our fridge quit

If I understand your post it does not work on electric and will not work on propane either if you put it on auto? is that correct? Does it try to light on propane do you hear a clicking see a flame then it goes out? What model Norcold do you have? Is there any cooling in the freezer section? Are you getting 110v where the Norcold plugs in? I would bypass the control board and connect the heater element directly to 110v and see if it gets cold. If it does you know your cooling unit still works and the problem is in the electric circuits or the control board which would be cheaper to fix than buying a new cooling unit. It might be as simple as a bad connection in the circuits from the controls to the board itself.

The not switching to gas if set on "auto" could be the circuit board. Our Norcold that we also like very much is 16 yrs old and we had to replace the circuit board about 2 years ago. It would not automatically switch over from elect to gas, door alarm went off periodically for no reason and temperature seemed erratic, like it worked sometimes and sometimes not. No problem since circuit board replaced and wiring connections cleaned.

OP here and I appreciate the info and suggestions I've gotten so far. Yes, there is plenty of propane and it was on. The unit is sitting on a cement floor that is level. Yup, she is "worth it to us" what ever the "it" is. Our 18 year old has taken us from Florida to Alaska and from the E. to the W. coast and most points between. Never been wrecked, good tires kept on her, properly maintained, looks good on the outside and the inside. If the fridge is a goner she will get a new one. Now that the health issues are conquered, we are planning a trip. Any more suggestions? We do appreciate all your help. thanks, Nell in Texas

RV fridges are, at their core, rather simple devices. The cooling system either operates or it doesn't. (The control system can be a little more complicated.) If it's cooling properly now, then nothing major in the cooling unit is broken. (There's also not a lot to break down; it's not as though ammonia or water or hydrogen gas wear out over time. So long as the unit is level and the fluids are flowing properly and the piping isn't perforated, it will keep working.)

By the way, you'll save a good bit of electricity if you use a standard household compressor fridge for your extra fridge rather than the RV fridge. The RV fridge uses somewhere in the general vicinity of 5+ kWh per day, which for me would mean somewhere around $350 in electricity in a year. A normal (energy star rated) fridge uses somewhere around a fifth as much electricity. Something to think about....

if the stormed tripped a circuit breaker and you lost power to the RV and fridge
Maybe ?

let it run for a few days see how cold it gets
when you lost 120v, it should have switched to LP
is there propane, is it turned on ?

Eighteen years?
Like doing 80mph on 10 year old tires with 1/32nd inch tread depth.

You takes your chances...only you can decide "if it's worth it".

An eighteen year old refrigerator is a "Spring Chicken" When William Jefferson Clinton was president, that is...