Norcold thermal sensor failure

[Cdn-Tx]

Just wondered if anyone else has had a problem with a failure of the thermal sensor recall part. Our fridge (which is new) was recalled and had the thermal sensor added. First time lighting it it failed (or so they suspect). The LED is flashing which indicates an over temp but it's never run since the recall so they suspect the thermal sensor itself is faulty. They take 10 to 14 days to get a replacment so wondering if a person should carry a spare.

[JCM]

I have heard of other having the same problem. There is a wire that you can jump to bypass this problem. I can't tell you witch one yet as I am waiting for my saftey "upgrade".

[Oldkarphart]

Check the switch to see if it has a "Red" reset button on it. My previous MH had the recall done and it failed but had a reset button that I depressed with a pen and all was well.

[paz]

The latest switch does not have a reset button, and yes, the switch can fail. Ours did. See also Post #89 by Nonno in the thread "My Norcold Is Toast."

Be careful bypassing the switch because if it did activate because of overheating, bypassing the switch could result in a fire.

My understanding is Norcold will not supply the switches directly to individuals because they want the cooling unit to be checked out before the switch is replaced. If there is evidence of overheating or leaks, they will not replace the switch.

[Cdn-Tx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by paz The latest switch does not have a reset button, and yes, the switch can fail. Ours did. See also Post #89 by Nonno in the thread "My Norcold Is Toast." Be careful bypassing the switch because if it did activate because of overheating, bypassing the switch could result in a fire. My understanding is Norcold will not supply the switches directly to individuals because they want the cooling unit to be checked out before the switch is replaced. If there is evidence of overheating or leaks, they will not replace the switch.

This fridge is brand new and never been used. It replaced the last one which caught fire (not covered by Norcold) and before it was used, got its recall. They did the recall and when I got it back wouldn’t light because the thermal switch shut the 12 volts off to the igniter. So…nothing wrong with the cooling unit.

Norcold has a fridge design that doesn’t work and a recall fix with the same problem. BTW…the replacement Norcold was 5-grand and it won’t even cool. Suggestion...don't buy American made crap!

[paz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cdn-Tx Just wondered if anyone else has had a problem with a failure of the thermal sensor recall part. Our fridge (which is new) was recalled and had the thermal sensor added. First time lighting it it failed (or so they suspect). The LED is flashing which indicates an over temp but it's never run since the recall so they suspect the thermal sensor itself is faulty. They take 10 to 14 days to get a replacment so wondering if a person should carry a spare.

When our thermal sensor tripped we got a steady red light, not flashing. The flashing light may indicate another problem such as a bad ground or that the thermocouple isn't connected properly. Is there an error message on the refrigerator display, or is the display dark? The safety switch shuts down power to the board, not the igniter, so the display should be dark if the switch has tripped.

When you say, "...they suspect the thermal sensor itself is faulty," I assume by "they" you mean the techs who did the installation. If that's the case, they should have known how to bypass the switch. Although I don't recommend that for safety reasons, it should not be a problem on a new unit, especially if you only do it temporarily as a test.

[Cdn-Tx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by paz When our thermal sensor tripped we got a steady red light, not flashing. The flashing light may indicate another problem such as a bad ground or that the thermocouple isn't connected properly. Is there an error message on the refrigerator display, or is the display dark? The safety switch shuts down power to the board, not the igniter, so the display should be dark if the switch has tripped. When you say, "...they suspect the thermal sensor itself is faulty," I assume by "they" you mean the techs who did the installation. If that's the case, they should have known how to bypass the switch. Although I don't recommend that for safety reasons, it should not be a problem on a new unit, especially if you only do it temporarily as a test.

When the fridge is on, the LED flashes....when the fridge is off its a steady light.
Display flashes LI oP after its 30 seconds to try to light. Propane is full and cook top burners light. Tried lighting at least 50 times. Norcold said the new fridge was not on their list and think maybe the thermal switch revision number is incorrect. This statement was odd because they originally confirmed the fridge serial number, supplied me a order reference number to give the dealer to order the parts. Additional proof that Norcold is inept and doesn’t really know what they’re doing.
As I understand things, Norcold plans on running away from the recall issue once they have completed all units and after that any component failures will be at the owners cost. And they won’t sell parts to anyone other than their dealers so the repairs will be expensive.

[gripper]

At this moment, I am sitting at Lazy Days, RV, awaiting a fix on my Norcold. I just received a call from a tech, who stated that the thermal switch is bad and will have to be replaced. OK, I'm going to give the refrigerator one more chance. If it fails again (this is my 4th. repair), I'm replacing it for sure. The main reason is that I just hate to spend arround $2,000+- for another refrigerator, until I have to.

[Wayne M]

Gordon,
When I had mine done at the dealers, before I left the lot I fired the generator and turned on the refrigerator. The door indicator said "LI oP." Having read so many interesting items on the recall I suspected what I had read was true that the technicians had reversed the Limit In, Limit Out lines. I went back inside and had a technician come out and I told him about it. He had not heard of that but stated it was no big deal and reach onto the black box and unplugged those two wires and reversed them. The "LI oP" went away and the refrigerator has been working when we took the coach on a trip. I'm not saying that is what the problem is but it is worth having a tech check out. Let me ask, "Did you check it on the lot before you drove away?" In my case they apparently made the modifications and then never fired up the refrigerator to check to see if it worked. Dumb and dumber did the install.

[paz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cdn-Tx When the fridge is on, the LED flashes....when the fridge is off its a steady light. Display flashes LI oP after its 30 seconds to try to light. Propane is full and cook top burners light. Tried lighting at least 50 times. Norcold said the new fridge was not on their list and think maybe the thermal switch revision number is incorrect. This statement was odd because they originally confirmed the fridge serial number, supplied me a order reference number to give the dealer to order the parts. Additional proof that Norcold is inept and doesn’t really know what they’re doing. As I understand things, Norcold plans on running away from the recall issue once they have completed all units and after that any component failures will be at the owners cost. And they won’t sell parts to anyone other than their dealers so the repairs will be expensive.

If you can get the display to light up, the safety switch has not tripped - at least not if you have a 1200XX Norcold. The 1210 series may be different. As I said in my previous post, if the switch trips, it cuts power to the circuit board, and you will not be able to get any lights on the display.

The copy of the Norcold repair manual I have does not list a fault code Ll oP, but that's probably because it was written before the recall. Wayne M's post makes a lot of sense - the code means the leads are swapped, and the tech never tested the fridge when he finished the job.

The switch should have 4 wires attached to it. There are 2 wires on the left - red on top and green on the bottom. There is a brown wire (actually a fine red wire and a fine white wire in a brown sheath) in the center, and a blue wire on the right. Check to see if they're plugged into the switch correctly. Turn the refrigerator off before unplugging or changing any of the wires.

If the wires are plugged into the switch correctly, then the other end of those wires may be swapped. The brown wire is the thermocouple attached to the heat stack. The green wire is the ground. Mine is attached by a screw to the back of the refrigerator with several other green wires. The blue wire should be plugged into the circuit board, and the red wire should be plugged into a 12V lead, which is probably black. I'm betting Wayne M is right, and the red wire and the blue wire are swapped. Again, turn off the fridge before unplugging any wires.

[Clifftall]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gripper At this moment, I am sitting at Lazy Days, RV, awaiting a fix on my Norcold. I just received a call from a tech, who stated that the thermal switch is bad and will have to be replaced. OK, I'm going to give the refrigerator one more chance. If it fails again (this is my 4th. repair), I'm replacing it for sure. The main reason is that I just hate to spend arround $2,000+- for another refrigerator, until I have to.

Gripper, Please explain 4 repairs . Were they all thermal switch related?

Wayne and Paz, the same happened to me , My tech ( I use that phrase lightly , as he had only done 2 before me ) switched the 12v in and out wires and I got the LI OP and my manual says must be looked ay by a tech. My " tech " went back to the shop to get another switch and by the time he came back ,I pointed to the instructions ( which he never read ) and showed him his error. It then fired up.

[Elkhartjim]

I'm going to do two things because there is so much conflicting information on the Norcold problems.

1. I'm going to quit reading this "stuff" on Norcold because as I see it there are so many experts with so much varying information that the longer this goes the more confused everyone gets. Remember, intially if the red light ever came on the unit was toast and had to be replaced...bunk. Then there were boxes with resets and then it was only the thermocouple failed and then it was only the yellow tag and on and on and on.

2. Just as soon as I return from our trip I'm going to order the residential refer and hopefully never park near a RV with a Norcold installed.

[Clifftall]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elkhartjim I'm going to do two things because there is so much conflicting information on the Norcold problems. 1. I'm going to quit reading this "stuff" on Norcold because as I see it there are so many experts with so much varying information that the longer this goes the more confused everyone gets. Remember, intially if the red light ever came on the unit was toast and had to be replaced...bunk. Then there were boxes with resets and then it was only the thermocouple failed and then it was only the yellow tag and on and on and on. 2. Just as soon as I return from our trip I'm going to order the residential refer and hopefully never park near a RV with a Norcold installed.

Had we only known how easy it was to get rid of Jim , I'll bet we could've all chipped in a dollar a piece for his new res. refer

[gripper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by clifftall Gripper, Please explain 4 repairs . Were they all thermal switch related?

Sorry to respond so late, but Just after I wrote the response above, I was called by the tech, that my RV was finished and I could pick it up. I asked if he checked it out on electric and propane and he said that he had. I double-checked, after I picked up my keys and found that it was working ok. After I got home, I plugged it into my shore power and it continues to work ok.

The four times that I was speaking of relates to repair of the refirgerator. (1). Both doors fell off. (2) It quit working. Wouldn't cool on propane or electric. Needed a new "brain", I was told. (3) I had the second recall done. (4). It quit while I was on a trip, 4/4/11 - the red light on the switch came on. This time, it was a faulty Thermocouple Switch.