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Soyboy · 08-03-2010, 11:12 AM

I just thought I would throw in that our '99 Safari's Dometic has a thermistor that is attached to one of the cooling coils in the fridge. To adjust the temp we move it up for a warmer temp and slide it down for a cooler temp. I usually keep the fridge on the colder side to account for door openings, especially in warmer weather, as it doesn't recover the door opening cooling loss as quickly as a compressor style fridge. Currently we are having problems when switching from elec. to gas, or even sometimes when trying to start it on gas. I quite often have to cycle it several times to get it to start. I am suspecting a bad board. The board in it is a replacement that is several years old. It does work well on electric though. Maybe it just needs a good cleaning. I would clean it myself, but I am a bit leery in this case due to the fact that it has all of the safety recalled upgrades on it and I don't want to foul things up.

wasagachris · 08-18-2010, 04:32 AM

Jhenschen If your A/S has the original fridge then weak or low batteries has nothing to do with the fridge. The older fridges have no circuit board that needs 12VDC to operate. I am assuming that on your fridge to change from 110VAC to propane you manually turn a knob and light a pilot light - is that correct? It sounds to me like you have a problem with the cooling unit that is blocked and not allowing the ammonia chloride solution to flow properly. If you get no cooling on either propane or 110VAC (verify that fridge is receiving 110VAC first). Check that the venting chimney is not obstructed. By using a small mirror and a flashlight you can look up the back of the fridge to make sure the way is clear. These fridges need proper airflow from the bottom of the fridge all the way to the roof of your A/S. Check the vent on the roof of your A/S for obstuctions as well. If all is clear and you have 110VAC and a pilot light that stays lit and no cooling in the fridge I suspect the fridge has died. Check the rear of the fridge area for signs of an ammonia leak. There would be yellowish green stains or powder around the area and you would smell ammonia if the cooling unit had leaked. The fridge has to be level to operate properly also. From waht you describe it sounds more like a blockage in the cooloing unit which can happen to a 43 year old fridge. It will be expensive to replace but don't use a house fridge instead, these cheap fridges are not designed to travel down the open road and will not last long. If you contact a RV service center they may have a contact to recondition your cooling unit for a lot less than a new fridge. However the warranty on a reconditioned cooling unit does not cover the labour to pull the fridge and remove the cooling unit just covers the part.

wasagachris · 08-18-2010, 04:46 AM

Soyboy have you checked your propane burner for obstructions. Sometimes small flakes of rust will land on the burner and give you problems with ignition. If your fridge works on 110VAC and will eventually lights on propane the problem is with getting the flame to ignite not with the circuit board. In the back of the fridge on the right hand side you will see an aluminum tube with a small inspection cover. If you open this cover you can access the burner. Check here for obstructions. Have someone start the fridge on propane while you observe what happens. Once the fridge turns on you should here a faint hum from the circuit board and then a louder clunk from the gas valve opening followed by a series of clicks as the ignitor tries to light the propane. The circuit board should try to do this three times before locking out. If you turn off the fridge and wait a couple of minutes and try again. If the fridge goes through all these steps the board is fine but you have a problem getting the gas to ignite. Spiders will also nest in the small tube along the bottom the fridge that the gas and air mixture travels through to get from the gas valve to the burner. Try blowing this area clear with compressed air.

amyanddavid · 09-04-2010, 08:35 PM

I am having hte same problem with my 2007 19' Bambi. I think I ran it on gas when it was un-level and now it will only run on electric. It just clicks and clicks when I turn it to gas.

wasagachris · 09-04-2010, 08:54 PM

Amy anddavid Your problem is not from operating unlevel. It aproblem was created from being unlevel then it would not get cold on electric.
1) Are you sure you have gas does the stove,furnace and water heater work on gas?
2) Can you hear the loud clunk from the gas valve opening?
3) Have you checked the burner tube for obstructions like rust flakes?
4) Check the burner tube for spider nests etc.
5) Try to light the fridge while observing the burner. Can you see the spark?