Fridge. No click, Igniter fail, sticky buttons, light on

[Middle29]

hey folks,

I realise there's tons of fridge posts & I have read a lot of them but would appreciate advice on course of action.

RM184 fridge in 1990 Atlantic. When bought fridge was working off hook up..Trying it on gas. Light comes on (Not flashing & no clicking) Pushing the igniter I can hear the gas running & stops when I let go of button. The 12v button on fridge gets stuck just to highlight the buttons are sticky. So I'm assuming the igniter is faulty or the button has a problem. The fact the light lights up would lead me to believe the gas button contacts might be ok.

1. Before I take it out for the first time is there anything else I should try first?

2.When it comes out what parts should I replace & where can I get them?
I know a good clean might fix it but I have a 2 year old & one on the way so time is a premium much more than the cash.

When I bought it it had sat on 240v all night I think with the fridge on and in hindsight although it was cold it had no ice / frost so I want to completely refurb it to get it working properly or do the waeco fridge mod. (On another note do people feel this devalues the bus by changing from original - but I digress...)

thanks in advance...

[nobbyfox]

My fridge did the same in my 1990 California. through caution to the wind and bought a new ignitor from BW.
It fixed the problem!!
Whilst you have the fridge out, give it a good service and add a 12v computer fan whilst you're at it.
Lots of posts on the Wiki for a 'how to' guide.

Steve

[Middle29]

thanks Steve I think I will. I think I'll do that give it a clean & if there's still problems then look at more replacements. Cheers,
Mike

[pirate-pete]

Buttons can get sticky due to the catches wearing. When you press one button it should release the other buttons. Mine started playing up so to get from 240V to gas I had to press the 12V one first and only then could I press the gas button. A couple of months ago it got worse so that now the gas button will not stay in (but can start if I press gas selector at same time as the normal round button. What happened was the thin catch under it had cracked and now the loose bit that was jamming the gas button when on 240V came free it no longer latches on gas. Looks a pain to dismantle and I was on a campsite last time I had the fridge out for repair so I just refitted it and will live with it for now.

Sounds too me as though you have a problem mainly with the spark igniter. As said by Steve pull the fridge and give a good clean. Check inside the burner and often the cause of the igniter not working is some rust or something dropping down the flue and shorting out the igniter electrode to the thermocouple.Have had this three times now in six years but can't remember though on mine if the red light comes on when this is happening. Check the selector switch too while in there - if you remove it you might see what is jamming the 12V button.

If you can get it working on gas then it is worth it not having to pay for hookup and also very useful to run fridge when parked up away from the campsite or to cool fridge before a trip. Should not take too long and once you've done it the first time it is a lot easier the second time round.

[Middle29]

Ok good news - when I left it the other day I turned all gas off but stupidly left it set to gas on the fridge itself. Walking past a minute ago I heard a clicking coming from the flue. Double checked & the igniter is firing & the light is flashing. On the down side it might have been sparking for 2 days buts it's working. Just fired it up.

I wonder if it was the humidity as I've read that causes problems. Or it still could be a faulty switch either way I'm happier than I was gonna leave it a couple of hours and see how cold it gets.

Thanks for the help anyways & I will pull the fridge at some point.

Cheers all
Mike