jettel

My suggestion may be way off but… my HP oven came with a wire rack that keeps the food up off the turn table. At first I wasn’t using the rack and I couldn’t get the food warm enough. Someone suggested that I use the rack and voila the oven works great. Just a thought as sometimes the simple solution evades us.

Update: It turned out to be the thermal switch on the flue for the propane heating unit. One of the prongs on the switch was loose so it would make contact sometimes and sometimes not. Apparently my wiggling the wires on the junction block would cause it to make contact for awhile. Thanks to all who responded, I appreciate the help.

I've towed my (gas) 453 thousands of miles with no problem by using the towing supplemental instructions I downloaded from the smart USA web site. You can only flat tow the DCT (automatic) transmission, the manual 5 speed requires the engine to be running to keep oil circulating. Many people have ruined the drive train by not following the instructions exactly. If you put the transmission in neutral or leave the battery connected you will have issues. If the smart website no longer has the information the link provided above; https://www.smartcarofamerica.com/threads/453-official-flat-tow-instructions.126105/ has the correct instructions. Always verify that you are looking at instructions for a 453 model, the process for older smarts is completely different. Now for my question, what supplemental braking system are people using when towing their 453 smart? I need to replace mine and I'd like to go with something different, preferably one that doesn't have to be installed in the floor every time you tow. I've been using an NSA cable system. Although etrailer states the Roadmaster InvisiBrake will work on my smart, when I contacted Roadmaster directly they said no it won't. Since it's a pretty unique car and as we've already experienced conflicting information with the can you or can't you tow question, I'd like to hear from people who have actually installed a braking system on a 453. Thank you

Thanks. The wiring on your fridge looks different than mine. The only control board I have found is behind the control panel on the front so I’m still not sure where this lower control board is that Dometic is referencing. The fridge has been working perfectly in my driveway for over a week now. I sort of wish it would die permanently as I am afraid if it is working when the tech comes next week he won’t be able to diagnose the problem. So frustrating. I do have fans on the exterior vent and inside the fridge. They do seem to make it work efficiently when I’m not having the issue with power to the control panel. I usually only have set the temperature two or three bars below maximum and can make ice and keep ice cream in the freezer. Many people say they have to run them at maximum cooling to keep the freezer below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. By the way I did try to find a service manual online on a few sites including Bryant RV but none of them seem to exactly match my RMD8555.

Yes they are tight and clean, that’s why I’m thinking one of the wires or the junction bock has a break in it. It’s the only explanation I can think of that would cause an intermittent loss of 12 volt power to the control panel.

Here is a picture of the components behind the fridge. I emailed Dometic and they suggested the lower control board may be bad. I can't find a controller board other than the one in the control panel on the front of the fridge. I'll have to do some research to see what they are referring to. I have an RV tech coming to look at it but I don't know if they will find anything because of the intermittent nature of the problem. Sorry for the double post, I couldn't figure out how to get two pictures in one post without exceeding the 100 kb limit.

Here is a picture of the junction block. The wires I wiggle that usually get the fridge going again are the ones on the four lower right terminals (the black fuse jumper wires, yellow, orange and white).

Yes there is a fuse holder like that which might be the problem. I will post a terminal block photo later today. Thanks

Thanks 1oneozzie, the only fuses I've found all appear to be good. However, one of the wires that I generally can wiggle to get the thing to go again is a jumper that goes from one terminal on the junction block in the back to another terminal. The wire is yellow and it has a blade type fuse holder in it. The last time it stopped working I tested both ends of the wire and was getting 12 volts at both ends of the fuse link but since it is an intermittent issue, maybe that is where the short is. I'm not aware of an internal fuse and didn't find any fuses behind the control panel. If I recall there were two in the back of the unit and one in the electrical service panel.

I'm having the same issue right now with my Dometic RMD 8555. It happens intermittently. Definitely not a fuse issue. Usually, if I wiggle the wires (12 volt) that go into the junction block on the back of the fridge it will come back on but I never know if the fridge will work for a day or a year. I have tried tightening the connections, taking them loose and checking to see they are properly seated, etc., everything seems tight and connected. I am at the point where I'm thinking either the junction block is cracked or one of the wires has an internal break that connects and disconnects with vibration? When it happens, the failure seems to happen after moving the rig. A week ago I aborted a camping trip because the fridge stopped working and my usual fix of wiggling the wires did not work. Of course at home sitting in my driveway the fridge worked fine so I tried to make it fail by wiggling one wire at a time but I could not get it to fail. Even removed the control panel and tried gently flexing it to see if it would fail. I'm stumped about how to diagnose it, any suggestions?

I replaced mine with Maxx Air MaxFans. They have a built in rain cover, low profile and much quieter with better speed control. My fantastic fans had rain sensors that would close the vents every time you took a shower, so frustrating...

Interesting, this probably explains the unexplained data usage on my hotspot. I turned off background app refresh, we'll see what happens...

For those of you using the SKPS mail service with a SD address, do you notice any significant delay in getting your mail? I assume it goes to Texas first and then gets forwarded to SD?