Refrigerator Service Procedure

When my EuroVan Camper reached its second birthday, the refrigerator was getting very finicky and slow to light on propane, so I took it apart and cleaned the burner. It lights up immediately now, and works like new! Total cost: $0.00 and a few hours of time. Here are the steps I followed.

Warning: THIS IS DANGEROUS! You're working with potentially explosive propane, electricity, and dangerous refrigerant gasses under high pressure. You could destroy your van or yourself. A mistake could cause extremely painful burns, serious permanent disfigurement, and/or death. If you're not trained and experienced in working with propane refrigerators, take it to a professional. I take no responsibility for any damage caused as a result of these instructions. These instructions haven't been reviewed or endorsed by anybody, especially not Norcold, Volkswagen, or Winnebago.

When working around propane and electricity, it's important to keep the area well ventilated, eliminate gas leaks, AND eliminate sources of ignition. True, you won't actually get an explosion unless you have fuel and an ignition source coming together. But if you have either one of these alone, you're only one mistake away from disaster. This stuff isn't terribly difficult, but it IS terribly unforgiving if you make a mistake.

Don't use power tools (including cordless screwdrivers) around propane, because all power tools generate sparks of some sort or another. If you use a flashlight, make sure it's a sealed unit approved for use in an explosive atmosphere.

The cooling unit (dark metal tubes to the left of the fridge) is sealed, and not user servicable. It contains contains ammonium hydroxide, anhydrous ammonia, sodium chromate, and hydrogen at a pressure of about 350 psi. This is VERY nasty stuff. Don't drill or cut around it. In case you should accidentally rupture the cooling unit, the key words for first aid involving ammonia are Air and Water. If you inhale ammonia or get the liquid ammonia solution on you, immediately get to fresh air and flush any affected area of your body or clothing with plenty of water. The hydrogen gas in the cooling unit is potentially explosive; similar to propane. Sodium chromate, the yellowish-greenish powder in solution with the ammonium hydroxide, is a carcinogen. It can also appear on the outside of the cooling unit if there has been a leak. If you get sodium chromate on you, wash thoroughly with soap and water. If you have any lingering effects from, or any doubts about an encounter with the ingredients of a cooling unit, see a physician.

Www.rvmobile.com has some good technical information on the principles of propane refrigerator operation. There's a detailed troubleshooting section there, with good safety information. Most of it is generic, not specific to the Norcold 3163 in the EuroVan (although they do have a wiring diagram for the 3163).

Here's what I did. It took me about four hours, the first time, because I was figuring things out as I went along. After knowing how to do it, I've done it in less than an hour. You'll need a phillips screwdriver and two adjustable wrenches.

Test the propane detector by holding a butane lighter up to it, as described in the owner's manual. If it doesn't work, get it fixed/replaced before proceeding. You're going to disconnect the battery during the following procedure, so the detector will be temporarily disabled while you've got everything torn apart. Even so, you'll want to have a working detector in place after you finish everything, to provide extra insurance in case you missed a stray slow propane leak.
If shore power is connected, disconnect it and leave it disconnected for the duration of the procedure.
Find a suitable worksite, outdoors (don't do this in an enclosed garage!). Open the doors and windows. Pop the top and open the screens. Get all the ventilation that you can. If the weather's uncomfortable for working outdoors, do it another day.
Disconnect the coach battery.
Turn off the gas at the outside valve on the tank. Light the stove and burn for as long as it'll burn, to get rid of excess gas in the line.
Disconnect the refrigerator vent from the outside. Remove the three screws holding the outer cover in place, remove the remaining round plate, and remove the two screws that secure the pipes to the wall of the van. If you've got the high altitude kit (I don't), remove both vents.
Remove the cover panel to the left of the refrigerator (five screws), remove the levels status panel (six screws), and the grey aluminum bracket that held the lower part of the status panel (four screws).
Remove all the screws holding both sides of the refrigerator to the frame (two on the left and three on the right).
Pull the refrigerator out. The first inch is the toughest. It's really in there tight. Pull it out far enough to get access to the gas line connection.
Disconnect the gas line. Use two wrenches. One wrench holds the nut closest to the refrigerator still, while the other turns the nut closest to the gas line.
Pull the refrigerator out further. Unplug the AC connection. I was able to get enough access without disconnecting the 12V power. If you DO disconnect 12V, double-check that the coach battery is disconnected first, to avoid shorting the 12V wires together.
At the left rear bottom of the refrigerator is the burner box. Turn the fridge on its side, unscrew it from beneath, and remove all the rust. Use a wire brush to clean out the chimney. Use compressed air to blow dirt and rust out of the burner.
Don't forget to reconnect the AC power cord before you put everything back.
When reconnecting the gas line, put soapy water around the connection, turn on the gas at the tank, and watch for leaks. (DON'T do the stupidly idiotic thing and use an open flame to check for leaks!!!)
After the gas line is connected, while the refrigerator is still a few inches out of the cabinet, you can reconnect the coach battery and light the fridge briefly for a test. It should light like new. The chimney's not properly vented, so don't run it for long this way, and keep the van well ventilated. Disconnect the coach battery again before re-assembling, to avoid shorting things out at the monitor panel.
Connect the chimney to the outside vent BEFORE securing the fridge to the cabinet and replacing the front cover plate and status panel. There's not enough "wiggle room" to get the chimney lined up after the refrigerator is bolted in place.
Check to be sure you have no leftover screws :-)
Reconnect the coach battery, and re-test the propane detector.

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