RVBarry
2023 AWD 170 DIY CamperVan
FYI, some people have moved or rotated the ECU 90°.
holy sh*t another 144" high roof build
- Thread starter rob cote
- Start date
I'd prefer not to have to do that, although I definitely looked at it. I don't think it's necessary. I think I can just stand a bracket for the compressor around it without touching it. The Van Compass auxiliary shock bracket puts a nice large bolt right where I can make use of it, and it seems to already be long enough to build off of without having to replace it.
I definitely will
I definitely will. I just need to make time to take measurements and draw up something.
No not really. In my opinion, the cargo is a better starting point. There's two main differences I'm aware of: additional windows and additional seats. We didn't want a window on the driver's side, so that was a point against the crew. The window in the sliding door doesn't open, so another point against. And we'd have to get rid of the bench seat, so we could have recuperated some cost of that's a thing people want to buy, but that's additional work, so call it a wash.
I thought they were all different! Learning every day.
JEC Sprinter2024
Member
Hi, any sound deadening on your metal body floor? I have not started, but have read that is the first step
In the rear area, behind the seats, the floor is insulated with wool insulation which does deaden sound although it's not its main purpose. Around the seats, under the "carpet", we applied a 2mm thick butyl sound deadener made by Siless.
It's been a minute, you guys. We need to talk about our refrigerator. So you don't have to flip back to whatever page it's referenced on here - it's a Norcold DE0041R and it's had so many issues. Let me lay them all out here as best I can, for clarity.
First the setup. This is an AC/DC fridge, but we're only powering it by DC since it's more efficient. And it runs on R134a. If that's relevant.
So, it operated fine for a long while. All over the USA, for like over a year. Then, we noticed that our batteries were seeming to die faster. It was difficult to be certain, though, because of the way we were using things. There were so many variables to chalk it up to. It's cold outside so the heat is running more often. We're not driving the van as much, so perhaps it's not getting a full charge. Et cetera.
Ultimately, we realized the refrigerator compressor was running nearly non-stop. That's why it was crushing our batteries in like a day or two. So, we found a guy in Belize (which was a whole other thing) who could add refrigerant for us. I was sure that it was just way too low on refrigerant.
Oh, of course, once we realized there was a problem, I contacted Norcold. They said to bring it to and authorized service center in the USA and it could be repaired. We were in Guatemala, months away from being in the USA again. That was really not an option, so I had to come up with another solution.
So we added refrigerant, the fridge got cold and cycled on and off as normal. Yay. But then after some time it kinda seemed like we had battery issues, and a lot of times ice cream seemed a bit softer than usual. But it was always different brands, so perhaps they're just naturally softer? But anyway, I knew when Moses charged the system he filled it to about 10psi on the low side, which he said was typical. I kept turning that over in my head and while he definitely seemed to know appliances very well, I was increasingly confident that simply wasn't enough refrigerant.
I got a manifold in Mexico and added my own refrigerant to the specified pressure for R134a at that ambient temperature. If I recall correctly, it was somewhere around 45-50psi on the low side. The high side was within reason, so I called that good and the fridge began to perform even better. As did our house batteries. Win win.
It worked great for several months. Then, we shut it off. We weren't spending time during the day or sleeping in the van. It's just been used to drive around town mainly, because we're in a house now. So it was off for a month maybe? We turned it on to pack it for a beach day and it ran for some amount of time. At least several minutes, probably up to a half hour? I don't remember exactly. I think Mandy had turned it on and then at some point realized it was off. The fuse had blown.
Well, that's odd. But I usually just replace it, because sometimes it's just a weird fluke. But then, it happened again. Again, I'm not really sure how long it ran, but it didn't blow the fuse immediately. Well, that fuse was a little bit corroded, let me try one more just to be sure. I tried to babysit it, but it took more than twenty minutes, so I gave up waiting. Eventually, the fuse burned and the fridge shut off.
Okay now we know for sure there's a problem. I inspected the wiring, which was totally fine, as I expected. I'd taken great care to ensure it was secure and safe against abrasions and cuts. I put pressure gauges onto the system and found the high side pressure was too high and the low side pressure was too low. This generally indicates the orifice tube is clogged. The orifice tube generally gets blocked by a broken desiccant bead dislodged from the dryer.
I ordered a new dryer and sweated it in. We had some difficulty charging the system and I'm not sure why. The sticker on the compressor assembly specifies operating pressures of 95psi and 257psi which seems lopsided to me. 95psi seems aggressively high for a low side pressure. 257psi is about normal, maybe slightly low. The high side pressure began to runaway a couple times, though. Even when misting the condenser with water.
Ultimately, we got it running happily around 45psi and 300psi. We put it back into the van a few hours ago to run it on DC power and see if it still blows the fuse. The fuse has not blown, but the freezer is only kind of chilly. It's been less than 4 hours, but I feel like the condensation in the freezer should be frozen at least? I'm gonna let it run overnight and see what it's like. Maybe it's too early to tell but my guy says it's not right.
What do?
First the setup. This is an AC/DC fridge, but we're only powering it by DC since it's more efficient. And it runs on R134a. If that's relevant.
So, it operated fine for a long while. All over the USA, for like over a year. Then, we noticed that our batteries were seeming to die faster. It was difficult to be certain, though, because of the way we were using things. There were so many variables to chalk it up to. It's cold outside so the heat is running more often. We're not driving the van as much, so perhaps it's not getting a full charge. Et cetera.
Ultimately, we realized the refrigerator compressor was running nearly non-stop. That's why it was crushing our batteries in like a day or two. So, we found a guy in Belize (which was a whole other thing) who could add refrigerant for us. I was sure that it was just way too low on refrigerant.
Oh, of course, once we realized there was a problem, I contacted Norcold. They said to bring it to and authorized service center in the USA and it could be repaired. We were in Guatemala, months away from being in the USA again. That was really not an option, so I had to come up with another solution.
So we added refrigerant, the fridge got cold and cycled on and off as normal. Yay. But then after some time it kinda seemed like we had battery issues, and a lot of times ice cream seemed a bit softer than usual. But it was always different brands, so perhaps they're just naturally softer? But anyway, I knew when Moses charged the system he filled it to about 10psi on the low side, which he said was typical. I kept turning that over in my head and while he definitely seemed to know appliances very well, I was increasingly confident that simply wasn't enough refrigerant.
I got a manifold in Mexico and added my own refrigerant to the specified pressure for R134a at that ambient temperature. If I recall correctly, it was somewhere around 45-50psi on the low side. The high side was within reason, so I called that good and the fridge began to perform even better. As did our house batteries. Win win.
It worked great for several months. Then, we shut it off. We weren't spending time during the day or sleeping in the van. It's just been used to drive around town mainly, because we're in a house now. So it was off for a month maybe? We turned it on to pack it for a beach day and it ran for some amount of time. At least several minutes, probably up to a half hour? I don't remember exactly. I think Mandy had turned it on and then at some point realized it was off. The fuse had blown.
Well, that's odd. But I usually just replace it, because sometimes it's just a weird fluke. But then, it happened again. Again, I'm not really sure how long it ran, but it didn't blow the fuse immediately. Well, that fuse was a little bit corroded, let me try one more just to be sure. I tried to babysit it, but it took more than twenty minutes, so I gave up waiting. Eventually, the fuse burned and the fridge shut off.
Okay now we know for sure there's a problem. I inspected the wiring, which was totally fine, as I expected. I'd taken great care to ensure it was secure and safe against abrasions and cuts. I put pressure gauges onto the system and found the high side pressure was too high and the low side pressure was too low. This generally indicates the orifice tube is clogged. The orifice tube generally gets blocked by a broken desiccant bead dislodged from the dryer.
I ordered a new dryer and sweated it in. We had some difficulty charging the system and I'm not sure why. The sticker on the compressor assembly specifies operating pressures of 95psi and 257psi which seems lopsided to me. 95psi seems aggressively high for a low side pressure. 257psi is about normal, maybe slightly low. The high side pressure began to runaway a couple times, though. Even when misting the condenser with water.
Ultimately, we got it running happily around 45psi and 300psi. We put it back into the van a few hours ago to run it on DC power and see if it still blows the fuse. The fuse has not blown, but the freezer is only kind of chilly. It's been less than 4 hours, but I feel like the condensation in the freezer should be frozen at least? I'm gonna let it run overnight and see what it's like. Maybe it's too early to tell but my guy says it's not right.
What do?
45Kevin
Well-known member
Hey Rob, have you been talking to the Norcold people?
I don't know if the fridge is still under warranty, but you did make them aware of the problem when you first identified it in Guatemala.
Maybe they can do something for you even if it is out of warranty.
After all, you would be considered an "influencer" by many.
I don't know if the fridge is still under warranty, but you did make them aware of the problem when you first identified it in Guatemala.
Maybe they can do something for you even if it is out of warranty.
After all, you would be considered an "influencer" by many.
Things can be fun when you are under the influence. Or really bad.