Volvo Truck Refrigerator ?'s

[alan0043]

Hi Everyone,

I have a few questions about the operation of a refrigerator in a Volvo truck. I have had my truck for a couple of years and never tried the refrigerator for what ever reason. I have been curious to know if it works or not. I saw the knob inside the frig and turned it it all the way to the coldest setting. If the frig does not get cold where do I start checking to see if there is power going to it ? I looked in the owners manual and there is nothing about the frig in there. I also looked at all the fuses in the dash and could not find if there is a fuse for the frig. I know there has to be a fuse some where but where is it ? Is there anything that I am missing ?

Thanks for any help,
Al

[Tom&]

Don’t know about your truck, but I have a 2011 Volvo and my refrigerator is 120vac and runs off the dc/ac inverter, I have to turn on the inverter first then the refrigerator, inverter switch is above windshield on drivers side.

[Radar274]

Al

Remove the refrig so you can test the voltage from the battery.  The Refrig is on slides and is held in by 3 screws, 2 are on the floor and found by opening the door, the third on is on the top and found by removing the drawers above the refrig.  Here is a link to a topic I wrote on the repair of ours. 

A new one cost $1000's ..... the fix for ours was $180.

[Radar274]

Here is a youtube video for this repair. 

 

[Av8r3400]

The factory installed fridge is 12 volt not 110.   The dealer will not service them, only replace.  Something like $1200.

I think there was a thread not long ago about simple repairs to fix a non functioning fridge.  Try the search function. 

[alan0043]

16 hours ago, Radar274 said:

Al

Remove the refrig so you can test the voltage from the battery.  The Refrig is on slides and is held in by 3 screws, 2 are on the floor and found by opening the door, the third on is on the top and found by removing the drawers above the refrig.  Here is a link to a topic I wrote on the repair of ours. 

A new one cost $1000's ..... the fix for ours was $180.

Hi Radar,

Thank you for the link. I now remember reading your write up. Must had some kind of brain fart. lol. I opened the frig door and saw no bolts on the floor with the door open. But there is two bolts on the floor that looks like it holds the cabinet down. They are located behind the driver seat. I will pull out the drawer and see what I can find. It looks like the fuse is behind the frig. There will be more questions for later.

Thanks again Radar for the links,
Al

[Radar274]

Al,

Here is a picture of the screws holding my Frig in place. Hope this helps

Bob

 

[alan0043]

19 hours ago, Radar274 said:

Al,

Here is a picture of the screws holding my Frig in place. Hope this helps

Bob

 

Hi Bob,

Thank you for the picture. My frig door opening is not set at an angle like yours. My door opening is 90* for both sides of the frig. I must have a different model of frig then you. The name on my frig is Norcold. My truck is a 630 model.

Please everyone, keep the info coming.
Al

[alan0043]

23 hours ago, alan0043 said:

Hi Bob,

Thank you for the picture. My frig door opening is not set at an angle like yours. My door opening is 90* for both sides of the frig. I must have a different model of frig then you. The name on my frig is Norcold. My truck is a 630 model.

Please everyone, keep the info coming.
Al

Hi Bob,

I was able to remove the frig. There are two bolts on the left side and one bolt on the bottom left side. The bolt on the floor is covered with a black plastic plug. Now I need to test the frig and frig fan to see what happens. The controller number is 101N0210. Does the controller unplug from the frig ? I do not see any bolts or screws holding the controller.

Al

[Radar274]

Al,

Sorry I haven't gotten back with you..... We are planting crops....... it has rained and rained and rained..... first day in fields for 4 days... I will look at ours tomorrow and get back with you.

Thanks

Bob

Edited May 14, 2019 by Radar274

[Radar274]

Al,

The controller number is 101N0210. Does the controller unplug from the frig ? Yes it unplugs I think the plug is underneath the controller and will show itself upon controller removal.  I do not see any bolts or screws holding the controller. I do remember it was hard to figure out what was holding the controller in place, the screw holding it is on the opposite side of the electrical connections.   If my memory serves me correctly all you have to do is pry the case over the screw that holds it in place.  

Good Luck

Bob

[Radar274]

Al,

Here is a video that shows how it is held in.

 

[alan0043]

2 hours ago, Radar274 said:

Al,

Here is a video that shows how it is held in.

 

Hi Bob,

Thank you for the link to the video. I have also found some of the videos from Penguin Refrigeration. His videos where a big help. I even made the LED tester to test the controller. I found out that the thermostat is not working. I did the test with the jumper wire on the controller. The nice thing is that I don't have to remove the controller. I did your test with wiring the fan direct and found out that the fan does not work. Now for the hard part. Is there a little trick or tip to be able to get to the small bolts and nuts that hold the fan ? I wish I had the room that they show in the video. It looks almost impossible to get to the back two bolts holding the fan. Maybe there is a video showing how to remove those nuts and bolts.

I am in no hurry about getting the frig fixed. Take care of the farm first. This spring has not been a farmers friend.

Thank you again for your help,
Al

 

Edited May 15, 2019 by alan0043

[Radar274]

Al,

Penguin Refrigeration videos were of great help! Replacing the fan looked like a real challenge..... I was lucky, I ordered a fan but didn't need to replace it. I found it worked fine when connected directly to a 12volt source and with the new controller.  Al you are in uncharted territory, those bottom nuts looked impossible to remove.  You might have to break the old fan to get it out and hold the new fan with only 2 or 3 nuts.  I thought about mounting the fan on the outside of the coils if I couldn't get the old one out. If you can not find a fan let me know.

Good luck keep us informed

Bob

[alan0043]

The next big thing is to find the thermostat for the frig. I have done some Google researches with no luck yet.

[NTPA Announcer]

Al, 

 

Unplug it, Move the passengers seat all the way back, and hand it to a friend on the ground out the passengers door, Take the dimensions and go to Walmart ( or wherever ) to get one. I in addition built a wooden framework for it to ride on and get a little more air under it. I plugged the new one into our converter and WALA ! cold Gator aid ! It was a whole lot cheaper  ( Less than 200.00  ) and less time involved , and this works just fine. Even Miss Judy's Happy !!

[Radar274]

Al,

found this, not sure if it is the exact match but should work if it fits.

Bob

www.camperid.com/norcold/refrigerator-thermostat-control-assembly-mpn-636495.html?view=050357&gclid=EAIaIQobChMInoyxjfGf4gIVxlcNCh2IYQf7EAQYASABEgJaCfD_BwE

[alan0043]

On 5/16/2019 at 7:22 AM, Radar274 said:

Al,

found this, not sure if it is the exact match but should work if it fits.

Bob

www.camperid.com/norcold/refrigerator-thermostat-control-assembly-mpn-636495.html?view=050357&gclid=EAIaIQobChMInoyxjfGf4gIVxlcNCh2IYQf7EAQYASABEgJaCfD_BwE

Hi Bob,

Thank you the the link to the thermostat control. I have an idea about removing the two fan bolts that are close to the back to the frig. Right now, I have the front two bolts removed. I'll report back later if the idea works. Now I need to order some parts.

Denver, I am taking the frig repair as a challenge. My frig is behind the drivers seat in my truck.

Al

[SuiteSuccess]

My frig is also behind drivers side.  In ten years this is my second Walmart dorm frig which I paid $129.  Runs on 110 so inverter is necessary.  Just couldn’t justify 12 volt OEM or replacement at $6-700 since we part time and frig only used to pack lunches and cold drinks on the road.  Hope you get it fixed Al.  BTW I have a post somewhere on here where I installed two computer fans hooked to a button thermostat to help cool the coils in increased temps.  The fans are turned on/off by a dash toggle switch.

 

Edited May 17, 2019 by SuiteSuccess

[Radar274]

Hi Al,

Did you every get your Refrigerator Running?  What parts were needed and where did you get them from?

Bob

 

[alan0043]

19 hours ago, Radar274 said:

Hi Al,

Did you every get your Refrigerator Running?  What parts were needed and where did you get them from?

Bob

 

Hi Bob,

The refrigerator is up and running. The links that you provided worked out great. The fan came from Mouser and the thermostat from https://www.camperid.com/norcold/refrigerator-thermostat-control-assembly-mpn-636495.html?view=050357&gclid=EAIaIQobChMInoyxjfGf4gIVxlcNCh2IYQf7EAQYASABEgJaCfD_BwE

Thank you again for the help.
Al

[Radar274]

👍

[Slixter]

I know this is an older thread but I’m hoping one of you knowledgeable ones are monitoring it. I’m trouble shooting my fridge and at first glance of the wiring I’m wondering about the temp control wires. I’ve removed the fan and power wires and left the temp control wires on. There’s a pigtailed second wire attached to terminal C that doesn’t go anywhere and there’s nothing plugged in to terminal P as shown in the wiring diagram. Any thoughts?

[Slixter]

I found the answer to my own question. Lol. It’s used for a battery protection resistor. 

[alan0043]

13 hours ago, Slixter said:

I found the answer to my own question. Lol. It’s used for a battery protection resistor. 

Hi Slixter,

I was glad you got things figured out. I won't be of much help. I forgot everything I learned about my frig. Must be getting old. lol. 😁