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Norcold 12volt N2160 Fridge shut off unexpectedly -- now not cooling

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  • Norcold 12volt N2160 Fridge shut off unexpectedly -- now not cooling

    Hi, I am the proud new owner of a 2023 AIM 15BH. Love the camper; I've had it for 2 months. I have already camped 3 times since I got it averaging 6 to 10 nights per camping trip. Last night I was camping, the temp inside was about 70 degrees. This morning I got up to make coffee and noticed that my creamer was not ice cold. I have a refrigerator thermometer in the fridge, so I checked it. I was shocked to discover the temp was 60 degrees in the refrigerator and 30 in the freezer. Then I noticed the power light on the faceplate was not blue - it was white. So, I touched it long enough to power down the fridge. I waited about 5 minutes and powered it back up again. Both the refrigerator and freezer are set to the coldest possible settings. Plus, I am on shore power and my battery voltage did not drop below 13.5 volts all night.

    I cannot understand why the fridge powered down without warning. Also, I cannot figure out what it means when the power switch turns white instead of blue (the manual only describes the power switch illuminated as blue or red, red for error codes, blue for normal). There were no error codes, so I simply cycled power on the fridge hoping for the best. The fridge did come back on, but I'm not sure it is cooling as well as it should. It has been 5 hours and the temp has only dropped a little (its down to 57 degrees inside). I will keep my eye on it but if this proves to be an ongoing problem, then I may lose all my food because I am miles from the nearest store that sells ice and coolers. Sadly, I did not bring a cooler with me as I put my trust in the refrigerator. Well, it had not failed me before now and I thought it was trustworthy.

    Please let me know if any of you have had any similar experiences and what to do about it.

    Thank you!!
    gDan Coleman
    GD AIM 15BH
    Ford Super Duty, F250 4x4, 6.8L gasser
    Murfreesboro, Tenn.

  • #2
    There should be a fuse out on the trailer frame near the battery. Follow the red positive wire from the battery to the frame and look for a fuse holder, check this or these fuses, not sure if there is one or 2 there. Also check the battery disconnect, red handle located at the water panel or on the door side of the front pass thru storage.

    Brian
    Brian & Michelle
    2018 Reflection 29RS
    2022 Chevy 3500HD

    Comment


    • #3
      gDanColeman

      Deleted my first response...the model is in the title (duh). Sorry, trying to do too many things at once.

      There's a similar thread on the Norcold here: https://gdrvowners.com/forum/operati...-norcold-n2160

      Spoiler alert -- the OP didn't reply back with the conclusion.

      Howard
      Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.

      2017 Ford F-350 DRW, '19 315RLTSPlus

      Comment


      • #4
        Okay, so I checked all the fuses. They are good. Duh, guess I should have known that because the fridge has power. Power has not been the issue.

        BTW - It took a while but the fridge is cooling now just like new. The problem disappeared just as mysteriously as it appeared. We may never know why it shut down unexpectedly.
        gDan Coleman
        GD AIM 15BH
        Ford Super Duty, F250 4x4, 6.8L gasser
        Murfreesboro, Tenn.

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by gDanColeman View Post
          Okay, so I checked all the fuses. They are good. Duh, guess I should have known that because the fridge has power. Power has not been the issue.

          BTW - It took a while but the fridge is cooling now just like new. The problem disappeared just as mysteriously as it appeared. We may never know why it shut down unexpectedly.
          A very reputable source (via a RV technician google group I'm privileged to be a part of) stated in a post that he's seen the thermistor to be the problem. What he did was bypass the thermistor (basically put the refrigerator in constant cool mode).

          I'm not sure how much of a DIY'er you are, so if you're interested in something I'd try (even at the risk of breaking something since I've never tried it before) reply back and I'll spell it out should you run into the problem again.

          In the meantime, consider a remote temperature monitor so the frig can be easily monitored. As my fellow moderator TucsonJim has documented in a food safety thread, warm refrigerators are no bueno.

          FYI, here's a diagram of the 2160's electrical layout. It's in the install manual which I found here: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/20...00-Series.html

          Click image for larger version

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          Howard
          Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.

          2017 Ford F-350 DRW, '19 315RLTSPlus

          Comment


          • #6
            gDanColeman

            Is this a 12 v dc only fridge or a gas electric fridge?

            Brian
            Brian & Michelle
            2018 Reflection 29RS
            2022 Chevy 3500HD

            Comment


            • #7
              It is 12VDC only.
              gDan Coleman
              GD AIM 15BH
              Ford Super Duty, F250 4x4, 6.8L gasser
              Murfreesboro, Tenn.

              Comment

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