Pat & Pete

Ha . I figure I must have scared them enough by pulling the board all the way out . Seriously , the board likely did a total reset being completely disconnected . But , I'm gonna keep an eye open for any of those darn gremlins .

Update , again : I just finished removing the main board . I tried an old board I had , but , that one threw every possible code , plus a dozen or so new codes it must have made up just for this occasion . LOL After that fiasco , I reinstalled the supposed wonky Dinosaur board that I removed 10 or 15 minutes before . That< , because it , at least, allowed the fridge to cool on gas . Another mysterious ending was in store . I hit the ON button on the eyebrow control and wonders of wonders , the fridge is functioning completely as it was designed , including a working interior light . Thanks for listening and participating and for offering tips and guidance to possible solutions . I do appreciate all of that< .

Update : There's been a new development . Now the fridge eyebrow control presents a 'Sr Op' code / alert . That's suppose to indicate a problem with the AC heater elements . They were working fine , then boom , not . I did , prior to that occurrence , replace the main board plastic cover and remove about 4 feet of wire that had 3 connectors in series , from the 12 volt positive feed . I did that because the board wasn't getting any 12 volt and I often wondered why there was so much wire and needless connectors for a single connection . I checked for any bad / loose connections . All are clean and tight . I just tested the elements . One is 63.7Ω . The other is 64.8Ω . Both well within the 58 - 68Ω specified range for serviceable heaters . The manual says to replace the board . That Dinosaur board is just shy of 8 years old . I guess nothing lasts forever , but , I was hoping . Anyway , I unplugged the 120 power to the board and am currently running on gas only . And , surprise of all surprises , the interior light works like a charm with only 12 volt hooked to the board . Definitely a wonky board . I wonder if the warranty is still good ? LOL

No worries . Just a bit of tit for tat type thing . LOL What where we talking about , again ?

Our grey valve has always seeped a little , for whatever reason . So , I wouldn't have to do major surgery on the system , I bought and have used a dual flush pro with gate valve . Killed 2 birds with a single gate valve , as the built in tank flush system never worked , either .

Much like your response to my offering .

an·ec·do·tal /ˌanəkˈdōdl/ adjective (of an account) not necessarily true or reliable, because based on personal accounts rather than facts or research. Gee , maybe I'm lying and not objective . Nah . What I said really has happened . How ever you want to describe it , it is fact .

I suppose you want the receipts to prove it actually happened . LOL

No opinion . Just 9+ years of protection and boost . When I hook to a 30 amp pedestal , I use both Hughes and Progressive units . Haven't had a problem in the many times 30 amp was the only thing available .

I'll second that^ . The gates function much nicer with a bit of lube .

The decision wasn't tough for us , at all . We're full time and have been nicely comfortable in our Monaco motor home for the last ten years .

Thanks , Ray . We're using the over head fluorescent lights , just above the fridge , to see what's where inside . It works , but ... I'll update this thread , once I get the light working again .

I went through the hassle of removing the cover of our Dinosaur main board . Very tight fit in our rig and requires moving/removing other components . I inspected the main board and found nothing amiss . No loose or dirty connections and no blown fuses ( each tested with a VOM ) . Looking at the 'partial' schematic , provided in the manual , the light seems to draw power from the voltage regulator on the eyebrow board . I think that is OK , as the open door beeper works , almost too good . Grasping at straws ... Maybe the problem is a bad/broken wire . But , how that could happen is bit of a mystery as the wiring doesn't move , other than possible vibrations from the road or maybe the opening / closing of the doors . If that's the case , I haven't found ( any ) non conducting wire(s) , yet . I'm considering leaving the current wiring as it is and installing a stand alone light harness . I'd use the current bulb and fixture . Install a pair of flush mount magnetic switches and hook up to a 12 volt source other than the fridge . Just about the time I finish with that project , I'll find the original , easy as ice cream to fix , problem . I'm still very open to any fix suggestions .

That is true , Ray . It would be nice if they had someone that actually knows something respond . Scouring the internet , I haven't found a single post similar to my problem . All references to lights are associated with other problems , which I don't have .

Norcolds response to that^ : "Hello,I would check your DC voltage and batteries. Other than that, I would refer you to a service center." I wrote back : "OK ,DC voltage varies close to 13 volts and the battery ( a single 8D 12 Volt ) is functioning as it should .Thank you for your efforts . :)" I'm not keen on playing Q&A with a dealer/service center . That generally ends up costing way too many dollars . Considering my options ...

Maybe you've had a cup too much coffee this morning . If you read what I wrote , you'll notice that I asked questions . I made no statement . The door reference is a paraphrase . Anyway , I rec'd a response from Thetford/Norcold : " > Hello,> I would look at the mounting to see if any wires have become loose.> Customer Service> Thetford Corp/Norcold Inc" I responded : "Good Morning ... ,I've checked all connections as stated . All are clean and tight .What might cause only the light to not work ?Thank You . :)" I'm waiting for another/next answer .

I just sent Norcold a message through their site : https://norcold.com/contact/ It seems they do answer their own door . The message I rec'd after hitting the send button : "THANK YOU! YOUR REQUEST HAS BEEN SENT AND WILL BE PROCESSED SHORTLY." Now to wait .

So , you're saying Norcold doesn't answer their own door ? What kind of business is that ?

I'm trying to contact Norcold , but , no luck , so far . In the mean time , I tested the main board door connections voltage with the doors closed : 4.95 volts . And , from that^ point , I tested continuity of the switch circuit : that 'circuit' passes 13.6 volts and sounds the continuity beeper loud and clear .

No worries . Been there and done that . More than I'll admit . LOL I know the switch ground point at the main board is good as I'm using it to ground an auxiliary cooling fan . But , that doesn't prove the rest of the wiring is good . I'll have to try your suggestion of a known good ground point ... As to how the light is used in the circuit , like I said : 'That leads me to think that the light is acting as a ( alternate ) ground path for an unknown , at this point , circuit .'

The switches pass 13.6 volts with the doors closed ( switches depressed ) and nothing when the door(s) are open . And , the bulb is new and tested . Works fine . The switches are open when the door(s) is/are open . That leads me to think that the light is acting as a ground path for an unknown , at this point , circuit . And , Yes , I'm using a good Multi-meter . The switches are opposite that^ . They are conductive only when they are depressed ( door(s) closed ) . And , Yes , I have the manual . It does not have a full wiring diagram . Only a pictorial and a basic wire path diagram . Once the meter is set correctly , it's just as simple as a jumper wire and it provides details as to what and how much .

Finally got around to messing with the fridge . Disconnected all power for close to an hour and connected the board positive to ground to try evacuating any leftover power in any circuits . I even disconnected the eyebrow board to check for any corrosion . None to be found and connections seem clean and tight . Checked voltages : almost 13 on the twelve volt input and 126 on the 120 input . Reconnected everything as it should be and restarted the fridge . Still no light . I'm thinking there must be a bad something on one of the boards , but ??? Everything else works as it should . Maybe I should install a couple magnetic switches and rewire the light separate from the main board . That would likely be a lot cheaper than a new board .

It's been a week , but , I haven't abandoned this , yet . ;) Rain day here tomorrow , so , I plan to get after this problem while trapped inside anyway . I'll let you know just what I come up with , good or bad . Thanks , again . :)

Thank You guys . I had the switches out . They gave way reluctantly , likely from being seated for 20 years without any disturbance . Both had continuity in the depressed ( door closed ) position . If that's correct , I'll have to keep looking for another cause .

Hmm , No one has ever pulled a light switch from a Norcold fridge ? How are they held in place ? I'd think it a fairly simply affair . Maybe I'm not applying enough pressure , but ???