While I was in Ohio, the 120VAC breaker in the house tripped, and turned off AC to the Norcold N841.3R 3-way. It should have picked up propane, but instead threw an undocumented error code ("LIoP"). Norcold Tech Support was useless, instructing me to take it to a service center.

There being one 10 miles away, I went (on Tues 6/19), and the reefer worked fine when I arrived. It continued to work fine until today, when the coach batteries ran low and shut the 12VDC off. Since then it's thrown the LIoP code, and will not reset.

More later; nearest service center (on my route) is 110 miles away.

Footnote: The home where I stay in OH has wretched wiring. After experimenting with 3 different outlets, we found one that would run the A/C and the TV, but not the converter, so I used the charger on the batteries. Even the laptop charger tripped the breaker.

I get a bit cranky when Tech "Support" blows off a customer; in this case "LIoP" translates to"Limit Switch Open" - that much the rep disclosed.

I found it on one of the manual diagrams, and in violation of several laws, removed the control board cover. From there I was able to trace its location (not on the board where I thought it would be):


General location of Limit Switch



Closeup



Now that I located it, the question was: How to reset. It has what appears to be a reset button, but it doesn't reset by pushing.

But I discovered with my first WAG how to do it. This is very dangerous and complex, no doubt why a Norcold Service Center is required.

1. Turn off 12VDC to reefer
2. Disconnect either lead to the limit switch
3. Turn on 12VDC to reefer
4. Reconnect the lead to the switch

The reefer should turn on in one of its modes.

NOTE: This should work for any 6xx or 8xx series reefer. There is a "fix" by holding the on/off button for 2 seconds, then using it to turn on the reefer. However, this appears to work only once.

quote:

in violation of several laws, removed the control board cover

Rusty,

We'll miss you...been real nice having you on the blog...I bet the little men with badges will be here soon...

K&E

Rusty, if I follow this correctly, pushing the reset should have created the same open condition as disconnecting a lead? It sounds like removing battery from the board caused it to reinitialize?

Tom Taylor

It's not a push button. I think disconnecting causes the board to reboot.

It's thrown the LIoP code again; it switched from AC to DC this morning fine, but apparently, when I ran the generator for the A/C, it tripped again.

I reset it again, and it's fine here at DAV.

I suspect an "undocumented [failure] feature"; in firmware and software, this is also called a "bug".

Hello All,

I am sure this doesn't apply but it is still better to be safe than sorry. They had recalls on their refrigerators. Not sure if anyone replaced theirs so here is the link.

http://www.norcoldrecall.com/

The Norcold, Inc. refrigerators listed below have been recalled.

It is important to implement this safety enhancement to prevent an unsafe elevation in the temperature of the cooling unit should the unit fail in operation. This enhancement seeks to minimize the risk of injury or death due to fire.

1200, 1201, 1210 and 1211 model gas/electric refrigerators with serial numbers from 315525 to 13088811, non consecutively. The refrigerator's model and serial number are located inside the fresh food compartment. These refrigerators may have cooling units with a cooling unit serial number between 700000 to 13085759. This is a new recall campaign to include all 1200, 1201, 1210 and 1211 models.


Models 1200, 1201, 1210 and 1211

1200, 1201, 1210 and 1211, 4 door refrigerators with cooling unit serial numbers ranging from 700000 to 13085759.

These refrigerators were installed as original equipment in vehicle model years 1997 to 2010. Other recalled refrigerators may have been purchased as replacement during the same period.

N600 and N800 Series Models 1082 Free-Standing LP Model

N841, N821, N641, N621 and 1082 gas/electric 2 door refrigerators, having cooling units with serial numbers from 1038000 to 1099000.

These refrigerators were mostly installed in, but limited to vehicle models 1999 to 2000.

Owners who have had the heater element replaced in one of these cooling units should call: 800-767-9101 to get their refrigerator upgraded to current product configuration.


Smaller Gas Absorption Models

Due to a potential safety defect, Norcold has recalled the following smaller gas/electric refrigerator models, built from January, 1987 through May 1995, listed below.

If the serial number for your refrigerator model is within the specified range as listed below, the refrigerator’s gas valve needs to be remedied immediately. Refrigerator model and serial numbers can be viewed by looking on the inside right of your refrigerator cabinet.

Continued propane gas mode operation of a refrigerator under this recall could result in a fire causing injury or death.


Model Serial #'s
442 01000-08255
443 01000-11972
452 01000-11972
452 01000-14302
453 01000-05418
462 00001-120909
463 00001-05210
482 00001-24398
483 00001-03518
EV452 01002-10327
EV452 01002-10327
EV462 01000-01283
EV463 01266-01283
EV482 01000-01204
EV483 01050-01319
874EG2 01000-03988
874EG3 01000-02347
875EG2 01000-24711
875EG3 01000-05696

If you own an affected model:
1.Immediately switch your refrigerator's controls to AC power (or DC power, if available, while in transit). No LP gas power operation should occur because it could create an unsafe condition.
2.Contact a servicing Dealer/Service Center to arrange a service date soon. The gas valve in your refrigerator will be replaced at no charge.

N260, N300, 322/323 Models

Models Built Serial Numbers (ID Label inside the refrigerator)

322/323 August, 1992-August, 1999 lower than 734882
N260/N260.3 April, 1998-August, 1999 lower than 738527
N300/N300.3 April, 1998-August, 1999 lower than 738626

Rusty,

The reset button on the back.. do you pull it out or push int in? I was cruising the Internet and came upon this post that says to pull it out to reset.

http://www.ehow.com/how_791285...-norcold-fridge.html

And another good post that I think would be helpful to some in the future.


http://www.ehow.com/how_681956...rv-refrigerator.html

How to Troubleshoot a Norcold RV Refrigerator


Read more: How to Troubleshoot a Norcold RV Refrigerator | eHow.com
http://www.ehow.com/how_681956...r.html#ixzz1zSqjdIxm

Mine is a 2009 model (replaced a Norcold 2-way). The recall didn't affect the original reefer, either. BTW, the "fix" only shuts off the propane AFTER a fire has been detected.

Those other links are helpful for some circumstances, but not for the failures I got. The reefer threw off an undocumented code,and Tech "Support" declined to disclose the simple reset technique.

I deleted the text reproduced from the above links, due to potential copyright infringement. Please do not copy and post documents without permission and attribution. The Norcold recall text was left intact because it was originally a press release, OK to reproduce.

quote:

Originally posted by Corco:
Rusty,

The reset button on the back.. do you pull it out or push int in? I was cruising the Internet and came upon this post that says to pull it out to reset.

http://www.ehow.com/how_791285...-norcold-fridge.html

Different failure mode - and code.