hermanmullins

Puff, we seem to have two post going at the same time on just about the same issue. When I pulled the old NorCold out, the coils on the back were so rusty it amazed me that they were holding any gases at all. However I was lucky when I looked at the floor of the opening the wood was in great shape. I have heard horror stories of some that had rotted away. Herman

No Puff it was not working at all. When the tech from Discount RV in Hutchinson, KA. opened the out side cover you could see the yellow stains everywhere. I now have the unit out sitting in the middle of the floor and the smell of ammonia is so strong I had to open windows and leave the vent fan on last night. Hope the oder is gone this morning. Just for the labor involved I would loved to have saved the unit. 13 years it surved itself well. I plan on having my sons take it out the front door this weekend. I need to remove the coolling unit from the back of the fridg. Since there may be some more ammonia in the system are there any safety steps I should take before cutting the lines? We plan on using a small unit we purchased till our Rallies calm down and I have time to make proper modifications to the opening for our new unit. Herman

Puff, I agree and am not out t scare anyone. I had made the decission when in Hutchinson that if my unit could be repaired for under $300.00 then I was ready to have it repaired. However my unit had leaked the ammonia out making it cost effective, at least for me, to go forward with the resident. unit. As youeself I had no problem with the norcold as long as it worked. Mine died, RIP. I do have several shelves, 4 Wood covered doors and a like new ice maker. Herman

Jimmy, Low 12 volt voltage can keep the frig. from coming on (the PC board is 12 VDC). However if your frig. is on but not cooling then that is a different issue. Questions: has your unit had both Nevercold recalls done. If yes, on to the next question. The little black box installed on the last recall has a red light on it. Is it on ? if so it may need to be reset. This can be done with a strong magnet. Turn off the unit and rub the magnet all over the black box. Then turn the unit back on. If the red light is off then wait awhile and see if your unit begins to cool. Now the real bad news. If you see YELLOW STAINS on and around the burner flue then the unit has a leak and is most likely toast. Hope it is just low voltage or need to be reset. Herman

Thanks for all the great advice and comments. We just returned from Volunteering at the Kansas State Fair, with a group of FMCA members from Six-State. The Nevercold died just before we left and we bought a small 2 door unit from HD. Had to learn to use it. Over loaded it and things in the back froze and in the front got cool. It did work for the trip. I plan on removing the Nevercold this week and putting the small unit in the hole till we have more time to complete the replacement. We have the Six-State Rally in Conroe then on to our chapter Rally in Kerrville. If any of you are coming to the Rally in Conroe, please stop me and say Hi and Howdy. As for the gentlemen that spoke of the magnet, they work lots of times however in our case it turned to be a moot point. We call Discount RV in Hutchinson and Heith came out open the compartment door and said "TOAST". Thought we had not smelled it the ammonia was leaking. "DEAD". Thank goodness, I have been waiting for this day to replace it. Will keep you up on the never ending saga of Herman on the Road. Thing I could tell if I were as elegant with words like Tom. Look for us down the road. Herman

Matthew, Welcome to the Forum. As many on this Forum will tell you, I prefer the M & G Engineering unit. It is designed to operate by applying pressure directly to the Master Cylinder and not by applying pressure to and through the Power Brake Booster. It applies the same pressure as the brakes on your coach. All that being said, I didn't ask what kind of coach you are getting, gas or diesel. My statement above is for the diesel pusher with air brakes. M & G does make a unit for gas coaches but I am not familiar with it. I do know it requires an air pump. Good luck on your new coach. Join FMCA and a chapter if you haven't already done so. Herman

Carl, Does your compartment door Swing out or come out and up. If it comes out and rises next to the coach, you may have a broken Latch. The center latch connects to a "U" bolt and the release pin is plastic. When the plastic pin breaks it stays down. To open the compartment you can loosen the nuts (7/16 wrench)on the back side of the "U" bolt from the underside below the door. With the nuts loose you can open the door. There is a company in the magazine that makes replacement latches with Aluminum Pins. My current issue doesn't have their ad but can be found in several past issues. However if this is not the type of latch then I haven't a clue. Herman

John, Welcome to the Forum. I don't know if Tim got his problem solved. I had another thought. Does his engine have 2 4 barrel carburater or a throttle body Fuel Injection. If a 4 barrel it might be the accelerator pump. Herman

Just had a friend that his compartment door would not open. I aplied very slight pressure with a screw driver. With just very little prying pressure the seal released, the seal was stuck. He applied some lube to the seal and it is working well now, Hope yours is as simple. Herman

I am thinking about a Samsung. From what I can discover it will work on MSW inverter. I remember there have been post showing models that will fit right in with little modifications. When we get home on Monday I plan on removing the Nevercold and put the little unit we bought for this trip in the opening and use it until after Six-State. Then I will get serious on what to purchase and how to install it. As for removing the Nevercold I plan on it going out the front door even if I have to take a saw to it. Herman

Gents, The exact same thing happened to a friend of mine. Do you think it would interfere with the little black box if you took a piece of foil and just drapped over, not wraped ? I am not worried about our fridg. not it died this week. Here come a residential. I will now go back over all the post of folks that have replaced their Norcolds. Herman

Has anyone found out what happened? Herman

As noted you may leave the trickle or smart charger on your batteries for extended periods, however you need to make sure the batteries are topped off and checked often to make sure they don't gas out of acid. Herman

I just found a new item called "1 Bite". Can be found in farm stores. Haven't used it yet but have heard good reports. Herman

I love the statement on the side wall on large tires "Regroveable". (Not sure my spelling is correct). Herman

Wayne, You might try Rv salvage yards. They can be found by google. They may have just the size you need. Herman

CD, You are right about living in North Central Texas and there not being RV Service. We live in Whitewright, TX. I know it is far away but in Lewisville there is National Indoor Storage that has agreat service department, 469-277-1330. Also in Denton there is Best Value RV Sales and Service great folks, 940-220-2878. Hope one of these might be able to help. Herman

Was not suggesting to use the old one if it does open. I never go into replace something and not replace a component in there. Such as in this case if I go in to replace the thermostat I will also replace the radiator hose and clamps. To me that just makes sense. All I was suggesting was IF Brad wanted to, this was method to test the old thermostat. Herman

Brad, One way to check the thermostat that you remove is a pan of water. Take a saucepan put the thermostat in the pan and cover it with water set it on the stove on high. As the temperature rises watch to see if the thermostat begins to open. If it opens all the way before the water boils then it is good (if you have a thermometer in the water you can confirm at what temperature it opens). If it only opens partially or not at all then it is bad. This might help you know if it was the problem or not. Hope that is the problem and you can keep it cool. Herman

Gives new meaning to "Always set the Parking Brake before leaving the coach." Herman As an old Boat Salesman,"Don't forget to put the plug in and check the bilge pump."

Chuckwagon, Welcome to the Forum. Surge Brakes work well on Boat and Utility Trailers , till you want to back up. Then you have a problem. I would look around for some other type of brake system. Just my opinion. Herman

adrainey, "Water heater--how do I turn it on?" Some wine, a little cheese, candle light and soft music should work. Carl is right download the manual or call Fleetwood. Herman

WhiteEagle, FMCA doesn't have a windshield program, however there is a great vendor that is at all AMCA National Rallies and advertises in the magazine, RY Glass Solutions. When you contact them they will contract your carrier and get back to you the same day. If you call, ask for Sally and tell her Herman from Perry recommended them. Sorry for your problems. Herman

Brad, Welcome to the Forum. Have you joined FMCA yet? My suggestion, rather then a Remco Pump, I would go with a drive shaft disconnect. Pumps have been known to fail and can do bad things to the transmission. Check and see if you have a steering whell locking pin. If not with a drive shaft disconnect you may disengage the drive shaft, put the transmission in park, take the key out, lock the door and hit the road. Oh yeah, hook up the truck first. My suggestions are: Blue Ox 10,000 lb tow bar M & G Engineering Brake Remco Drive Shaft disconnect and Diodes for the lights. Happy and Safe travels. Herman

Tom, In additions to what Rich said check and lube all joints and piviot points. Herman