Norcold high temperature limit switch

[sundancer 87]

Mine died last night after a nice horizontal rain made its way past the exterior air intake door.

I book says the high temperature sensor is open, thereby shutting down the refrigerator. Both gas and AC are disabled when this condition occurs.

The fault is not user corrected, only the 'official' people are supposed to replace/repair this problematic component.

I made calls to a few large RV dealers and none of them could find the part in their computers. They don't even list the component but yet it's shown in the wiring diagram in the owner's manual.

Long story short, I by-passed the high temperature limit switch and made my reefer cold again. I may look into finding the part at a later date or I may just leave it out of the loop. I think this part was the last recall attempt by Norcold. The sticker says revision E, this is a Norcold in a 2013 Voltage. One would think they would get it right after fives attempts to solve whatever problem Norcold is trying to circumvent.

 

[PEEJ31]

We encountered that same problem yesterday after washing the camper . We are preparing to leave with camper on vacation in three days and it was loaded with food! Thanks to these on-line forums we discovered how to use a jumper wire to bypass the switch so that the fridge works again and we can happily go on vacation without sixteen coolers of food and beverages. After having the leaking windows calamity we are definitely ready for vacation!

 

[Bulldog80]

Ours did it a couple of days ago too. We've got a some time so it's going into service dept tomorrow. Ticks me off though, less than a month and a half old.

 

[Hoef30]

Where did you find out how to jump out the switch? I had my RV for two weeks and iy happened to me. Been waiting weeks for the part.

 

[sundancer 87]

There is a ground wire and a 12volt wire going to the limit switch. It will also have a small push on connector that goes to the burner assembly. The 12 volt circuit will be the heavier wires.
Those two wires go into and out of a small relay inside the limit switch enclosure.
All you need to do is pull the wires off the circuit board and connect them together with a jumper wire. The board is marked with polarity so when you get the new switch you'll be able to reconnect correctly. If in doubt, use the phone camera and take a picture.
You can't get it wrong when you jump those two wires. Turn the refrigerator off so you don't create a little spark upon connection.
The limit switch is the black box inside the exterior access door.

 

[Bulldog80]

Thank you Sundancer, looks like we'll be waiting for a new switch to get shipped. At least with this we can camp until it gets here. Doesn't it seem like RV service departments are a joke compared to automotive ones?

 

[Camper2b]

I realize this topic is a little outdated so I will attempt to revive it. First off I can't believe I've purchased another unit that has a Norcold in it. My advice would be ... don't bypass the cutoff switch or fire or even death could occur as a result. I can't elaborate very much as this is an ongoing investigation so please don't ask questions. Look at the loss of my 1999 Blue Bird Wanderlodge that I owned for nearly nine years and took very good care of it.

Then ask yourself.. do I feel lucky ... well do ya ..camper?! don't modify. get the proper repair... or take it out. I'm installing a halon fire extinguisher until I can remove it with something else.
It burned the entire interior. The outside is solid steel. I was on board asleep and am thankful to my God that I'm alive. It was a horrible experience. BTW check your smoke detectors that's what woke me up.

 

[Adair1965]

Crap, that scares the s**t out of me. Thank god for smoke detectors.

 

[DB03Z06]

I just bought a new V3305 and my double door Norcold was showing the Li op code. High temperature limit switch open and non owner serviceable the manual says. Yeah right... I googled it and found out another very simple fix for this if your switch is the resettable version. Even the service manual says to just reset it but doesn't tell you how to reset it. You simply pass a strong magnet over the switch and it will reset! I just kept passing a fairly strong u shaped magnet over it until it clicked and the red led turned off.

 

[splash]

I just bought a new V3305 and my double door Norcold was showing the Li op code. High temperature limit switch open and non owner serviceable the manual says. Yeah right... I googled it and found out another very simple fix for this if your switch is the resettable version. Even the service manual says to just reset it but doesn't tell you how to reset it. You simply pass a strong magnet over the switch and it will reset! I just kept passing a fairly strong u shaped magnet over it until it clicked and the red led turned off.

What is the light switch trying to notify you about? Resetting would have me wondering what caused it....

 

[DB03Z06]

Usually it's just water getting into it is the cause.

 

[slb5146]

Norcold not cooling

There is a ground wire and a 12volt wire going to the limit switch. It will also have a small push on connector that goes to the burner assembly. The 12 volt circuit will be the heavier wires.
Those two wires go into and out of a small relay inside the limit switch enclosure.
All you need to do is pull the wires off the circuit board and connect them together with a jumper wire. The board is marked with polarity so when you get the new switch you'll be able to reconnect correctly. If in doubt, use the phone camera and take a picture.
You can't get it wrong when you jump those two wires. Turn the refrigerator off so you don't create a little spark upon connection.
The limit switch is the black box inside the exterior access door.

My freezer looks to still have ice and every thing is frozen but the refrigerator section is not cooling. I have no error codes or LED's. There is nothing to indicate a problem except it's not cooling.

I am confused with the above work around. I am hesitate to put a jumper between 2 wires that are labeled +12 volts and ground. Seems to me that would be a dead short to ground. I have 3 wires to my little black box plus small gauge control leads.

In the following picture, is this the "High Limit Switch" that you are referring to? Is the top 2 leads the ones to pull off and short together? The LED is not lit even though it looks like it in this photo.

 

[sundancer 87]

If the LED isn't lit and you don't have a code showing then the limit switch isn't the problem.

If you were to do the work around you won't be connecting the 12 volt positive to the ground wire. What you will be doing is connecting the 12 volt wire that goes into the relay and the wire that comes out of the relay. Essentially bypassing the relay as if it didn't exist.

You may be suffering from a bad perk tube. The solution goes through the freezer first and then collects the heat from the lower part of the unit. That's why the freezer is cold and the lower part isn't. A bad perk tube will keep the solution from perking up and all the way through the system. I'm sure you park level so that's out of the question. You'd know if you had a system leak because the amonia would run you out of the rig.
Other than the perk tube being bad, as in blocked, you may have a weak burner flame or a restriction in the burner itself. You may have a blockage in the orifice as well.
One thing for sure, the problem isn't with the high limit switch. When it throws a code the refrigerator won't work at all, gas or 110 volt.

 

[slb5146]

You may be suffering from a bad perk tube.

Not sure what a perk tube is but I would guess that is not something I can replace.

If someday I do have a bad limit switch, would it be the top 2 wires that I connect together?

It looks like I'm stuck with a very bad problem and dealers are not going to fix it unless I leave the rig with them for weeks or months. I'm really in a bad fix up here in Michigan.

 

[slb5146]

Burping a Norcold

I have read several forum posts about problems like mine. They have fixed several refrigerators by burping the unit with a vibrator on the coils while it is running. I want to try it but how do I access the coils? Does anyone know how to gain access to the the coils on a Norcold model #1210 4 door refrigerator?

 

[sawpilot]

It looks like I'm stuck with a very bad problem and dealers are not going to fix it unless I leave the rig with them for weeks or months. I'm really in a bad fix up here in Michigan.

IF you find the need to replace the whole unit those small frig's they sell for motel rooms could be a good work around. They aren't terribly expensive and would get you by. Get a dealer to order a new unit and set an appointment. Replacement is only a remove and replace. Could be just an hour if they know what they're doing.

 

[sundancer 87]

Not sure what a perk tube is but I would guess that is not something I can replace.

If someday I do have a bad limit switch, would it be the top 2 wires that I connect together?

It looks like I'm stuck with a very bad problem and dealers are not going to fix it unless I leave the rig with them for weeks or months. I'm really in a bad fix up here in Michigan.

The blue and red wires. 12volt and the one marked 'out'. That will bypass thr relay. Leave the ground wire where it is.

The perk tube is welded to the burner tube, all inside the large circular tube on the right side of the refrigerator. The perk tube is heated and the solution perks (like the old perculator coffee pots) up and throughout the system.
Not many real repairmen around that will replace the tube. It's mostly a new refrigerator because the dealer doesn't want to mess with even changing the absorption unit itself.

Burping a refrigerator was a hit and miss deal and was usually down by turning the thing on its head. Rarely did it work and was caused mostly by being unlevel. This was mainly for those small units found inside truck campers.

Did you look at the flame height and color?

 

[sundancer 87]

IF you find the need to replace the whole unit those small frig's they sell for motel rooms could be a good work around. They aren't terribly expensive and would get you by. Get a dealer to order a new unit and set an appointment. Replacement is only a remove and replace. Could be just an hour if they know what they're doing.

Even if they did know what they're doing I bet it's a four hour job. That should include removal of the entrance door of course.

 

[Camper2b]

After reading back you didnt say if this condition is in electic mode or gas mode. If this occurs in electric mode you have 2 heating elements. If on goes out it will not cool the lower half of the fridge. The top (freezer) always cools first. The elements are located above the burner stack.. they are two rods that stick down into the tube. I would check those as well.

 

[slb5146]

Did you look at the flame height and color?

The flame is blue and about an inch plus tall. See photo below.

This cooling fails for both electric and gas. The tubes feel very hot to the touch.

While looking I saw that something yellow had run down the tubes and dried. See photo below. Is this an indication that my coolant has leaked out? I never did smell ammonia. We live in the trailer full time. Maybe it leaked out while traveling the ruff interstate highways for 1000's of miles.