Dometic 2812 check light, reignitor wire removed

[SoupsOn]

Using my vintage Gulfstream for the first time. So many unexpected surprises.
Thought the fridge worked. Only it doesn’t. The check light comes on regardless of how many reset cycles or what fuel/automatic setting.

I did discover that blue wire (8) going to the re igniter seems to have been removed. (It was loose, outside of the cover, and there does not seem to be room for it to have jostled itself loose to that extent.)

Also discovered that either the leveling system doesn’t or no longer functions or I just can’t figure out how to make it work, so the rig is not level. It’s not horrible, but it’s not level.

Looking for any help getting the fridge functioning. Or even to clear up any of the mysteries.

Thanks!

[Old-Biscuit]

The BLUE wire is the dc POS to the reigniter

Reigniter provides the High Voltage To Spark Electrode

Blue wire barrel connector when inserted into the 4 pin connector should lock in and then fit over the PIN at #4 position

#1 Position (white wire) is DC NEG from gas valve solenoid
#2 Position (yellow wire) is DC OS to gas valve solenoid

**S/B 12VDC Between #1 & #4

[SoupsOn]

Originally Posted by Old-Biscuit

The BLUE wire is the dc POS to the reigniter

Reigniter provides the High Voltage To Spark Electrode

Blue wire barrel connector when inserted into the 4 pin connector should lock in and then fit over the PIN at #4 position

#1 Position (white wire) is DC NEG from gas valve solenoid
#2 Position (yellow wire) is DC OS to gas valve solenoid

**S/B 12VDC Between #1 & #4

Old Biscuit, thank you for your reply. Sorry I’m not fully understanding…

The way I’m understanding what I see, the blue wire is connected already to the 4 pin connector (P3) at that end. It’s disconnected on the other. (E, reignitor)

Taking another look at the diagram, is it possible someone has moved the wires out of order at the reignitor? The diagram indicates they should be, top to bottom, grey, blue, empty, yellow. Am I reading that right?
But that would leave me with a different loose wire - the black one that is currently in the bottom spot. I’ve closed it up for the night so unable to make further pictures, inspection or identification for now.

After some of the strange things we’ve found, I have to say I’m a little concerned that this was done intentionally for some impossible to fathom reason. Are there possible foreseeable negative consequences to rewiring this to how it should be? I assume so.

[Old-Biscuit]

Reigniter.........



5 slots........
2 on 'thick' part of case
Top slot is empty----no terminal
Next one has terminal......high voltage to Spark Electrode -----GREY wire

3 slots on lower portion
Top slot is DC POS from the 4 pin connector(P3) ----- Should be BLUE wire
Middle slot......no wire goes to it
Bottom Slot is DC NEG/GROUND

So
Where does the YELLOW wire go to?
*Should be BLUE from P3

Where does the BLACK wire go to?
Should go to a Chassis Ground Screw


If Yellow is from a 12VDC POS source such as DC POS going to the Gas Valve Solenoid....that would be OK
In that case BLUE in P3 could be TEST PORT
***Your reigniter would then be correctly wired
(Factory changes/different production years etc)

[Fridge Defend]

Originally Posted by SoupsOn

1) Thought the fridge worked. Only it doesn’t. The check light comes on regardless of how many reset cycles or what fuel/automatic setting.

2) I did discover that blue wire (8) going to the re-igniter seems to have been removed. (It was loose, outside of the cover, and there does not seem to be room for it to have jostled itself loose to that extent.)

3) Also discovered that either the leveling system doesn’t or no longer functions or I just can’t figure out how to make it work, so the rig is not level. It’s not horrible, but it’s not level.

1) If your igniter is lighting the flame, then the arc stops, the the igniter is working fine. Dometic has issues with their original control boards that resulted in the check light coming on. Just as with our business, Dometic made opportunity for Dinosaur Electronics in Lincoln City, OR to develop a better product. If all else fails, I strongly suggest you get a Dinosaur board.

2) As seen by the wiring diagram, the igniter requires only 3 wires as shown in your photo. Power, ground, and the high voltage igniter wire. A 4th wire slot is often seen on the igniters, this is for the RM2x10 type fridge that have an orange igniter light that shows when the igniter is striking. DO NOT connect the blue wire to this lead or you will cook the Dometic fridge controller.

You are correct, the blue wire is a diagnostics wire that is not connected to anything. Follow your instinct, also note that the blue wire will not connect to the igniter due to different type connectors.

I am not there, but take note that the igniter gets its power from the gas valve (I believe yellow wire). Any time the gas valve is on, the igniter is also on.

3) LEVELING SYSTEM: If I understand your question correct, you assume that there is a leveling detector on the fridge? This is exactly why we built the Fridge Defend, to prevent the boiler from overheating due to being off-level. If your rig is off-level, the boiler can and will overheat, we suggest you protect your investment with boiler overheat solution. If you are talking about a leveling system on your rig, we have seen many RVs with leveling systems creep or sink into the ground to the point that the boiler overheats.

Hope this helps

[SoupsOn]

Originally Posted by ARP Control

1) If your igniter is lighting the flame, then the arc stops, the the igniter is working fine.

….
take note that the igniter gets its power from the gas valve (I believe yellow wire). Any time the gas valve is on, the igniter is also on.
:

Thanks for the info.

There is no ignition/flame. No evidence of propane, though I know I have propane and it is available.

[SoupsOn]

Originally Posted by SoupsOn

Thanks for the info.

There is no ignition/flame. No evidence of propane, though I know I have propane and it is available.

I stand corrected!! This afternoon the area was warm (almost hot) to the touch.

[SoupsOn]

Originally Posted by SoupsOn

I stand corrected!! This afternoon the area was warm (almost hot) to the touch.

And it’s cooling! I have ZerO idea what changed!

[Old-Biscuit]

After propane has been valved out for awhile it can take SEVERAL attempts to get propane flow established

LP Reg has to have a demand and then establish flow/full pressure to each propane appliance
Fridge, Water Heater & Furnace have Flame Proving Circuits ....Stove top burners do not so you can light them off and help get propane flowing.

Fridge can take several attempts for propane to be completely established at fridge gas valve----smaller demand
Water Heater & furnace less attempts...higher demands

[Fridge Defend]

Originally Posted by SoupsOn

I stand corrected!! This afternoon the area was warm (almost hot) to the touch.

When I am working on the burner assembly, I always take the single Philips screw out of the burner cover so that I can see the burner.

Believe it or not, most problems can be fixed just by looking around.

I have had anomalies occur with my system, keep using it to see if issue comes back.

QUESTION: Did you change out propane bottles? If so, yes the air needs to be bleed from the system as Old-Biscuit pointed out.

COMMENT: If you did not change propane bottles, and you are getting air into the system, it is a good idea to have a leak-down test preformed to see if you have a leak that is allowing air into the propane system. Propane leaks are a very serious issue if this is the case. Leak-down is simply putting a manometer on the LP system to test the pressure. Turn off the LP as the tank and see how long it takes for the system to leak down the pressure, this will determine if there is a leak in the system.

STEPS If you continue having an issue, remove the burner cover and have someone turn on the fridge after the RV has been sitting for a week or so. When the fridge is turned on, the LP flame should start within 2-3 strikes of the igniter. Be sure to do a leak-down test first.

[SoupsOn]

Originally Posted by Old-Biscuit

After propane has been valved out for awhile it can take SEVERAL attempts to get propane flow established

LP Reg has to have a demand and then establish flow/full pressure to each propane appliance
Fridge, Water Heater & Furnace have Flame Proving Circuits ....Stove top burners do not so you can light them off and help get propane flowing.

Fridge can take several attempts for propane to be completely established at fridge gas valve----smaller demand
Water Heater & furnace less attempts...higher demands

Got it! You may recall that I changed out the regulators on my LP system recently, so this makes total sense.

What doesn’t yet make sense it why the fridge isn’t working on AC instead of pulling from the LP. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that it’s working. But I’m hooked up to 50amps and had assumed it would pull from there.

I’ll do another visual inspection of the wiring inside the coach cabinet to see if i can identify the fridge wiring and confirm it is intact. Unfortunately I did not do a thorough enough inspection before my purchase and realized after the fact that at some point there was a rodent infestation. They cleaned up the cosmetic issues and left the real problems untended.

[Fridge Defend]

Originally Posted by SoupsOn

Got it! You may recall that I changed out the regulators on my LP system recently, so this makes total sense.

What doesn’t yet make sense it why the fridge isn’t working on AC instead of pulling from the LP. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that it’s working. But I’m hooked up to 50amps and had assumed it would pull from there.

I’ll do another visual inspection of the wiring inside the coach cabinet to see if i can identify the fridge wiring and confirm it is intact. Unfortunately I did not do a thorough enough inspection before my purchase and realized after the fact that at some point there was a rodent infestation. They cleaned up the cosmetic issues and left the real problems untended.

BURNER: A good point was made, and that is if one attempts to restart the burner, and the burner is hot, a lean condition can be a fault. We have tested restarts so much, we leave the burner cover off of our test unit so the using relights immediately. This is only for a hot burner, if the igniter is arcing one can blow on the burner assembly and the flame will light.

AUTOMATIC ENERGY SELECTION: The Dometic controllers can have issues with this function. Use the control panel on the fridge to manually select the energy source.

TRICKS: We unplug our 120VAC line to force the controller into the propane mode. We use the little knob on the gas valve to turn off the gas to force to 120VAC mode.

SHORE POWER: If you force the fridge to start on shore power, and it will not, then check the fuse on the control board.

[Old-Biscuit]

Originally Posted by SoupsOn

Got it! You may recall that I changed out the regulators on my LP system recently, so this makes total sense.

What doesn’t yet make sense it why the fridge isn’t working on AC instead of pulling from the LP. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that it’s working. But I’m hooked up to 50amps and had assumed it would pull from there.

I’ll do another visual inspection of the wiring inside the coach cabinet to see if i can identify the fridge wiring and confirm it is intact. Unfortunately I did not do a thorough enough inspection before my purchase and realized after the fact that at some point there was a rodent infestation. They cleaned up the cosmetic issues and left the real problems untended.

Verify you have 120VAC at outlet fridge power cord is plugged into

Fridge needs to be in 'AUTO' mode for AC to work
*Manual Mode is GAS ONLY

Got 120VAC at outlet
Check that the 5A Fuse is not blown
Check that you have 120VAC between J5/Hot & J6/Neutral
Check that you have 120VAC between J7 & J8 (AC Element leads)

[153stars]

I kinda skipped through fridge posts. The levelers does it work at all . Do you have manual switches working. Many just dump air bags if DP and manually level . That will help insure front is leg is down first and not raise coach too high, twist frame or pop out windshield/s. Most leveler system owner manuals will have recalibrate procedure for auto level as long as level sensor box is still mounted correctly. Also do you have 3 or 4 levelers as in 1 or 2 in front.