Replacement Door Contacts for Norcold Fridge 1210

WOW...this is odd! Just this morning I discovered the same issue on our Norcold 1210.

I noticed it because I saw some brown substance around the top button on the door frame. Closer inspection revealed the plastic had burned and was partially melting. The metal button was actually HOT to the touch...NOT GOOD!!

Discovered the same info you did in the service manual and Norcold was NO help whatsoever. They tried to say there was something wrong with the electrical wiring in my coach...they were clueless. It is obvious that when these pins do not make proper contact they cause a heating issues at the contact point. They wanted me to pay to have my coach checked out for electrical issues.

Think it won't be long and I will be installing a residential unit...will NEVER own another Norcold

NP Ed.
I just replaced the coling unit with a NEW Amish cooler. Works like a charm! Easy to sleep knowing I DON'T have a Norcold cooling unit.

I found the broken wire after the cooling unit swap.

Thanks for the "heads up" on the flapper wires mchero.

Another issue to look for;
The left hnd door has that flaper/seal that allows the two doors to seal.....

Note in the middle of that FLAPPER door is a 3-wire connector, One green & two white. I found my green wire was broken. It was a task getting that pin out of that connector but I was able to solder it back in place.

RM

Hi Powderman426,

I don't know whether Norcold folks are deliberately not advising customers how easy it is to fix this problem, or whether they just don't realise how easy it is.

As for the dealerships, I went to two of them in my local area and neither of the parts managers had any knowledge whatsoever, and weren't willing to let me talk to any techs.

It struck me as strange, because my fridge can't possibly be the only one that has ever had the problem. Everyone with a Norcold double door fridge needs to check that the contacts are free to move easily in and out.

Happy to hear you found a solution to your problem. Do you feel that Norcold was not forthcoming about how to clean and repair the pins, or was it a matter of the tech you talked with not knowing there was a easy fix?

Moved to Tech Issues forum from DIY.

OK, thanks to some extensive internet searching, I've answered my own question, but thought I should share the information in order to help others, and to alert owners to check the spring contacts on their Norcold 1200 series fridges.

I found an on-line copy of the service manual for the Norcold 1200 series which dedicated a page to a description of the spring pins and how to service them. They supply power to a perimeter heater on the door which is meant to prevent water condensation at the door closure point.

It turns out that the spring pins on my door, all three of them, were actually stuck in the almost-compressed position. They are meant to stick out about 3/8" as this photo shows:


The pins can be pulled straight out to be cleaned and can then be reinserted. The service manual WARNS NOT TO TRY TO PRISE THE PLASTIC MOUNTING OUT OF THE DOOR as it is permanently attached. The pins must be individually pulled out.

Here's a picture of one of the pins after I pulled it out:


It was an easy job to remove the spring pins and clean them with WD40. They now move easily in and out.

I'd just like to mention as well that the "dirt" which appears to be around the plastic mounting on my fridge is NOT dirt or food. It is actually black staining of the plastic by an unknown agent. Unfortunately, the photos make it look like we have a really dirty fridge.