Norcold N8V Refrigerator Problem

[markh28]

Model number N8VFLM6. The green light is on. Both the freezer and fresh compartments are warm 82 degrees. So its not cooling.

I removed the outside vent covers. The boiler is very warm, can touch it but cant leave your finger on it very long. The coils are warm too but slightly less than the boiler. This is the case when running on either propane or A/C power. So it seems to me the heating elements are functioning. Accessed the top vent with a ladder, it was not plugged up with any debris and was quite hot up there.

I disconnected the thermistor inside the fresh compartment to try and trick it into running constantly, this made no difference.

I hear no gurgling or hissing sounds coming from it that might suggest a partial blockage in the coils. There is no yellow powdery residue that would indicate a leak.

I have the norcold service manual I found online, but is only helpful if the unit is flashing codes, which it is not. The green light is solid continually. It thinks its doing its job, just plugging away, except it never gets cold.

Have powered it off/on several times. Camper is level.

Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[DonTom]

Anyone have any suggestions?

All looks normal but doesn't work?

Can you drive it down a bouncy road and see it that works? It has worked for me a couple of times in my Y2K RV over the years after it has been stationary for quite a while. That could clear up a blockage or whatever.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[Kirk]

It doesn't sound good, as the symptom you have usually means that the cooling unit is defective and no longer working. The NV8 series probably means that your refrigerator was made in 2013 or before. I have worked on a lot of RV refrigerators and what you describe sounds very bad. Lifting the thermistor leads does put that model into a constant cool mode. It could mean either a loss of refrigerant or the tubing has been plugged up by solidifying chemicals in the refrigerant. Good luck! I would not recommend throwing parts at it as that rarely solves anything and gets expensive very quickly.

 

[poohbear]

look to see if JC Refrigeration has a 12Volt compressor kit for that NV8. I just did my never cold 2118 and I thought it was easy to do.
If it has lost the charge you will see some YELLOW debris somewhere on the cooling unit.

 

[Kirk]

If it has lost the charge you will see some YELLOW debris somewhere on the cooling unit.

That is often true, but not always true. If the leak is at the top the liquids can be lost without any trace. The yellow is from the anticorrosion chemicals that often leak out. It is also common for there to be an ammonia smell because that is part of the refrigerant, but in some cases that is dissipated before you sniff for it. There are several different ways that a cooling unit can fail, and it can be difficult to prove exactly what took place.