Dometic fridge won't turn on.

[cksoper]

Hi All!

Brand new member here with my first motorhome, although I've been trailering for ten years.

I just replaced the cooling unit in a domestic fridge in a 1994 Fleetwood Southwind, and now it won't power on. I think it's a 12-volt issue, but it was powering on before I worked on it. I'm pretty sure I got it all wired up correctly, but I'm wondering what could be the issue. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

[Airtool]

Was the cooling unit replaced by a service center or was it DIY job?
The safety systems on the new cooling units can be problematic to say the least. There is a you tube video of one of the members doing a change out of the cooling system on one of the posts. wish I could remember what it was posted under.
No lites on the display would lead to the 12 volt problem as a starting point. Then things get a little sticky.
My Norcold unit is still working fine,but I keep my fingers crossed all the time.

Dick.

[cksoper]

I did this myself, and the only problem I expected was cooling, not simply no power. It is acting like it is a 12-volt issue, but Im thinking there is some kind of limit switch or other switch that must be thrown to get it working.

["007"]

Here are manuals for fridge found in stickies above, need your model number and they have wiring diagrams with each manual.
Welcome to irv2.

[Sammie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cksoper Hi All! Brand new member here with my first motorhome, although I've been trailering for ten years. I just replaced the cooling unit in a domestic fridge in a 1994 Fleetwood Southwind, and now it won't power on. I think it's a 12-volt issue, but it was powering on before I worked on it. I'm pretty sure I got it all wired up correctly, but I'm wondering what could be the issue. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

Check the 12 volts going to the fridge with a DC volt meter (not a test light). You need to see 12 volts at the fridge for it to work properly. Anything at say 11 volts or under is not enough.

Sammie

[cksoper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sammie Check the 12 volts going to the fridge with a DC volt meter (not a test light). You need to see 12 volts at the fridge for it to work properly. Anything at say 11 volts or under is not enough. Sammie

I've got 12.4 volts to the fridge, but the manual states it will operate with 9.5. When I was working on it I discovered that I had laid the fridge frame over the wires that go to the control panel while it was resting on a soft surface. Maybe it pulled a wire or two from it's mount? If I knew how to check the control panel connections that would tell me if the panel is an issue.

[RV Wizard]

Be sure to check the fuse(s) in the control box on back side of refrigerator. Check for 12vdc feeding this board. If no 12vdc then check wiring and thermal sensor on cooling unit. Also check all connections on control board. Good luck and keep us posted as to what you find.

[cksoper]

Thank you. I checked the board and did, indeed, find a 3 Watt fuse burned out, but replacing it didn't fix it. It was working before I started all of this. I'll be checking the connections on the lower board and the upper board tomorrow, but I'm not quite sure how to do it. I've got the pdf that was referred to me, however.

I do believe it has something to do with the wires going to the upper control board because they were caught under the upper lip of the freezer compartment when the fridge was laying upside down while I worked on replacing the cooling unit. Something tells me that a small wire had been pulled out of its socket.

[cksoper]

I have a question about procedure for checking the 12 volt connections at the lower control board, please. Shouldn't I attach the common connector from my multimeter to the ground connection on the control board? When I do I get no reading. When I switch the connections I get a negative reading.