Norcold N10DCSSL Removal and Issues

muttinthehut · 02-26-2023, 08:07 PM

Hi there,

We have a 2020 Surveor 202RBLE and the 12V Norcold fridge (N10DCSSL) appears to have stopped cooling. I need to remove it to run some tests and diagnose the 12V line to the fridge. It would randomly shut off and then back on for a while. But this weekend it decided to stay on but doesn't appear to be cooling correctly and also noticed that there doesn't appear to be any fan or compressor noise as before. This is on shore power and with two new 6V golf cart batteries fully charged.

Has anyone removed one of these before? I think it's mounted from the bottom, which on our unit will require removal of the power center. Are there other brackets involved for removal? Also, I think the power is run straight to the battery, but haven't confirmed. Can anyone confirm?
Any thoughts would be appreciated and thank you!

Thanks,
Joe

IPcamper · 02-27-2023, 06:52 PM

We have a 2022 surveyor with a Norcold N10DCSSR that quit last summer. I wrote about it on this post https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...ng-253643.html

To remove the fridge, there were 6 screws that where located just inside the door, 3 holes on each side, covered with caulk in ours. The screws use a square tip driver and drive into the cabinet face frame. Once those are removed, it can side forward out of the cabinet. Try to have a platform of equal height as the bottom of the cabinet or someone to help you with lifting and lowering the fridge to the floor.

IPcamper · 02-27-2023, 06:58 PM

There was a service manual for this fridge, but the link I had posted last summer doesn't seem to work anymore. I will look and see if I still have a copy somewhere.

IPcamper · 02-27-2023, 07:00 PM

I found a link to Manual archive site that has it.
https://guidessimo.com/document/1337...manual-28.html

IPcamper · 02-27-2023, 07:03 PM

I have read that one thing you can try is to remove the fuse and let it sit for a few moments and then put the fuse back. This can reset the control board. Simple enough to try.

Best of luck!

muttinthehut · 02-28-2023, 12:05 PM

Thanks for the replies and guidance. I was able to identify the six screws to remove the unit. Now the fun begins! Appreciate the assistance!

muttinthehut · 02-28-2023, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IPcamper

We have a 2022 surveyor with a Norcold N10DCSSR that quit last summer. I wrote about it on this post https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...ng-253643.html

IPcamper thanks for sending that thread you started. That looks somewhat scary and interesting the fuse didn't go. I need to finish removing the unit but will definitely check for that. Thanks again!

faithie999 · 02-28-2023, 06:25 PM

please keep us posted on what you find.

we have a surveyor 19BHLE with I believe the same fridge. during summer camping, when it's 75-80 inside, the fridge seems to run about 75% of the time. I am Eeyore the pessimist, but I'm afraid it will quit sometime soon so it would be good to know what others' experiences are.
thanks

Ken

IPcamper · 02-28-2023, 07:27 PM

Just an FYI, every since we fixed the connection to the compressor, our fridge has been fine. Our first trip this spring will be in April, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that there will be no problems after winter storage. I honestly think it will be OK.

For those of you who have the same fridge, download the service manual! It has a some good tests that most anyone could do to trouble shoot issues.

muttinthehut · 03-01-2023, 09:18 AM

I was able to remove the fridge (finally). What should have been straightforward process ended up taking a while. The installer ran the screws on one side of the case at an angle and they wouldn't simply back out. So I ended up having to cut the screws with a hacksaw blade for removal.

For those that are interested, mine has the Sikelan QDZY43G compressor. I know a lot of Danfoss compressors are used in the 12V mobile world, and I believe this is a knock-off of the Danfoss. A lot of the sailing and marine forums have great info on the Danfoss units which are very similar. Supposedly the control board is very susceptible to spikes and problems, but I haven't verified that's the issue yet. Also of note is that this Sikelan uses R600a refrigerant. I'll share more info as I continue looking at it - ran out of daylight yesterday.

FYI - it looks like control boards for this are 6-8 week backorder from Norcold but I haven't verified that's the issue yet.

faithie999 · 03-01-2023, 09:25 AM

just for fun I googled the Norcold model number plus "control board" and the first hit was amazon. there are several, with part numbers varying from 6 to 9 digits.

I know you haven't finished your diagnosis, but just wanted to post this in case you get ready to order a part.

Ken

muttinthehut · 03-01-2023, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by faithie999

just for fun I googled the Norcold model number plus "control board" and the first hit was amazon. there are several, with part numbers varying from 6 to 9 digits.

I know you haven't finished your diagnosis, but just wanted to post this in case you get ready to order a part.

Ken

Thanks Ken. I saw your earlier post and it wasn't uncommon for ours to run quite frequently. I can say that after removing the fridge, it is a very "compact" installation and not a lot of room for ventilation. I have seen other posts where users upgraded the fan or even added another to improve the ventilation. Not sure if that would be helpful for your situation but I'm considering that as well. Thanks again for the info and will keep you posted.

muttinthehut · 03-03-2023, 08:26 AM

For those interested here are some pictures of the compressor, fan, and controller. I'm still working through the diagnosis. I did a quick ohm check on the compressor and the pins checked out, so that makes me think the compressor is still intact. There is a diagnostic method using an LED but as I understand things it's really only directional guidance. Will post more info as I continue (day job is getting in the way....)

muttinthehut · 03-23-2023, 12:41 PM

For those interested I believe I've found the issue. After a lot of research, testing and diagnostics on the refrigerator itself, I started to believe it was an electrical issue rather than an issue with the refrigerator. After tracking down the electrical connections, I found that the refrigerator has a tap off the converter / battery line which uses an Optifuse Auto-fuse. This fuse resets when reaching a certain amperage. Upon inspection , I found that the fuse was damaged and the post for the refrigerator was loose and corroded. It was even wrapped with electrical tape to try and "repair" the cracked housing. (pics attached)

I should note that the power tap for the refrigerator used this auto-fuse in conjunction with an inline 15A automotive fuse as well, so I felt comfortable there was no excessive current draw. In any event, I've replaced this Optifuse fuse and so far the refrigerator appears to be operating correctly.

Advice for those having trouble: Check, double-check, and triple-check the electrical connections before tossing the fridge. These 12V refrigerators appear to be pretty sensitive to voltage and it's easy to automatically assume that it's not working properly. And for what it's worth, this is the second electrical issue I've encountered (the other was the solar charger miswired).

IPcamper · 03-23-2023, 12:47 PM

Thanks for the update, I was wondering what the issue was.

thooper · 04-16-2023, 10:53 PM

I think I ran into a similar issue today. My 12v Norcold fridge was working fine when I packed the trailer up and was off when I arrived home. I noticed I had 12.7v, fridge was completely off, no lights or anything and couldn't be turned on. And I heard a clicking noise roughly every 15s, coming from by the fuse panel.

My assumption without having dug into it yet, is that the fridge is now over drawing current for some reason and tripping that auto fuse you found, or I've damaged the fuse some how, causing it to trip over and over again. When it clicks, I noticed that fan for the AC/DC converter revs up for a quarter second or so, then immediately drops back down to the baseline until it repeats again.

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