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Update- 2018 Norcold 3 way model N180.3- AC indicator light defective

rcuomorcuomo Member Posts: 319
edited April 2018 in Air Conditioning & Refrigeration

Looking for help! New 2018 320S manufactured April 2017, purchased September 2017. Just finished first camping trip and the Norwood 3 way model 180.3 fridge will not work on shore power. I have checked every forum, checked breaker and both fuses and traced power through the 1amp fuse to the mode switch and thermostat. Works normally on propane and 12v. Any ideas out there before I call Norcold?

‘18 Tab 320S- mfg’d 4/17, acquired 9/17
Spare & bike rack on tongue, Renogy 100w suitcase connection, cargo & door nets, sway bar, wired rear camera, Norcold aux fan, front window protection, frame mounted sewer & water hose storage, Krieger 1500w inverter w/100Ah LIFePO4.
‘17 Honda Ridgeline RTL-E- 5000# tow cap, 600# tongue cap
‘20 Honda Pilot Elite- 5000# tow cap, 500# tongue cap
Huntington LI
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  • rcuomorcuomo Member Posts: 319
     Okay here’s what I just learned, apparently the indicator bulbs are a known issue. So it’s possible it is working but the light is bad. I’ve been told to leave it on for up to 6 hours to see if it chills.  I’ll update later. 
    ‘18 Tab 320S- mfg’d 4/17, acquired 9/17
    Spare & bike rack on tongue, Renogy 100w suitcase connection, cargo & door nets, sway bar, wired rear camera, Norcold aux fan, front window protection, frame mounted sewer & water hose storage, Krieger 1500w inverter w/100Ah LIFePO4.
    ‘17 Honda Ridgeline RTL-E- 5000# tow cap, 600# tongue cap
    ‘20 Honda Pilot Elite- 5000# tow cap, 500# tongue cap
    Huntington LI
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  • ericnlizericnliz Member Posts: 4,437
    @rcuomo ,Thanks for the resolution post. It's always really nice when somebody asks for help, gets the help & replies with the solution to help others that might encounter the same issue! :)
    2016 T@B MAX S-aka: WolfT@B
    TV: 2006 Chevy Avalanche LT Z71 aka: WhiteWolf, or 1972 Chevy Custom10 P/U aka: SnarlingWolf
    Spokane, Wa.
    Eric aka: Lone Wolf  


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  • danp212danp212 Member Posts: 44
    edited April 2018
    good to hear its resolved.

    One other thing to look out for which happened to me with the same fridge, when switching between different power sources (or LP), mine suddenly was not working on 12V, even when 110 and LP worked fine.

    I read on the forum to try flipping through all settings on the temp control & power source dials from min to max, which can sometimes reset the system if something is not working right. After sweeping each control knob a few times everything was working good as new once again. 
    2017 T@B Max S
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  • rcuomorcuomo Member Posts: 319
    Eric, Norcold was helpful and local service center willing to accommodate my request to order part without me bringing it in for repair. NuCamp also very responsive as was my dealer. So far our limited ownership experience has been above average. This forum and the various FB groups are great resources!
    ‘18 Tab 320S- mfg’d 4/17, acquired 9/17
    Spare & bike rack on tongue, Renogy 100w suitcase connection, cargo & door nets, sway bar, wired rear camera, Norcold aux fan, front window protection, frame mounted sewer & water hose storage, Krieger 1500w inverter w/100Ah LIFePO4.
    ‘17 Honda Ridgeline RTL-E- 5000# tow cap, 600# tongue cap
    ‘20 Honda Pilot Elite- 5000# tow cap, 500# tongue cap
    Huntington LI
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  • rcuomorcuomo Member Posts: 319
    Dan, yep I saw that fix somewhere in cyberspace but it didn’t work for me. My bad was I traced the power to the mode and thermostat switches without checking for voltage at the light leads. If I had completed that step all my posts would have been unnecessary. :-)
    Another side note, the Norcold tech told me that if it chills on gas 99.9% of the time it will work on AC regardless of indicators. She said although the heating units are separate the circuitry is basically redundant. 
    ‘18 Tab 320S- mfg’d 4/17, acquired 9/17
    Spare & bike rack on tongue, Renogy 100w suitcase connection, cargo & door nets, sway bar, wired rear camera, Norcold aux fan, front window protection, frame mounted sewer & water hose storage, Krieger 1500w inverter w/100Ah LIFePO4.
    ‘17 Honda Ridgeline RTL-E- 5000# tow cap, 600# tongue cap
    ‘20 Honda Pilot Elite- 5000# tow cap, 500# tongue cap
    Huntington LI
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  • rcuomorcuomo Member Posts: 319
    Well five days later and I have installed the replacement LED bulb with the same results. What are the odds that both could be defective?  Now I am on the hunt for a replacement bulb from a different source. 
    ‘18 Tab 320S- mfg’d 4/17, acquired 9/17
    Spare & bike rack on tongue, Renogy 100w suitcase connection, cargo & door nets, sway bar, wired rear camera, Norcold aux fan, front window protection, frame mounted sewer & water hose storage, Krieger 1500w inverter w/100Ah LIFePO4.
    ‘17 Honda Ridgeline RTL-E- 5000# tow cap, 600# tongue cap
    ‘20 Honda Pilot Elite- 5000# tow cap, 500# tongue cap
    Huntington LI
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  • RollingBnBRollingBnB Member Posts: 322
    I bought a 120v neon panel light, drilled a hole in the front panel and wired it up. Works fine and has like a 10,000 hr life.
    2020 Tiffin Open Road
    2020 Nissan Versa Toad 
    Alan & Patty
    Southern Az
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  • rcuomorcuomo Member Posts: 319
    Alan, that is my next plan. I think I found a replacement Grainer Dayton bulb rated for 120v. Also found equivalent bulb on eBay for $5-$6. I think the Norcold bulb is only rated for 110v. 
    ‘18 Tab 320S- mfg’d 4/17, acquired 9/17
    Spare & bike rack on tongue, Renogy 100w suitcase connection, cargo & door nets, sway bar, wired rear camera, Norcold aux fan, front window protection, frame mounted sewer & water hose storage, Krieger 1500w inverter w/100Ah LIFePO4.
    ‘17 Honda Ridgeline RTL-E- 5000# tow cap, 600# tongue cap
    ‘20 Honda Pilot Elite- 5000# tow cap, 500# tongue cap
    Huntington LI
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  • rcuomorcuomo Member Posts: 319
    Issue resolved. I replaced the OEM neon bulb with a $3.99 eBay LED bulb and now it is finally working!
    ‘18 Tab 320S- mfg’d 4/17, acquired 9/17
    Spare & bike rack on tongue, Renogy 100w suitcase connection, cargo & door nets, sway bar, wired rear camera, Norcold aux fan, front window protection, frame mounted sewer & water hose storage, Krieger 1500w inverter w/100Ah LIFePO4.
    ‘17 Honda Ridgeline RTL-E- 5000# tow cap, 600# tongue cap
    ‘20 Honda Pilot Elite- 5000# tow cap, 500# tongue cap
    Huntington LI
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  • RollingBnBRollingBnB Member Posts: 322
    Did the bulb come out the rear or front of the panel?
    2020 Tiffin Open Road
    2020 Nissan Versa Toad 
    Alan & Patty
    Southern Az
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  • rcuomorcuomo Member Posts: 319
    Alan it comes out from the front.  Carefully lift the decal, I used a small pick and caught the edge and it peeled back pretty easily. Twist the OEM bulb 1/4 turn and push it thru.  The spade connectors fit thru the slot between the two bulbs.  I cut off the connectors and soldered the old wires to the new bulb wire leads.
    ‘18 Tab 320S- mfg’d 4/17, acquired 9/17
    Spare & bike rack on tongue, Renogy 100w suitcase connection, cargo & door nets, sway bar, wired rear camera, Norcold aux fan, front window protection, frame mounted sewer & water hose storage, Krieger 1500w inverter w/100Ah LIFePO4.
    ‘17 Honda Ridgeline RTL-E- 5000# tow cap, 600# tongue cap
    ‘20 Honda Pilot Elite- 5000# tow cap, 500# tongue cap
    Huntington LI
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • rcuomorcuomo Member Posts: 319

    ‘18 Tab 320S- mfg’d 4/17, acquired 9/17
    Spare & bike rack on tongue, Renogy 100w suitcase connection, cargo & door nets, sway bar, wired rear camera, Norcold aux fan, front window protection, frame mounted sewer & water hose storage, Krieger 1500w inverter w/100Ah LIFePO4.
    ‘17 Honda Ridgeline RTL-E- 5000# tow cap, 600# tongue cap
    ‘20 Honda Pilot Elite- 5000# tow cap, 500# tongue cap
    Huntington LI
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • webers3webers3 Member Posts: 416
    @rcuomo Norcold cust service is not very responsive, would you be so kind and post instructions on removing the face plate and changing the bulb. Thank you in advance.
    2017 T@B 320S   2019 Jeep Cherokee - Southern Connecticut
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  • mytabbys701mytabbys701 Member Posts: 19
    @rcuomo Your instructions were very good. Finally did the job myself. The screenshot above still has the eBay seller and items, I ordered 3 of the Green, Size-Style-Voltage: 8mm-Plastic-120Volt (1 to learn on; 1 to install; and 1 just in case--ended up only needing 1, so 2 are spare).

    @weber3 the decal that @rcuomo is talking about is a firm plastic overlay which is printed/silkscreened with what you see around the knobs. Like the post stated above you have to find a point where you can grab the edge and gently peel it back. Based on the parts list for the Norcold, I am fairly certain you need to start on the left hand side (the right hand side has a tab which goes into the faceplate).

    So what I did was

    0) unplug the fridge from 120v supply under the sink; probably should have disconnected the 12v/battery (but I did not do that)
    1) remove the 3 knobs (they simply pull off)
    2) remove the panel control door (from the left, gently bend the door and pop the pin from the control panel assembly)
    3) with a pair of long nosed tweezers and a pick gently peel back the firm plastic decal/graphics - just far enough to expose the LEDs
    4) from the top/inside under the stove give the LED a simple twist as described above, it'll click, and push the LED through the front panel
    5) I disconnected the leads from where they are connected to the Norcold and removed the entire 120v LED and took it to the workbench
    6) I snipped the old LED away and soldered the new LED to the leads which came from the Norcold
    7) tested with 120v to ensure it would light when powered with 120v
    8) reversed #5 - put the leads back through the front, reconnecting the leads back from whence they came
    9) reversed #4 - pushed the new LED back into the hole where the old one came out - fit like a glove! (I did not need to do a twist to "lock it in" - it was tight enough)
    10) pushed the firm plastic decal/graphics back into place - moving right to left. I thought I'd need some sticky stuff to help re-apply, but I don't seem to need it (i could come undone later--if that is the case, i'll add sticky stuff)
    11) reversed #2 - put the panel control door back on
    12) reversed #1 - put the control knobs back on
    13) plug the fridge back in to the 120v supply under the sink

    Test and enjoy a working 120v / shore power indicator LED


    2018 T@B 320S, a.k.a. The 4th Bedroom/2018 Toyota Tacoma SR5
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