Club 80-90 Forums

Hello all - first post & hope someone can help because it seems that the 12v is stuck on and the gas piezzo will not work!

I joined Club 80-90 when I picked up my new '89 Westie last week - I was careful to test the fridge on gas & indeed it worked fine - including being off when it should be! We went on our first trip this weekend....

I used the fridge on gas and 12v on different occasions and apparently was fine on both but then I realised something was up. I'd run it on the gas (including a couple of 5 mile journeys) and then pressed the 12v button to switch to 12v. The gas button sprung up but the pilot light stayed on. Curious I thought - I turned off the gas supply & off went the pilot. Immediately I tried to start on gas again - now when pressing the gas button the 12v button sprung out (correctly) but no spark from the piezzo so no gas fridge.

I used 12v without the engine running - whatever people say about the leisure battery running down this fridge now went on working and working overnight and into the next day for the journey home. I turned it off for a few hours (all buttons up) but when I went back the fan was going and the fridge was as cold as ever. Only turning down the thermostat turned it off.

I am half wondering if the 12v has been always on even when running on gas. The 12v button jumps out so should be off but maybe it was always on & I know running on 12v and gas at the same time is not meant to be a good idea.

The other strange thing is that the 'Fridge on gas' LED is always on.

It's so disappointing to have this issue in an otherwise tip top 'van - any help much appreciated.

Cheers

Scott

A couple of things:

Those piggin switches always play up....one of the first jobs I did to mine was to lube and free off the mechanical switch mechanism so they would work individually.
As for the gas staying on when you press 12v button....yes it does! a well known 'quirk' so ALWAYS turn off the main gas switch for 10 seconds when you swap power sources or turn off when the van isn't in use otherwise you come back to an empty gas tank and a wet carpet (we always leave the fridge door open when not in use otherwise it smells) this has caught me out twice now....

The auto ignighter could be a seperate issue and the unit may need replacing but wait until you have free'd off the switches before you go any further.

Martin

Your fridge is still running on gas...........this is why you must always switch it off under the sink, at the stop "cock" and the flipover on the reg.

This is why your LED is indicating use on gas.
This is why your piezzo is not working, as the thermocouple is detecting heat.
Shut the gas off at every valve available and you will hear the clicking very soon. The same thing happened to me after Camperjam. I went back to the van to get something and noticed the fridge was still cold. For some reason the main tank didnt' turn off on the stopcock and the flip over on the regualtor had becaome stuck. all oilel up and working fine now.
Turn the fridge off under your sink this should start the piezo clicking again in a second or two.
It's always worth getting into the habit of turning the fridge off under the sink anyway as then when you fill your tank there is a less likely chance of getting some dirt into the fridge gas line.
I also always light the cooker first before using the fridge because of this, a little over the top I know but I have had my fair share of,fridge out on campsite.
Rob.

Thanks guys for the details missing from the manuals!

I've spoken to a friend with (almost) the same fridge on a canal boat & he's got me to the point where my sparking is back. I've not got it going on gas yet but have not tried too hard & thought I'd post an update.

Cheers

scott

It might be just as easy to pull the fridge out so you can get at everything including the jet and igniter. The jet can often become partially blocked and easily cleaned using a strand of wire from a wire brush or similar. A good bow out generally helps as well. Look at the igniter electrode, they can erode but can be bent closer to the jet if needed.
Martin

Thanks for all the help - following on from my previous post the gas is indeed working fine now - the piezzo just needed a rest to dry out because of moisture is what my friend told me & he may be right.

The 12v being on is still an ongoing mystery but having the 240v button pressed in (as opposed to all buttons out) seems to have disconnected the 12v. There's no 240v connected & I presume that using this as a 12v off switch is not going to cause a problem.

So fortunately not fridge out time, yet.......

Scott