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Old 05-24-2018, 08:19 AM   #1
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Dometic refrigerator will not work

We have a forest river Cherokee which has a dometic refrigerator. We bought the camper used in April. Everything seemed to work when we bought it. They said Fridge worked, it seemed cold,they said they had just plugged it in before we got there. Well we started getting camper ready for camping and refrigerator would not work. Checked all voltage everything seems good going into circuit board but no power coming out. We had someone who repairs circuit boards fix it. Got it back but still no power coming out of circuit board. fuses all good also. Is there a way to test circuit board?? or bypass it to find out if that is definitely the problem. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated
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Old 05-24-2018, 08:52 AM   #2
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Is the trailer plugged into 120VAC?
Do you have strong 12VDC?
Is the gas turned on and did you purge the gas lines?
How long did you let it run before deciding it had amproblem?
Absorbition refers generally take anywhere from 18 to 24 hours pre cool before you want to fill it with food.
Thet MUST have 12VDC for the controls.
They MUST have either 120VAC or propane to run.
Lacking any or all can cause a no start.
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Old 05-24-2018, 09:06 AM   #3
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Welcome to the forum its a great place to get your questions answered. I think donniedu covered it nicely.
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Old 05-24-2018, 12:11 PM   #4
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dometic refrig wont work

did purge gas lines...turned stove on..it worked used gas burners for over 5 minutes. furnace worked, air conditioner works good, so there doesn't seem to be a problem with electrical for camper. just refrigerator. Interior light in refrig has no power but display lights work on control panel...had it on for over 2 days and discovered it was not getting any cooler. Made sure camper is level and still does not work.
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Old 05-24-2018, 12:13 PM   #5
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What position is the Thermister in?
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Old 05-24-2018, 12:16 PM   #6
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Is refrigerator plugged in to ac at the rear? (donniedu's first question)
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Old 05-24-2018, 01:01 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sstritt View Post
We have a forest river Cherokee which has a dometic refrigerator. We bought the camper used in April. Everything seemed to work when we bought it. They said Fridge worked, it seemed cold,they said they had just plugged it in before we got there. Well we started getting camper ready for camping and refrigerator would not work. Checked all voltage everything seems good going into circuit board but no power coming out. We had someone who repairs circuit boards fix it. Got it back but still no power coming out of circuit board. fuses all good also. Is there a way to test circuit board?? or bypass it to find out if that is definitely the problem. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated

If the seller had the trailer plugged into 120 VAC then the problem is on the 12 VDC propane side. Does the propane stove light?

I had a two different refrigerators that stopped working on propane over the last ten years. First time I took it in to the RV repair shop, he replaced the board. The next year it happened again. The same RV repair shop could find anything wrong with the board but said the burner was dirty.

The next time I the checked the burner and saw cottonwood fluff in the burner. I was able clean it with canned air. Each spring I clean the fridge burner with canned air. I now have bug screens on my fridge to keep bugs and cottonwood out.

Cottonwood Tree Seeds Fluff
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Amazon: Cynder 00664 Refrigerator Screen for Insects (Dometic)
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Old 05-24-2018, 01:38 PM   #8
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Give us the model of the fridge and we'll see if we can walk you through troubleshooting the board.

Did you try to put it on gas to see if that worked, or was it in Auto the whole time?
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Old 05-24-2018, 02:37 PM   #9
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not sure what position thermistor is in. I am not even sure I know where that is I will have my husband check that when he gets home
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Old 05-24-2018, 02:38 PM   #10
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the model is a dometic 2652 and it will not work on propane or electric..when we just put it on gas the check light comes on immediatley
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Old 05-24-2018, 02:39 PM   #11
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we have no problem with propane stove
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Old 05-24-2018, 02:46 PM   #12
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Here's a pic of the thermistor. UP is colder, DOWN is warmer (i.e., bouncing down the road will drop it down and make the fridge warmer!) Also be aware that the plastic holder may be up all the way, but the thermistor inside may NOT be up all the way inside the plastic holder.

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I've also attached a service and troubleshooting manual.
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File Type: pdf Dometic Refrigerator Diagnostic Service Manual.pdf (2.42 MB, 169 views)
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Old 05-24-2018, 02:49 PM   #13
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ok thanks for thermistor pic ...and yes we also checked that. I will download manual and see if there is anything we missed with troubleshooting. The only things left to check are the circuit boards and we did have the one in back of fridge repaired but fridge still doesn't work
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Old 05-24-2018, 02:55 PM   #14
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Is there any yellow residue on the cooling coils. Are the cooling coils warm to the touch?

When you put it on gas, does it try to light?

It sounds to me like if you have 12v going to the board and no voltage out, it is a bad board.
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Old 05-24-2018, 03:05 PM   #15
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We just had a thread with the same exact symptoms a few days ago. It turned out that the control board was bad. They ordered a new dinosaur board and that fixed it.

With the 2652 you should have 120 volts on J5 & J6 and on 120 volt power you should have power on J7 & J8.

Also, did you physically test the fuses? They can look fine and actually be blown.
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Old 05-24-2018, 03:42 PM   #16
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Never gave it a thought until now. I'm guessing the light is 12 volt for boondocking? Find out why the light doesn't work. Controls are 12 volt also. I'd be looking for a fuse.
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Old 05-25-2018, 03:56 PM   #17
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The 5 amp fuse will kill everything even though the manual indicates it is only for AC. If you are set to auto there will b 120 volts AC going to the heating element. If it isn’t there the board is bad. The gas side can be the board or the burner. Along with checking to make sure the orifice and burner is clean, you should also see a blue spark at the burner when it is trying to light. If there isn’t a spark then it is the board or fuse. Another thing I found the hard way is the gas cutoff valve at the burner. If you look at the assembly where the main gas line connects to the burner you will see a small brass knob. It must be turned to the left to allow gas to flow into the burner. Turned to the right shuts off the gas. If you decide the board is the problem I would recommend replacing it. They are readily available at most camping stores and on Amazon. Fortunately most problems with this refrigerator are easy to find and fix as long as the tubes aren’t blocked. Good Luck
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Old 05-26-2018, 07:13 AM   #18
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Fridge not working...

I do believe that when this happened to me, I went Krazy! As everyone has said to check this and check that as we all have done and still no refrigerator. I am suggesting that you check the electric plug for the refrigerator that usually is very close to the outside entrance to the back side. Mine had wiggled lose during travel and set up. All I did was unplug it and spread the electric prongs outward just a little to make a snug fit. That was it...something so simple is sometimes all it takes! Please try it.
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Old 05-26-2018, 08:27 AM   #19
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Ours quit working on a trip last year called out an rv Mobil service he found that the safety sensors that protect the refrig from over heating went bad. When one or both go bad they will shut down refrig from working on lp or electric. He by passed the sensors and the refrig. started working again. Have those sensors checked. bet that's your problem. Good luck.

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Old 05-27-2018, 08:28 PM   #20
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Do you know where these sensors are and what they look like?
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