What does it Mean?

[Bbelk]

My Dometic refrigerator is giving a new display



I turned it on a couple days ago and noticed today it was not cooling. I turned it off and back on and got the normal display.



It sits a couple minutes, I hear a click, and it goes to the EO display. What does it mean? It is not in the literature.

Your help will be appreciated.

[Silver Goose]

This is what I found doing a google search for "Dometic e0".

No communication between display and power modules. The temperature setting will be maintained at the mid positions. The power module will continually attempt to reestablish operation of the display module. The control system will revert to full automatic operation selecting the best energy source available with aC, Gas priority. h

[Bbelk]

Thanks for the tip regarding where to look. Plenty to look at but no solution yet.

[Silver Goose]

Is your fridge still under warranty? I thought the explanation acknowledged what the code meant, but doesn't offer much for troubleshooting. There is a cable that connects the op panel to the control board on the rear of the fridge. The fact that it lights up and responds somewhat to your input tells me it's getting 12v power from the control board, so the cable is probably connected and good. There may be 2 fuses on the control board, and while it is good practice to test them, I don't think you'll find a blown fuse. The explanation implies that the cooling function should work, but you say you're not seeing that happen. Many RV shops should have a board tester that will confirm or rule out the control board's functionality. It is also fairly simple for the tech to swap out the op panel to see if it's the culprit. If an Airstream dealer is not close by, any RV shop authorized by Dometic to provide service (warranty or not) should be able to get you chillin' again.

[Bbelk]

Based on some of the Googling, I pulled the power plug and hit the storage button on the batteries shutting everything down. I left it that way for a minute. I powered up the batteries first and the refrigerator came on on LP and stayed on. After several minutes, I plugged the shore power back in and it switched to A/C and has been on for an hour. I have no idea what I have done. I dislike this sort of gremlin as it tends to mess up trips.

[Silver Goose]

Rebooting the fridge! Can't argue with success but agree it may be awhile before you feel confident that the fridge is reliable. As a proactive tactic, you might replug all the connectors and tighten the others looking for any signs of oxidation or loose connections.

[Bbelk]

Oh well. It worked for a day or so and switched back to E0. I will be taking things apart in the morning. Any suggestions regarding where to start will be appreciated. If I can take the boards in to be tested rather than dragging the trailer to the dealer I will do that if I can figure it out.

[acstokes]

The control board is easy to remove just label or color-code all the wires as it's also easy to get them mixed up. Be sure to unplug the AC cord and put a wirenut on or tape the end of the DC wire before removing other wires.

[Bbelk]

Just an update. I pulled all of the connectors off the the main board, found no corrosion. I pulled the two connectors off the display board and the one connector off the button board found no corrosion. I put it all back together, the regenerator worked for one day and the display went to E0.

The big Airstream dealer near here says the don't test boards. Their minimum diagnostics charge is over $100 and they say the large majority of problems similar to mine end up being the main board, which costs less then $200.

I guess I will be trying to find a board somewhere. Any suggestions on that?

The parts numbers are:
Main control board: 385 1331-01
Button board: 385 0964-01 with a date code of 09414
The Display Board: 385 1485-01 and under that it said 02-070104-P and under that 09502

[Moflash]

I when mine failed I installed a Dinosaur upgraded circuit board.It is a much better board than the OEM board that is prone to failure.

Dinosaur Electronics Home. High quality circuit boards for RV appliances.

[Bbelk]

Thanks for all the input. I did check with Dinosaur and there site doesn't list a replacement for my board. I have ordered a new one from Camperworld for $221. If this doesn't fix my problem, I guess I will get the other two boards in the front next. This is a little frustrating for a unit this new.

[Moflash]

in the future if you call Dinosaur and tell them what you have they are very knowledgeable on what the proper board will be for your application.Good people.

[Bbelk]

Originally Posted by Moflash

I when mine failed I installed a Dinosaur upgraded circuit board.It is a much better board than the OEM board that is prone to failure.

Dinosaur Electronics Home. High quality circuit boards for RV appliances.

It is a sad state of affairs when a major provider like dometic makes a product that is so bad that an after-market company can find a nitch making replacement parts for devices that should never fail.

I probably should have called them.

[Moflash]

I agree mine had less than 20 hours total use when it failed.

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by Bbelk

It is a sad state of affairs when a major provider like dometic makes a product that is so bad that an after-market company can find a nitch making replacement parts for devices that should never fail.

I probably should have called them.

Well.......not really....I had a Dinosaur board fail in my HWH after 2 years. BUTTTTTTT, their response and free replacement reinstated my faith. Now upon examination, that failure seems more the exception than the rule compared to OEM boards.

[Bbelk]

I put in the new board and the Fridg has worked for three days. I am declaring victory. Thanks for the help.

[acstokes]

Great news! Yes, you can declare victory. Take some of the money you saved and celebrate!

[Jim Lee]

Well, the best thing I can say is you didn't call any of them places in Conway AR that 'fix' dometics or rebuilt them.

Mine started on fire--- luckily I had full coverage. Shelter paid me for the box and I bought a brand spanking new one. Which I should a done in the first place.