanism that would fit, but, like everything else on this motorhome, nothing else fits.  I, then, decided to take the motorhome out to the gas station to fill up.  It is about a 12 mile round trip.  I thought I would fire up the generator and have some air since it was getting hot out.  I turned off all the appliances and air conditioners before I hit the start button.  All I got was that "not enough battery" sound.  I didn't think too much of it and decided to just turn the fans on and worry about it when I got back.  The trip to the gas station was non remarkable.  The MH ran okay and felt like it could handle the 120 mile trip Monday morning.  Okay, now the refrigerator part.  When I got back I pressed the MOM switch and pressed the start button on the dash for the generator.  It started up but sputtered and quit.  I hit it again and this time it ran but very rough.  When I turned off everything  I never even thought about the refrigerator.  I went back and looked at the voltmeter and it was indicating 138 volts.  I let the generator smooth out and then thought to myself, if I am going to blow something I'll do the rear air conditioner.  So I turned it on.  It came right on and cooled like it was supposed to.  I rechecked the voltmeter and it was right at 120 volts.  I decided I could turn on other things now.  I went around turning everything on when I noticed the refrigerator light wasn't on.  I opened the door and the interior light wouldn't come on.  It then dawned on me that the fridge was on when I started the generator and I had probably blown a fuse on the circuit board.  Several years ago I had pulled the fridge to replace the cooling coil so I kind of knew the guts of the thing.  However, there is nowhere on the internet that I could find that tells how to pull the circuit board out of the fridge.  After disassembling a lot of parts that I didn't need to, I finally discovered how to pull the board without pulling out the whole fridge.  I hadn't just fried the board, but much of the wiring, too.  To summerize a long story.  I won't be using the fridge next week.  I looked up the Dinosaur board I would need (P1338 Rev. 5).  It runs between $170 to $250 depending where you buy it, but nobody near me has one.  It would take a week to get one delivered.  I don't know about replacing the wiring.  Much of it is ribbon wire like in a computer.  You can tell which one is the power wire because it no longer has any insulation.  Underneath the curve of the ribbon wire is a very black run on the circuit board that is burned through.
Just a word of warning:  If you are going to start the generator, be sure the refrigerator is turned off!  Momma is NOT happy!

[Stripe]

Oh wow..  Glad I've kept my fridge unplugged since I got the RV (it would only click a lot so only used LP).. 

No chance of doing an engineers patch on the wire and PCB???

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Ouch!  Sorry to hear that Dan!  I think I'll make sure mine is turned off from now on in case my genny surges.  Already on the list of things to do before leaving New York is to add an easy to reach switch to both the converter and the washer/dryer so I can shut the power off to them without having to unplug them, but that was mostly so that I wouldn't forget and leave them plugged in when I turn on the inverter (the inverter won't turn on if the converter is plugged in...just beeps really loud, and the washer/dryer does not like modified sine wave at ALL, even if its turned off...it goes crazy, all lights flashing, and you have to unplug it to reset it.  It will run once the inverter is warmed up, but I keep having to unplug it).  Now I have another good reason to add the switches...genny surge!

Hope you have a great outing otherwise!  When you get a chance go to the member resource section and look up the place in North Carolina where we got our reconditioned fridge.  They have a lot of parts kicking around and just might have a used but good board laying around for a better price.

Kev

[HandyDan]

Well, now that I am back from the adventures at the lake, I have been assessing the damage I actually did to my refrigerator.  I never made it to Colaws since I used my traveling time to go to Bass Pro Shop in Springfield.  But, shopping at my local Camping World (just opened this year) I found out I can get most of the burnt items from Dometic but at a price.  The 7 wire ribbon is soldered to the on/off switch.  The switch is $132 plus shipping.  The circuit board from Dometic is $307 but from other sources I have found it for $172.  The other burnt wire goes to a solenoid and is available as an assembly for $28.  I don't know if I damaged any solenoids, thermostat, or heater.  I guess I'll find that out when I get all the parts and reassemble.  It would probably be just as cheap to find a used refrigerator, but the thought of pulling the old one and replacing is not appealing.  Been there, done that, don't want to do it again.  I'll let you know (if you are interested) how this all turns out as soon as I get the parts. 

[cosmic]

I did the same thing last week when I was checking to see if everything was a ok with my genny. yes it fired up great. then I remembered the fridge. shoot. (this is the first year I have had a generator.)
everything turned out ok in the end. My fridge is now unplugged at the back. I decided to just run the fridge on propane. It seems to work better any way.
sorry to here about yours dan. hope you can get it fixed. best of luck.

[Stripe]

He'll get it, they don't call him HandyDan for nothing..

[HandyDan]

Well, another disappointment.  After checking with Camping World on the on/off switch with the attached wiring that I ordered, I was told the parts are no longer available, but I might be able to find somebody on the internet that might have them.  After calling six different places that showed on the internet that they stocked the item (even had pictures of the switch with the wiring that I needed) but they all said I was out of luck.  I tried calling Colaws hoping they might have a junker sitting around, but that didn't pan out either.  I guess I'm going to have to conjure up some way to use what I have.  Word of warning to anyone with a RM1303, RM663, or RM763, treat your on/off switch nice because you aren't going to get another one.

[HandyDan]

The ongoing saga of the burnt wiring.  After exhausting all avenues on finding a replacement wiring harness, I decided I had to make do with what I had.  Although the insulation was burnt badly and in some places completely burnt off, the wire itself was still intact.  Now I know there has to be some electrical gurus out there that are going to tell me that overheated wires will no longer transmit electrons efficiently, but the joy of being naïve is that you don't know any better, so I am trudging ahead.  I needed to reinsulate the wires.  My first try was with spray on liquid rubber.  That was like spraying on a thin layer of paint, so I decided to go another route.  I got a jar of liquid tape and brushed it on.  It worked well, although it isn't very pretty.  I think it will work.  I'll try to hook everything up tomorrow and see what works and what doesn't.

This is a before picture:


This is after:

[Madathlon]

If that doesn't work, you can find the pins (Wire connectors for that harness cap and repin the unit with shiny new wire, It doesn't need to be a wire like what you have, but a good 22 to 28 gauge single wire will do the job safely and it not costly of a repair

You can find the pins here >>  http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/1930 and you can find the right crimper and wire harness wiring to fix it right.

[HandyDan]

Thanks!  If my repair doesn't pan out, I will definitely try your way.  I'm going to get this thing back on line one way or another.
Dan

[Froggy1936]

If you have to build a harness NAPA has a trailer wire loom that has  4 wires in a ribbon configuration (you could use 2 runs ) and make your own harness since you have it out anyway   using the new pin assys mentioned above   Frank

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=ribbon+cable&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.Xflat+ribbon+cable&_nkw=flat+ribbon+cable&_sacat=0

[HandyDan]

I am SOOOO frustrated!  I got the new dinosaur board and installed it according to the included instructions.  All wiring and propane were hooked up.  I was ready to go.  I turned on the switch and ...... nothing.  No interior light, no attempt to start, nothing.  The weather turned cold and damp today and just added to my depression.  So, I just buttoned everything up and called it a day.  Tomorrow if it is any warmer or at least sunny, I'm going to start chasing the electricity.  I'll start with the 12 volt system and work up to the 110vt.  There has got to be a solution without pulling the whole thing out.  So, onward and upward. 
Dan

[HandyDan]

Semi-Success!!  The refrigerator is cold and there is ice in the freezer!  After spending about $200 and hours of searching on the internet, I finally have the fridge working, BUT, here's the rest of the story.  After taking everything apart for the fifth time (I'm getting to be quite an expert on the RM1303 refrigerator) I decided to use my multi-meter and try tracing the continuity of the wiring.  Everything was testing okay until I got to the on/off switch.  I put one probe on the terminal with the burnt wire and then went around each of the other terminals to get a continuity.  Nothing!  The switch can be taken apart without damaging it so that is what I did.  On the inside the burnt terminal was all covered in black.  I used a small screwdriver to scrape away the black and then polished the contact with a pencil eraser.  It started looking fairly well.  I could see which terminal it was to bridge to.  I put it all back together, but not before I accidentally popped the two little ball bearings and spring from the detents.  It took about a half an hour getting them back in after I got a magnet out to find the little buggers.  Once everything was back together again, I plugged in the power and turned the knob.  Again, nothing!  I took the switch off the knob and tried turning it without the knob.  To my joy, the interior light came on with the third click.  I guess I got the sync off when I took the switch apart.  Anyway, I left it to run with the knob off to see if it would get cold.  I now have a cold fridge and am ready to tackle where I went wrong with the switch.  After studying the wiring diagram, I discovered that the wires that burnt were 12volt instead of 110volt like I first thought.  Interesting!

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Yay!!!  We knew you'd figure it out!

Kev

[HandyDan]

While getting the HR ready for our upcoming Labor Day get together at the lake, I started testing all the appliances to make sure they were all ready to go.  Wouldn't you know it, the refrigerator wouldn't turn on.  It kept flashing a red light on the control panel.  After going through all this before, I knew what and where to look.  I started with the on-off switch, but it seemed to be okay, however, the interior light wouldn't come on.  That was a clue.  The last thing I wanted to do was pull the circuit board because that requires dismantling the back of the refrigerator.  However, not knowing anywhere else to look, I went about taking things apart.  When I finally got to the circuit board there was a red LED light lit on the board.  The notation next to it says that if this light is lit look for a short circuit or reversed polarity.  Since I hadn't messed with any wires since the last time I used the fridge, I suspected a short circuit.  A big black spot on the board confirmed that something has let loose the mystery smoke.  I still have no idea what caused it, but the board is shot.  I ordered a new one and asked for expedited shipment.  Just have to wait until Wednesday to see if I can get this thing cold again. 

[HandyDan]

I just got to adding up all that I have spent on this refrigerator since I got the motorhome seven years ago.  Rebuilt Cooling unit  $450, Circuit board $175, second circuit board $200, new hinges $28, and replaced plastic eyebrow with salvaged part $15.  That comes to $868.  Makes the cost of a new fridge not so hard to justify.  My problem is they don't make a new fridge the same size as the RM1303.  In fact nothing on this HR is a standard size for a new part. 

[BrianB]

Just for reference, that "ribbon conductor and right-angle IDC connector" cable assembly is something I can make exact replacements for. Just costs you a small box USPS priority postage.

[EldoradoBill]

Here's a link to a refrigerator size conversion chart-find your make/model and it shows you the closest modern comparable model http://www.thetford.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Norcold-Refrigerator-Conversion-Chart-Rev-05_2014.pdf

[HandyDan]

EldoradoBill, the chart just proves my point.  My refrigerator is 57 1/2" tall.  The closest new model is 59 7/8" tall.  The refrigerator enclosure in a Holiday Rambler is welded aluminum with very little wiggle room.  Installing a new fridge would require much more than just pulling out the old one and putting in a new one.  The same is true for the overhead vents, the oven, the toilet, and the microwave.  Not saying it can't be done, but it isn't going to be easy.

BrianB,  Due to time restraints, I'm going to try to salvage the wiring I have, but if that doesn't pan out, I'll be contacting you.  Thanks