GE Electric/Gas Refrigerator Question

[Argosy1976]

Hello, I am once again seeking the help of anyone familiar with the vintage Airstream Argosy campers. I recently aquired a 1976 Argosy 28. The camper still appears to have the original Gas/Electric Refrigerator in it. Previous owners said the refrigerator worked up until they placed something in the fridge in a bag that blocked the top back type of vent looking thing or possibly a coil Im not sure as Im not familiar with refrigeration at all. My question is, 1. is this worth fixing or can it be fixed at all, and 2. would this frige still work on Gas if the electric side has went out of it. I appreciate all your help.

Sincerely,
Argosy1976

[TG Twinkie]

If the refer still has it's ammonia charge it may be possible to get it working. One of the most important things is the refer must be level. Put a level on the floor of the freezer and check to see if it is level. It is most important that it be level from left to right when looking into the refer.
Have you tried running it on propane?
Have you tried running it on electric?
It takes quite some time for the refer to cool down. More time on electric than on gas.
In our '74 Argosy I start the refer on gas 24 hours before we are ready to put food in it.
You may have to light the refer from the outside access door in the gas mode if the piezo electric device does not light it from the front.
Can you post pics of what the controls look like? Are they inside the door near the floor? If it is like mine, I can give you some pointers on how to check it out.
It could be a simple matter of replacing the thermocouple for the gas side or installing a new heating element for the electric side.

[saburkha]

I'm no help, but I'd love to see some pictures of your Argosy. I too have a 1976 Argosy 28.

[Argosy1976]

I will sure post some pics later on this evening as to the look of the fridge. I know there is an outside panel for what I figure is the gas function of the refrigerator but I have not tried to use it on gas. I will plug it in and let it sit for 24 hours or so and see if it gets cool. I was just going off of previous owners that said it did not work. They said they put a bag of soemthing in there and at the top there is a kind of what looks like a coil to me and I guess it stopped working at that point so Im not real sure but I will def post some pics for you later on of the refrigerator. Thanks for you help.