Craig,
I'm in the middle of the exact same repair, and figured I'd share my progress so far..
Here's a shot of the heater that's the culprit behind error #13:
In the upper right corner, I've circled an area in red. That's the part that goes into the drain tube, and on mine it was folded up inside the tube which created a hot spot and burned it out. Stretching it out and zooming in:
To put it in perspective, here's my partially disassembled freezer compartment:
This is the top part of the freezer. I've removed the ice bin and the plastic plate that goes under it, as well as the zig-zag shaped trim piece to the upper right, and the two screws angled up at the bottom of the large plastic cover to the right.
The heater element is stuck to the bottom of the tray where it's circled in red. The wires run up the side and across the top behind the panel where it's circled in green, and plugs in to a junction box behind the ice maker where it's circled in blue. You can't see the junction box from this camera angle, but it's real easy to see in person (but not as easy to reach) and the cover is held in by one screw. There is a locking thumb latch on the narrow side of the plug to release the connector.
By removing the three screws on the upper trim piece, and the two screws at the bottom of the side piece, I was able free up the panel enough to pull out the wire and remove the heater (it's basically a large piece of adhesive tape with printed heat traces.) To put it back, I might have to pull that side piece. As 38 Special stated, I might end up pulling the ice maker to do that.
Here's a closeup of the area where the heater goes:
This is the bottom of the panel that is to the right of the ice maker. The drain pan is visible through the three large slots, and if you stick your finger through the slots and feel the bottom of the tray, you'll feel the heater element which lays in the bottom of the tray in the area circled in red. The tail of the heater (the part that burned out on mine) goes down through the drain hose. This is the tube that's currently disconnected in the back corner, which runs through the wall into the fridge side drain.
The tail of the heater is supposed to extend straight down this tube. From what I've read, it's quite common for the tail to get bunched up (like mind did) and overheat and burn out at the fold (like mine did.) So when putting it in, I will be extra careful to make sure it goes in straight and doesn't fold.
Just below this panel is the box that hold the freezer fan, with an air duct going up alongside this panel. I tried pulling this out so that I could drop the side panel down to get it out, but that was a dead end. It was a pain in the but, and didn't get me anywhere. So if you're tempted to do the same, be forewarned.
I'm currently searching for a source for the part. (It was during that search that I stumbled across this thread that references part number 3851411011.) Seems like the prices range from around $100 to $120. The best deal I found so far is at PPL Motorhomes, but it won't let me link directly to that page. Start at their parts page:
RV Refrigerator Parts for Any RV Fridge - PPL Motor Homes. Enter the on-line parts catalog by clicking the blue button, then enter 3851411011 in the part number search field.
I'm off to check a few more sites then place the order. When it gets in I'll let you know how the installation went.
-- SS
"Hognest"
Linear Mode
