HELP Norcold recall done today now setting code and not working

[Camping4fun]

Took MH in today for warranty work and the Norcold refrigerator recall to be done, now its not working and setting Code L1 op, High Temp Limit Switch is open. I had a appointment for a warranty job to be done and this recall to be done. Appointment was set for the 25th (Monday) over two months ago, So I get up this morning and drive 220 miles to drop it off for Monday's appointment, which I was told would take 6 hours to do and 24 hours for sealer to dry and would be able to pick up Tuesday. When I get there they tell me they can't get to it Monday and more then likely it will take atleast two months before they can get to it since I did not buy it from them, but they could do the Norcold recall if I would leave it with them for a hour or two. Go back to pick it up and start home, about 10 mins away from there the refrigerator starts beeping so I pull over and checked it, there was a code L1 op and it was not working so I turn around and went back. The Service Manager comes out tells me its nothing they did and they do not have time to work on it that they are closing at 12noon that they will look at it when I bring it back in two months. After getting home tonight I took off the box they wired in and hooked it back up like factory had it and it works. Guess I will call Norcold Monday and Fleetwood about getting the warranty work done by another Fleetwood dealer. I will never go back to Southave RV ever again. I'm not one for bitching but service like this sucks.

[Sammie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Camping4fun Took MH in today for warranty work and the Norcold refrigerator recall to be done, now its not working and setting Code L1 op, High Temp Limit Switch is open. I had a appointment for a warranty job to be done and this recall to be done. Appointment was set for the 25th (Monday) over two months ago, So I get up this morning and drive 220 miles to drop it off for Monday's appointment, which I was told would take 6 hours to do and 24 hours for sealer to dry and would be able to pick up Tuesday. When I get there they tell me they can't get to it Monday and more then likely it will take atleast two months before they can get to it since I did not buy it from them, but they could do the Norcold recall if I would leave it with them for a hour or two. Go back to pick it up and start home, about 10 mins away from there the refrigerator starts beeping so I pull over and checked it, there was a code L1 op and it was not working so I turn around and went back. The Service Manager comes out tells me its nothing they did and they do not have time to work on it that they are closing at 12noon that they will look at it when I bring it back in two months. After getting home tonight I took off the box they wired in and hooked it back up like factory had it and it works. Guess I will call Norcold Monday and Fleetwood about getting the warranty work done by another Fleetwood dealer. I will never go back to Southave RV ever again. I'm not one for bitching but service like this sucks.

I feel your pain Todd. My Norcold is not really that old and actually was working pretty good, but after hearing about all the recall fiascos going on and the possibilty of the darn thing catching on fire I decided to do something about it on my own. It was actually to the point that my wife was having second thoughts about going camping anymore. Here is a short video I made of the installation of a new Amish Built Cooling Unit. It's been installed and working flawlessly for three weeks now and we have no need for a crappy recall box or worries of potential fires.

Sammie

‪Norcold 1200 to Amish Cooling Unit Conversion.mpg‬‏ - YouTube

[Camping4fun]

Thanks for video, I called a friend of mine last night that worked for a HR dealer for around 11 years and is now in business for himself in the same line of work. I asked if Norcold had the same trouble of catching on fire as Dometic and he said no. Guess I'll see what happens tomorrow when I call Norcold. Before I go back to Southaven RV I will pull the thing out and put a old time ice chest inplace of it, like our grand parents used years old. lol

[Sammie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Camping4fun Thanks for video, I called a friend of mine last night that worked for a HR dealer for around 11 years and is now in business for himself in the same line of work. I asked if Norcold had the same trouble of catching on fire as Dometic and he said no. Guess I'll see what happens tomorrow when I call Norcold. Before I go back to Southaven RV I will pull the thing out and put a old time ice chest inplace of it, like our grand parents used years old. lol

Todd, If you will do a search in the RV Systems & Appliances section of this forum for Norcold refrigerators you will find many, many, threads on the recalls which are being done on the Norcolds. These recalls are being done specifically because of the failures and fires involving the Norcolds. Dometic fridges have had a similar problem but I don't think to the extent of the Norcolds.

Sammie

[JC2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Camping4fun Took MH in today for warranty work and the Norcold refrigerator recall to be done, now its not working and setting Code L1 op, High Temp Limit Switch is open. I had a appointment for a warranty job to be done and this recall to be done. Appointment was set for the 25th (Monday) over two months ago, So I get up this morning and drive 220 miles to drop it off for Monday's appointment, which I was told would take 6 hours to do and 24 hours for sealer to dry and would be able to pick up Tuesday. When I get there they tell me they can't get to it Monday and more then likely it will take atleast two months before they can get to it since I did not buy it from them, but they could do the Norcold recall if I would leave it with them for a hour or two. Go back to pick it up and start home, about 10 mins away from there the refrigerator starts beeping so I pull over and checked it, there was a code L1 op and it was not working so I turn around and went back. The Service Manager comes out tells me its nothing they did and they do not have time to work on it that they are closing at 12noon that they will look at it when I bring it back in two months. After getting home tonight I took off the box they wired in and hooked it back up like factory had it and it works. Guess I will call Norcold Monday and Fleetwood about getting the warranty work done by another Fleetwood dealer. I will never go back to Southave RV ever again. I'm not one for bitching but service like this sucks.

I don't know about you, but I wouldn't set foot on their doorstep again. Additionally, I would go to this free link and write an appropriate review for this so-called dealer so others will consider avoiding them. I personally am quite disgusted in the overall attitude of a lot of RV dealers today and when/if they to treat me that way I will give them a negative rating in a heartbeat and let everyone I know about them.
RV Service Review

[bluepill]

Having seen more than the average share of horrors over my 45 year career in Automotive repair, before I took my MH in to have the recall done by a dealer that I did not previously know, I ran the refer for 24 hours from a warm start and recorded the temps in both sections so that I had an established baseline in case of any post recall problems.

I also took a dozen or so photos of the wiring on the back of the refer in case I needed to change it back or establish prior condition because of damage.


The good news is that the dealer was top notch, and I was impressed enough to give him additional work.

It's a sad comment on the state of the trade that I felt I had to do it that way. I used to joke with my customers that our business had a well earned bad reputation. It seems to apply to most other trades also.

[redbill1234]

Had the same problem on first trip out this summer, after it running fine for 3 mths in Florida. It is a 2008 Dicovery which we had just bought at Lazydays. I'm in Canada and phoned a Fleetwood dealer 20 miles away and they took me right in had it fixed in 20 minutes. Tech said it was faulty little black box that was put on for high temp recall problem. He put on a new one didn't even charge me andshowed me how to remove the 2 wires one above the other and put in a GM type fuse between the spades on wire ends as a temporary fix if it happens again. That was the same code I was getting, worked good after that. He even said they would put part cost under warranty, and I never even bought the unit off them. They became my new dealer after that service.

[WhiteEagle]

Camping4fun....
I had exactly the same experience last month...
The recall "fix" was done on the Norcold... on way home from dealers, the refrigerator stopped working and the code was L1.op
I took the MH back to dealers within a couple days.. they tested all and discovered that the small thing that they put in as the "fix" was defective... they replaced it .. all is fine now..
They also showed me where to move two wires if it ever happens again to enable me to at least keep using the refrigerator in use.... I was told that the newest batch of the "fix thingys" that was delivered for the recall are cheaper and some have failed quickly.... apparently just like mine did... I'm hoping it lasts now...
I suspect you have the same issue I experienced...

[CWSpiess]

So which 2 wires do you move and where do you move them to "override" the switch if the unit shuts itself off. Mine quit last weekend and I have not taken it back to the shop who installed the new safety unit.

Craig Spiess
2007 CC Inspire #51959/Civic hybrid toad

[1ciderdog]

If you are talking about thelittle safety box that Norcold added there are only three wires & one small plug into it and they were (on mine) labeled. It is not hard to trace them out. The 12 volt positive comes out of a wire loom to that box. There is a ground wire from the box to a ground point. There is a small two wire plug that comes from the temperature sensor. The last wire off the box goes to the refrigerator. On mine at the box I removed the 12 volt wire that comes from the loom and connected it to the back of the refrigerator after removing the wire from the box to that point. That worked on my Journey and if we are talking the same thing it should work on yours.
Safe Travels
Bob

["007"]

Follow the directions in this post to get your fridge working again.

[paz]

Camping4fun, HERE is an excellent explanation by SUMDALUS (RV tech and iRV2 member) of how the recall box is supposed to work and what happens when it doesn't.

The L1-op code is what the panel on later Norcold models shows to indicate the recall box has tripped. The box is supposed to detect abnormally high temperatures in the stack and shut the fridge down before there is a fire, so be careful bypassing the box. However, there have been numerous reports of the control boxes failing and tripping when there never has been a high temperature in the stack. Since yours shut down after such a short time, it is likely your recall box is bad.

Unfortunately, Norcold will not send the recall boxes directly to customers, so you will have to find another RV repair shop to replace the box. They also will not send out boxes in advance, so the shop will likely have to order one for you, which will probably take about 2 weeks.