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Fishermark
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Jun 05, 2013

Norcold Refer question

Just bought this fifth wheel (1997 Golden Falcon) and things seem to work well except the refer. It does not come on at all. It is a Norcold model 9182. There are no lights on the panel at all.

I downloaded the manual and discovered the following:








From the chart it appears I need to buy a new power board... which I am glad to do IF it solves the problem.

Is there any way to find out if the basics of the refer are working before spending money on a power board? It would be a shame to spend a couple hundred dollars just to find out the guts of the refer are bad as well. Any suggestions?
  • Thanks for the update.




    I spent a $100 once to find I had hooked up new batteries backwards.
  • An update for those interested. It is finally fixed.

    I tried speaking with Norcold / Thetford customer service - they simply said to take it to a service center. I called the various service centers and they said it would take several weeks as they were pretty well booked up. I ended up buying a new aftermarket power board from Dinosaur Electric, hooked everything up. STILL DOESN'T WORK!

    Called Dinosaur Electric customer service and they were EXTREMELY HELPFUL.

    After going through a lot of checks, etc. it was finally determined that the battery was hooked up backwards. :eek:

    In my defense I just bought this camper and the lights worked, etc. I never thought to check to see if it was installed correctly. That means there was nothing wrong with the refrigerator to start with! After swapping the cables around everything works great. Oh well, live and learn. I post this so others can learn from my mistakes! ;)
  • Allworth - okay thanks. I did see your response there - I will give Thetford a call.

    Monty-Rob - it is plugged in and there is power to the outlet.
  • Open the outside panel for the fridge and check to see if it is plugged in. There should be a 12 in cord that should be plugged in at both ends. On a recall dealer forgot to do this...hope this is your solution.
  • "Titanium Owner's Group" where you posted the same question.
  • Yes - I went through the various points and verified that I have 120v where the unit plugs into the back. I also have 12v at the appropriate places. I checked both the 3 amp and the 5 amp fuse with an ohm meter.

    I then took the front cover off and disconnected the harness as pictured in fig 4 and checked for voltage there. I had no voltage.
  • no 12v and/or blow fuses.

    I would check ALL the fuses. There is a better schematic on 'where' all the fuses are. Even if they look ok they can be blown.

    Check your 12v coming into it, and the converter output of it.
    No 12v no fridge. no 12v no display.

    I'd check these first before running out and buying a power cord? If you read your trouble shooting page it starts off with checking
    12v issues!