3 way fridge re-hab - 12V repair

[Desert Rancher]

Took the old reefer out of my '86 Granbaby. The 12v side quit working. That thing was a snug fit in the cabinet and I'm sure it has never been out. It is a Dometic RM 2200

Removed the burner assy and cleaned.
Cleaned the baffle with the wire wheel. Used a dowel with emery cloth on the drill to clean out the chimney. I must have gotten about two tablespoons of rust out of there.

Heating elements ohmed out good. The schematic showed a 10a fuse inside the regulator assy. I had thought that the 12v circuit did not go through the regulator, but it does.
Took it apart and found a most interesting arrangement. They had encapsulated a European style automotive fuse (the open element type) in hard tar. Broke that apart and rewired it with an inline fuse outside of the reg. assy.

Going to the appliance shop to try and get a thermocouple and slap it back in. It actually worked pretty good until I get in 80-90 temps. Hope this will help, other wise I gotta save up!

 

[chnlisle]

Jeff,
You just nailed the problem I've had with every 3 way fridge. They work great if all you need is 30 to 40 degrees below ambient. Ambient being the key word here. When the temps get into the 80's & 90's, 60 degree milk is pretty rank.

 

[UglyScout]

Jeff,
You just nailed the problem I've had with every 3 way fridge. They work great if all you need is 30 to 40 degrees below ambient. Ambient being the key word here. When the temps get into the 80's & 90's, 60 degree milk is pretty rank.



My brother in-law was just camping this past week with us in his hi-lux 30+ foot motor home. I gladly tossed out his mostly full gallon of cottage cheese milk when we got home. YUCK! I was very surprised that he couldn't keep it consistently cool enough, but it seems to be a common problem even in the big motor homes.

My cheapie compressor fridge was a hit when I handed him a 36 degree beer at the beach....