Norcold refrigerator doesn't work on electric

jeno · April 13, 2015, 04:09 PM

i have a norcold 3 way fridge every thing works good but not on a/c mode a/c dont lite up and it just goes to lp when i put it on auto. yes i do have motorhome pluged in to shore power. thanks for any help

Oz · April 13, 2015, 08:24 PM

Do you have the manual for it? If you have the model number, look in the Member Area, Manuals & Diagrams. We may have the manual which typically includes a troubleshooting guide, plus there's a manual which extensively covers absorption refrigerators across the board which is very good to have.

FastGlassman69 · April 13, 2015, 08:28 PM

I'm getting mine working , you should mark the wires in the power supply, take them off and remove the cover. There is a 5 amp fuse on the bottom, I would check that first with a multimeter, oh yeah you have to put all the wire back on without the cover to check it. Put the neg lead on the left side of the fuse and the positive on the 3rd terminal from the bottom, you should have 120 v or the fuse is bad.Bobby

Rickf1985 · April 14, 2015, 08:15 PM

Or you could just pull the fuse out and check it for open circuit with the ohm meter. Open, bad fuse.

joanfenn · April 14, 2015, 08:46 PM

Stupid question but is the fridge itself plugged in to the coach?

Oz · April 14, 2015, 09:40 PM

Never a stupid question. Do you have any idea how many times a "problem" was solved by plugging something in that wasn't?

TerryH · April 15, 2015, 12:41 AM

Or simply rebooting?

FastGlassman69 · April 15, 2015, 08:58 AM

Quote from: Rickf1985 on April 14, 2015, 08:15 PM
Or you could just pull the fuse out and check it for open circuit with the ohm meter. Open, bad fuse.

Yes Rick you could but it takes a lot of time and effort to get all those connections off just to get to that fuse. I ended up pulling one of the terminals out of mine. I also got rid of the 20 amp norcold fuse holder and put in one of those waterproof ones in that has acces now with ATO fuse. Bobby

Rickf1985 · April 16, 2015, 07:22 PM

I was thinking along the lines of not having to put it all back together to test it.

FastGlassman69 · April 16, 2015, 07:31 PM

Rick Thank You, the more I think about what you said it makes perfect sense and maybe I wouldn't have stressed that connection and pulled the terminal off the board! I will do that from now on. Even though the board was burned! The way they engineered that cover is stupid when you have 2 fuses to get too. Thanx again for the tip. Bobby D:oH!

jeno · May 02, 2015, 01:12 PM

this might be a stupid question but do the house batteries have to be good? do they have to be fully charged for the fridge to work in a/c? I am going through the diagnostics today but i thought i would just ask about the batteries. norcold 663 3 way

Rickf1985 · May 02, 2015, 05:48 PM

You do need 12 volts for the control board to function. If the batteries are dead then the fridge will not work on any setting, gas or electric.

jeno · May 03, 2015, 12:08 PM

yes i have the model looked it up followed all the trouble shooting and came up with bad power supply board and bad cable to the eyebrow board. being that old i think i might just get a new fridge. wish there was somewhere by me that i could get used parts to make it last one more year.

Oz · May 03, 2015, 06:35 PM

Try the dinosaur electric parts, Sands RV, and look in the Resources Section of the Member Area. You may be able to find it and keep it running for one more year.

jeno · May 04, 2015, 08:36 AM

good idea im going to give it a try THANKS

jeno · May 04, 2015, 10:05 AM

if i just use it in the l/p mode will it run fine on that or do i still need a/c also? is there a way to take a 20 pound tank and either hook it up to my tank to check the L/P mode or is there a way to transfer from a 20 pound tank into my tank.

Rickf1985 · May 04, 2015, 05:41 PM

It depends, if the power supply is bad and or the main board is bad it may not run on LP. It does not need AC as long as you have DC 12 volt hooked up to it normally. There are many kits out there to run off of a 20 lb propane tank. Any RV supplier will have them.

RANGERRICK · May 04, 2015, 06:34 PM

Is your heating element good?

jeno · May 05, 2015, 07:06 AM

on the board for the heating element i have no voltage. i am thinking about getting a board. when i put it in LP mode the igniter tries to light but i have no L/P in tank. i have to get some

FastGlassman69 · May 05, 2015, 10:00 AM

Quote from: jeno on May 05, 2015, 07:06 AM
on the board for the heating element i have no voltage. i am thinking about getting a board. when i put it in LP mode the igniter tries to light but i have no L/P in tank. i have to get some

Buy one of those extendastay kits for the propane Jeno! Sounds like your unit is stationary or you can't get to a propane filling station. It will run a long time on a 20 pounder once it gets down to temp. I have a Norcold 8663 and ordered the control board, the cable for the eyebrow control and a eyebrow board, though I don't think I needed the eyebrow board. It works perfect and I think it was very much worth the $200 with shipping. I paid $2000 for the motorhome and didn't want to spend 1200-1600 for a new fridge for no good reason! Bobby Hm?

jeno · May 05, 2015, 10:57 AM

oh what to do what to do now that i read your post you make a lot of sense and i'm starting to think you maybe right. i think im going to go through the diagnostics that i got from the member area again first because i'm just not sure of my electrical ability

FastGlassman69 · May 05, 2015, 03:56 PM

Just take it slow and you will be fine! I just think you would be doing yourself a disservice and wasting money if the unit cools on LP! I took mine out to replace the floor it sits on as the PO had no vent cover on the roof and the pressboard rotted. All fixed now. The cooling unit had rust on it too so I wirebrushed them and coated it all with POR-15, will last another 20 years, I hope! The Dinosaur boards are made better than the originals in my opinion and are cheap for what you get . Good Luck, Bobby

jeno · May 05, 2015, 04:08 PM

thats what im going to do the press board under the fridge is bending in the center i have to replace that and i think thats why the fiberglass on the outer skin is delaminating. ill keep you guys posted how it turns out.

jeno · May 07, 2015, 09:56 AM

ok i ordered the board and the eyebrow (just in case) but can you tell me how and where you ordered the cable? i can't find that anywhere. i looked it up in the members area but it only calls it a cable. it looks just like a ethernet cable that wouldn't be the same thing would it? i need just a little luck here and hopefully this is all thats wrong. SAY A PRAYER FOR MY FRIDGE. did you have to take the fridge out to replace the cable?

FastGlassman69 · May 07, 2015, 09:05 PM

I got my parts from a company in PA., they are very nice and shipped very fast, Advanced Service and Parts, LLC. also known as PartsforTechs.com, they have the cable it is part#61571522 costs $25.95. I also bought the 2 Dinosaur boars from them, 3-way eyebrow board D-15639, $75.00 and 3-way Power Supply Board D-15650, $84.95, orderered like 2pm had it the next day! Good Luck,

Bobby

P.S. They also carry generator parts, Onan, Kohler and Generac!