Norcold Model 2118

[Kneelk]

We purchased new, in Jan 2018, a 2018 3575EL Bighorn. We have been on 4 RV rallies and our unit has been back to the dealer 3 times for the fridge not staying cool enough. It didn't cool correctly the first time either but I thought it may have been my fault for not being level enough and didn't mention to the dealer (Our previous 5th had a residential fridge, didn't worry that much about being exact with level). I documented, and gave to the dealer, pictures spanning 3 days and 3 times a day of the temperature rising from 38 degrees to upper 40's and mid 50's during the 3 days (once up to 62 degrees). The outdoor temps were in the low to mid 70's at the time. The first visit was stated "functioned as designed". The 2nd visit, the metal baffle on top of the fridge needed trimmed to fit correctly. The 3rd and current visit, the cooling unit was replaced and was told this morning it will still only cool to 52 degrees. The seals on the door have been inspected and the doors are aligned. Getting very frustrated after 4 months of not working correctly. On 4 rallies we have been working out of a $40 Dicks Sporting Goods camping cooler.

Has anyone had this much trouble with their Norcold fridge and if so, what was the solution.​

 

[danemayer]

Hi Kneelk,

Sorry to hear you're having this problem with the fridge.

There's an old problem with 4 door Dometic and Norcold refrigerators where the flap on the left refrigerator door binds leaving a large gap between doors. If that happens, the refrigerator compartment gets very warm. A little grease or oil on the pivot points will clear it up if that's what's happening.

When the door flap binds, the repair tech may not replicate the problem, or worse, closes the flap manually without realizing it's the problem.

If your freezer is keeping food frozen but the refrigerator is not, you should look at the flap.

And if that's not it, and it doesn't work when outside temps are in the 70s, then with all that's been done, it might be time for the dealer to press Norcold to replace the refrigerator.

 

[SNOKING]

I would add on the flap to remove the sticker on the lower ledge that the flap has to cross over. And the next thing is to put a Nylon washer on the hinge pin at the bottom of the left door to space the door up a bit. You remove the top hinge and lift the door off to put the spacer in. Chris

 

[RoadJunkie]

If all the seals are tight, see if your dealer will perform what is called a "runaway" test. This test will bypass thermal feedback control systems and runs the refer in a full, "runaway", mode to determine if the refer has the capability of getting cold. There are many posts on this forum that discuss thermocouple positioning on the cooling fins, cooling fin fan location and adding fan(s), and even one on relocating the fan thermal switch. Enter key words into the search box and you will find the threads. You may want to try hiring a mobile tech who sounds like they are knowledgeable, their livelihood depends on them being responsive. We have the same coach and 2118 as yours and ours has been amazing, so I know it can be done.

 

[Kneelk]

Has anyone had to talk to a Heartland rep. and if so, do you have a name for me to contact that will work well with resolving this issue.

 

[Gary521]

I second the idea that it is the door flap. This is a very common problem. Mine was the same way. The condition gets a bit worse when you have weight in the left side door. Removing the doors and placing washers on the bottom hinge ( this was already suggested ) fixes the problem. Another help is to add additional auxiliary fans to the backside of the fridge top side blowing out and bottom vent blowing up.

 

[Kneelk]

I second the idea that it is the door flap. This is a very common problem. Mine was the same way. The condition gets a bit worse when you have weight in the left side door. Removing the doors and placing washers on the bottom hinge ( this was already suggested ) fixes the problem. Another help is to add additional auxiliary fans to the backside of the fridge top side blowing out and bottom vent blowing up.

I did shim both doors on the bottom so they would close easily with the flap not having any obstruction to close 90 degrees. It's still at the dealership 3 1/2 weeks, this time, under warranty and still no resolution. Hopefully someone will come up with a contact at Heartland I can get in touch with so I can check on just replacing the frig. Thank you for the suggestions.

 

[danemayer]

You can call Heartland Customer Service at 877-262-8032 / 574-262-8030. Have your VIN # ready.

The warranty on the refrigerator is from Norcold, not from Heartland, but Heartland may be able to help move things along.

 

[Bish]

I am experiencing similar problems with my refrigerator not cooling properly in my 2018 Cyclone 4115. There is condensation on the plastic flap between the doors-temp in frig is low 40's and low 20's in freezer. The right doors are approximately 1/8" lower than the left and do not seem to close as tightly as the doors on the left as there is some give when you push on the (right) doors and no give on the left doors when they are closed. Going to try the shims for the height. The thermistor is on the second cooing fin from the right. Anyone have any other suggestions?

New owner and new to this forum. Thank you.

 

[D_BTravelers]

Re: Norcold Model 2118 not cooling...ever

We bought a 2016 Big Country new in Jan of 2017. We have had constant issues with the Norcold 2118 getting cold from day one. The door flap didn't seat correctly so our RV tech pulled out the refrigerator and found it to be 3/8" off level in the enclosure. The doors now close perfect and the seals are all tight (the $1 bill test). We went out on our first campout a couple of weeks ago and the refrigerator was struggling to hold 40 degrees. Now I have it in covered storage, set on 9, and running for one week with it never getting below 38 degrees (door opened once per day to check temp and be ticked off); today it was 97 degrees outside (TX) and it was 42 degrees in the refrigerator; the freezer is always cold. After speaking with Norcold yesterday I pulled the thermistor off the cooling fins and checked to make sure the refrigerator was still set on 9. We came back in 6 hours and it had not even recovered from opening the doors 6 hours earlier; and it wasn't 10 degrees colder as the rep had hoped. Norcold said it was probably the Frost Management module that was stuck in defrost. I have tried 3 mobile techs today with no luck finding one that knows what a Frost Management module is.

We have a 21 day, 4400 mile trip booked to leave on this Sunday and I would really like the refrigerator to work properly. Does anyone know where the module is located and how to reset it? At this point I will buy the entire board if I can't buy a new management module. I know someone here has come across this before, so please help!

 

[danemayer]

Re: Norcold Model 2118 not cooling...ever

We bought a 2016 Big Country new in Jan of 2017. We have had constant issues with the Norcold 2118 getting cold from day one. The door flap didn't seat correctly so our RV tech pulled out the refrigerator and found it to be 3/8" off level in the enclosure. The doors now close perfect and the seals are all tight (the $1 bill test). We went out on our first campout a couple of weeks ago and the refrigerator was struggling to hold 40 degrees. Now I have it in covered storage, set on 9, and running for one week with it never getting below 38 degrees (door opened once per day to check temp and be ticked off); today it was 97 degrees outside (TX) and it was 42 degrees in the refrigerator; the freezer is always cold. After speaking with Norcold yesterday I pulled the thermistor off the cooling fins and checked to make sure the refrigerator was still set on 9. We came back in 6 hours and it had not even recovered from opening the doors 6 hours earlier; and it wasn't 10 degrees colder as the rep had hoped. Norcold said it was probably the Frost Management module that was stuck in defrost. I have tried 3 mobile techs today with no luck finding one that knows what a Frost Management module is.

We have a 21 day, 4400 mile trip booked to leave on this Sunday and I would really like the refrigerator to work properly. Does anyone know where the module is located and how to reset it? At this point I will buy the entire board if I can't buy a new management module. I know someone here has come across this before, so please help!

Have you tried running on Propane? On the electric side, I think you have 2 heating elements. If one fails, the electric operation is compromised. But propane uses a burner that's completely separate.

But, if the freezer is really cold - around 0 (F), and the refrigerator is warm, generally that's caused by an air leak. On Dometics, there's a condensation drain hose with a one way end cap. If the end cap comes off, warm air can enter the refrigerator cabinet. You might check to see what you have.

Also, occasionally over the last few years, I recall some Norcold reports where the cooling unit was working well at the top, cooling the freezer, but not in the middle to cool the refrigerator. I think the solution on those was a new cooling unit.

Here's a link to the Norcold 121x service manual. But I don't think it provides any info on a frost management module.

 

[D_BTravelers]

Thanks Danemayer, the refrigerator runs exactly the same on propane as electric. The cap appears to be on the end of the drain hose also. I will check for air leaks again today, but because the refrigerator failed to go into emergency cooling when the thermistor was disconnected, I believe it is the Frost Management stuck "on", or the entire cooling system is bad. The freezer is cold, but not 0; I'll do a check today to verify and post again. I intend to be on the phone with Norcold again this morning to see if they have any answers. I am also going to check with Heartland and see what they say. Thank you for the suggestions and response.