rm184 fridge igniter randomly firing when lit

[Shaundon]

The ignitor on my rm184 fridge fires fine to start up the fridge and then switches off but can start firing again randomly at times even though the gas is still lit.

Wakes me sometimes in the middle of the night clicking away even though the gas is lit when i check. Can go on for 5 mins sometimes.

How does the electronics tell the flame is lit? there seems to be only one wire going down to the gas nozzle from the ignitor module that carries the spark but i cant see any other wires that goto a flame sesnsor?

[Oldiebut goodie]

It is sensed via the resistance through the flame to the arcing point. Resistance goes high when not lit.(I think that that is correct) I will see if I can dig out the blurb.

[Oldiebut goodie]

I have left out the not so pretty pictures as they are carp! Check your spark distance as this is the earthing point. Also you may not be getting a large enough flame spread to cause the resistance to drop especially if a breeze is moving the flame around. Should be sealed well enough to prevent that happening. ( I can drive a 70mph and the flame doesn't go out!)

The igniter reigniter, used on certain Dometic
model refrigerators, operates on 12 volt current.
On gas operation the igniter senses the resistance
through the flame between the electrode
and burner. When there is no flame at the
burner, the resistance is high and the igniter
begins sparking to light the burner. As soon as
the flame is lit, the resistance between the
electrode and burner drops and the igniter
stops sparking. The resistance is monitored by
the igniter, and, if for any reason the flame
goes out, the igniter begins sparking until the
burner is lit. This insures that the flame will
always be lit when desired. Each time the
igniter reigniter system sparks, a light will
illuminate on the lower left front corner of the
refrigerator.
If the electrode does not spark first, make sure
the igniter is receiving 12 volts. If the igniter is
receiving 12 volts and produces no spark, it
must be checked for operation.
(61)
Turn the refrigerator off and remove the wire
between the electrode and igniter. Now turn the
refrigerator to the gas mode. If no internal
clicking sound is heard the igniter is defective.
It is important to remove the high voltage wire
that goes to the electrode from the igniter when
you are checking the igniter for operation. The
high voltage wire and the electrode can be
shorted to ground causing the igniter reigniter
to think that the flame is lit, resulting in no
spark on gas operation.
(62)
The distance between the tip of the electrode
and the burner, known as the spark gap,
should be 3/16 of an inch. A greater distance
will create a slow spark causing the light to
blink. A lesser distance will create a fast spark
that may not light the burner.

[lloydy]

id suggest removal and a good clean of the pilot jet and surrounding parts could cure the issue.

[Oldiebut goodie]

Did you know that the jet used to be made from an industrial ruby hence 'no poking of wire through as they shattered easily' - don't know if this is still the case though.

[Shaundon]

Cheers this helps alot

I had the fridge out last year and cleaned the jet and it works amazingly now - creates ice even in hot weather so don't think its the flame.
I suspect the wire that goes down to the spark electrode , it looked pretty suspect when i had it out but left it as is at the time. Will see if i can take some readings of the resistance when flame off and on and when clicking with flame still on.

[Oldiebut goodie]

Check the spark gap first rather than mess about with checking the resistance, other than check that no connections have gone high resistance. The main one being the actual connection to the electrode. The flame may be good but the middle has to be between the electrode and the earth point. With the rustiness in the area it would be easy to have it misaligned when reassembling.

[Shaundon]

will do - thanks for the help