Norcold Refridgerator freezer freezes, bottom is warm

[secretsquirrell]

I have an older ('87) class C with a Norcold fridge, it worked fine for a season or so, then began intermittent operation. First glance showed the eyebrow board had solder that had corroded loose, so I replaced that, and it worked. I also replaced the lower board, the thermistor and the patch cable between the two due and it is still showing the problem.  The freezer will be 20 or less, while the refrigerator area will be as high as 75.  What did I miss? Thanks!

 

[Jeff]

You have a big discrepency in temps but the same unit is generating the coolant for both sections of the refrig. 

Have you checked the door seal on the refrigerator door? Using a dollar bill close the door on the bill and see if there is resistance to sliding the bill out from under the seal. Do this all the way around the door seal.

 

[fastfred10]

can some body help with problem? freezer is ok. fridge is dead! on/off button don't even light, no response on button. are those circuit boards known to go on the display? what actually turns on the fridge part? can it be bypassed in any way? thanks fred

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Yes, the "eyebrow" control boards go bad, but since your fridge is trying to cool, your problem there is simply the lack of indicators. The eyebrow board doesn't have anything to do with making it colder or fridge vs freezer.

The fridge and freezer cooling ate one and the same - the coolant passes through the freezer section first, then moves on through a second stage for the fridge. Basically the fridge gets what's left over after chilling the freezer. The temperature control moves the two parts up or down together, colder or warmer.  Your cooling problem is that the cooling unit isn't producing enough "chill" to cool off both parts of the fridge. Usually this means the cooling unit is dying, but check to make sure you can get adequate fresh air in the back intake (the fridge outside door), up past the cooling unit, and out the roof vent. Make sure nothing is blocking it. Try adding a fan to push additional air through - sometimes that is enough to help.

 

[8Muddypaws]

It's possible that the conductive paste behind the heat exchanger in the refer has dried up or the plate is no longer making a good connection.

1987?  And it worked until recently?  Amazing!

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Amazing indeed, but they used to build them a lot sturdier than nowadays. There are 50 year old Servel absorption fridges still around in remote cabins and old farmsteads/