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Old 10-04-2013, 11:48 AM   #1
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Norcold 2 way refrigerator in Swift 184bh

I bought a 2014 Swift 184BH in August and finally took it out for our maiden voyage at the end of September. I was warned at the dealer that the refrigerator could take 24 hours to fully come to temperature so I started it on electric 2 days before our first trip just to be sure.

At first it seemed to be cooling down nicely, and I placed a thermometer inside to monitor the progress. After reaching a low temp of 32 degrees, the temp started climbing right back up. By the time we were ready to head out for our trip, the thermometer was reading 72.

When we arrived at the campsite, I decided to try it on propane to see if that would work. I had essentially the same result, initial cooling down to a low of 42 degrees and then gradual warming back up to the 70's.

When we got home, I tried electric again just to be double sure but I got the same result of initial cooling and then warming right back up.

Has anyone had a similar problem? I am taking it in to the dealer tomorrow and I was hoping for some advice from the forum.

Thanks
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Old 10-04-2013, 01:22 PM   #2
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Well..

Question first. Was the camper level? If the camper is not level (or close) you can have problems with your Norcold.

If the freezer remains cold, and the fridge temp changes, you have a bad thermistor.

If you have the correct voltages, while on propane and on AC, and the entire unit temps are all over the place, you probably have a bad cooling unit.

Either way, your Jayco dealer can take care of it for you. Should be warranty work.

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Old 10-04-2013, 01:31 PM   #3
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Thanks for the feedback, I didn't think to check the freezer compartment, just the fridge compartment. I am going to run a test on that right away! What happens when the thermistor is bad? Is it a part that can be repaired or replaced?
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Old 10-04-2013, 02:09 PM   #4
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Its a 4 minute fix. The thermistor is the little "bug" looking thing that sits on the fins inside the refrigerator. Regulates the temp inside the refrigerator ONLY.
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Old 10-04-2013, 02:31 PM   #5
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I see a naked silver colored wire that comes from the back wall of the fridge and loops over the fins, then runs down the 4th fin and is held on with two silver clamps. Is that the thermistor?
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Old 10-04-2013, 03:56 PM   #6
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yep, should be.. its a Norcold, happen to have a model number off hand? I can look it up as well...
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Old 10-04-2013, 04:50 PM   #7
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Norcold 2 way refrigerator in Swift 184bh

Yes, n302lm8. I am monitoring the freezer now per your advice and it is already down to 39 in the freezer compartment in just a couple of hours while the fridge area still feels warm.
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Old 10-04-2013, 10:52 PM   #8
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Let us know what you find out.
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Old 10-05-2013, 07:56 AM   #9
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When I ran it yesterday while monitoring the freezer compartment, I found the exact same problem. At startup the temp began dropping nicely, but within a few hours it started climbing back up.

I guess this means that it is not the thermistor, since the freezer cannot hold temperature. On my way to the dealer in an hour.
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Old 10-05-2013, 09:04 AM   #10
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My motto..new RV the dealer figures it out... U paid for the warranty (included in the price) so might as well use it.
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Old 10-05-2013, 08:35 PM   #11
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That was a good decision. Let us know what the problem is.
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Old 10-15-2013, 09:46 AM   #12
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After a week at the dealer, there is no clear answer to my refrigerator problem because they claim it has been holding a steady and "ideal" temp since they started it.

Since they can't duplicate the problem, they are calling it user error and asking me to come pick it up. I am frustrated because I spent five days monitoring the temps before I decided to take it in and they were fluctuating wildly. What could cause that problem at my home (and at a campsite) but not at the dealer?

I am sure the trailer was level both side to side and front to back. What else am I missing?
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Old 10-16-2013, 05:50 AM   #13
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When you pick it up, make sure the fridge is on propane for the trip home and check the temp. Hopefully it is still on propane and you can see what temp it is at. Maybe there was a partial plug in the cooling unit and towing it to the dealer cleared it up.
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Old 10-16-2013, 07:17 AM   #14
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LiftedAWDAstro is on to something.

Looking at the troubleshooting chart for Norcold, the only thing that they reference is to check the voltages and gas pressures and look for a "yellowish brown" substance on the rear of the refrigerator (indicating ammonia leak).

Are the top absorber coils warmer then the second coil? If yes, normal operation. If not, this indicates a blockage in the cooling unit.
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Old 10-16-2013, 09:36 AM   #15
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This is interesting. I have a new 145RB TT with the small 2-way norcold unit.
It won't operate/cool any longer than 5 minutes on either LP or on 120V AC.
The TT is at the dealer now for warranty work on the norcold.
The model is #R302N, I would be curious to know the model # of your unit with the cooling problem.
I have a posting on this issue in the "ultra lite" forum on this site.
thanks for any response.
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Old 10-16-2013, 09:48 AM   #16
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I saw your post ranchosinvacas and I was hoping that your dealer would be able to figure it out because mine says there is nothing wrong with my unit. I have the N302LM8 refrigerator which is a small 2 way Norcold unit.

I took it in for warranty work because the temps would fluctuate widely from the 40' to the 70's during the course of the day. This happened on both electric and propane. The dealer has had it for over a week and they say that they are not getting any fluctuations in temp so there is nothing they can do.

One person on the forum suggested that I may have had some sort of blockage that was cleared out by the movement of towing it to the dealer. I sure hope that was it and that I can use the refrigerator when we are out camping!
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Old 10-16-2013, 11:03 AM   #17
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ranchosinvacas, CevCamper,

I talked to Norcold. Here is what they would need (through your dealer, of course)..

Make sure that your fridge is vented outside (has an output for the heat to go when the unit is in operation). Norcold would need pics of the outside vents. No venting, no cooling. This may be the reason that the techs cannot duplicate the problem in the work bay. Bays are typically heavily vented, and we keep the doors (camper doors too) open while we work on campers.

I have other procedures for testing, but um.. its not for the feint of heart...

John
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Old 10-16-2013, 05:01 PM   #18
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Thanks for response;
Here's what I did prior to taking the TT to the dealer;
Opened LP tank Valve slowly.
Lit LP stove, water heater, and furnace to check for LP in lines.
Turned mode switch to "off" then to "LP".
Pushed and held gas button and clicked piezo til gauge read in the green zone indicating it was lighted. It operated on LP for a max of 5 minutes before the gas dropped out and the burner shut down.
I checked for wasps, bugs, and dirt at burner port and found none.
I also checked for soot in the vent chimney and found none.
Also checked for brown/yellow stuff (ammonia leak) and found none.
As for 120v AC, I checked/tested for voltage at the refer recept and made certain it was plugged in correctly.
It previously appeared to attempt to cool on AC voltage but if it did so, it was for as brief a time as the LP mode.
I also left the Norcold unit on 120v AC for 18 hours without any sign of cooling.
As for venting to the exterior, the Jayco 145RB has two exterior vents, an upper and a lower. (approx size 8x18 ea.)
The above steps were as far as I wanted to go because TT is new (purchased mid August) .
I have since talked with the dealer's service tech and of course he did all of the above steps and he also checked on the refrigerant gas and found it to be at 11 inch of water column.
My phone call to the dealer today was not much help, as the service adviser said they were still "checking".

On a lighter note... A friend said he once had to invert his TT gas refrigerator (turn it upside down) in order to get it to work again...something about gas packing...then it worked after he returned it to the upright position. Of course that could be just a story he wanted to tell...
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Old 10-17-2013, 07:42 AM   #19
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Well... crap.

I can only tell you the dealership process... we take pictures, describe the problem, Norcold makes the determination for repair actions or to send a new unit.

I can see why the dealer gave you that answer, but... it may have made more sense if they gave you the "Paul Harvey"

john
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Old 10-17-2013, 05:17 PM   #20
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Latest development re: the refrigerator was a phone call today saying that the service dep't continued to monitor the temps, even after they told me that it was user error, and they noticed that the unit was not holding a steady temp. They said it is running about 10 degrees too warm and they are going to let me know tomorrow if they can fix it or if they will replace it.

I will update when I get more info.
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