Fridge / freezer Not working , Help please.

[JockandRita]

Hi there.. just came back from a walk with the dogs, left fridge on (gas) to cool and came back to red flashing light! Checked gas (hob working) and plenty left. Tried to re-start the fridge and nothing.. no gas coming through? Any ideas on what would of stopped it working and why the gas is no longer coming through?

Although no gas coming through, is the igniter still clicking, ie, providing a spark?
The next step depends upon how much you respect gas as a dangerous substance, and how confident you feel about investigating further, ie, gas off, 12v (pull the fuse) and 240v (pull the plug) isolation first, before removal of the burner, igniter, and gas jet for inspection and cleaning.
Again a green corrosion can build up on the gas jet which can be cleaned off, then back blow through with an air line. Check by looking through the jet and up to the light. Some have a fine mesh over them, so don't go poking or prodding it, hence the air line suggestion. If no mesh in the jet, a fine piece of fuse wire can be used to help clean the tiny hole, but very gently so as not to increase the diameter of the hole. Whilst components are removed, that's a good time to clean the flue, otherwise all the crap drops down over the top of the burner........unless you cover it first.
Vacuum all the dust and crap, then reassemble, and check the quality of the spark at the igniter probes. If clean and healthy, replace the12v fuse, and turn on the gas supply, then try again. DISCLAIMER.....Should you choose to act upon this advice, you do so at your own risk.

BTW, your last reference to 240v just reminded me that sometimes corrosion can build up on the 2 x pin Euro plug which these units use, especially if it is inside that bottom vent, ie, exposed to the elements. If it is, remove the plug and check the pins for corrosion.

Good luck

Jock.

 

[Peskyrabbitt]

Although no gas coming through, is the igniter still clicking, ie, providing a spark?
The next step depends upon how much you respect gas as a dangerous substance, and how confident you feel about investigating further, ie, gas off, 12v (pull the fuse) and 240v (pull the plug) isolation first, before removal of the burner, igniter, and gas jet for inspection and cleaning.
Again a green corrosion can build up on the gas jet which can be cleaned off, then back blow through with an air line. Check by looking through the jet and up to the light. Some have a fine mesh over them, so don't go poking or prodding it, hence the air line suggestion. If no mesh in the jet, a fine piece of fuse wire can be used to help clean the tiny hole, but very gently so as not to increase the diameter of the hole. Whilst components are removed, that's a good time to clean the flue, otherwise all the crap drops down over the top of the burner........unless you cover it first.
Vacuum all the dust and crap, then reassemble, and check the quality of the spark at the igniter probes. If clean and healthy, replace the12v fuse, and turn on the gas supply, then try again. DISCLAIMER.....Should you choose to act upon this advice, you do so at your own risk.

BTW, your last reference to 240v just reminded me that sometimes corrosion can build up on the 2 x pin Euro plug which these units use, especially if it is inside that bottom vent, ie, exposed to the elements. If it is, remove the plug and check the pins for corrosion.

Good luck

Jock.

Hi jock, I don't see any 2pin euro plug? I'll attach a photo and maybe you can enlighten me.. does anything look odd/amiss? Could it be hard wired?

 

[Peskyrabbitt]

Hi jock, I don't see any 2pin euro plug? I'll attach a photo and maybe you can enlighten me.. does anything look odd/amiss? Could it be hard wired?

Forgot to mention that nothing behind the black plastic box to the left except more wires..

 

[JockandRita]

Hi jock, I don't see any 2pin euro plug? I'll attach a photo and maybe you can enlighten me.. does anything look odd/amiss? Could it be hard wired?

Maybe your plug is in a cupboard or wardrobe next to the F/F. Ours was, and is the same on the Flair.
What I can see though, is a nice bunsen blue flame burning away healthily on the bottom right of that photo. Is it working okay now?

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[Peskyrabbitt]

Maybe your plug is in a cupboard or wardrobe next to the F/F. Ours was, and is the same on the Flair.
What I can see though, is a nice bunsen blue flame burning away healthily on the bottom right of that photo. Is it working okay now?

Cheers,

Jock.

I'll go and check the cupboard/wardrobe for the plug. Yes it's working fine but as soon as I connect the ehu it is trying to change over but fails every time and then just goes into lock-down completely ie gas will not come through.

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[Peskyrabbitt]

I'll go and check the cupboard/wardrobe for the plug. Yes it's working fine but as soon as I connect the ehu it is trying to change over but fails every time and then just goes into lock-down completely ie gas will not come through.

Nothing in the cupboards that I can find, also searched underneath the motorhome and nothing there either..

 

[rb62]

I think they've done away with the plug and socket and connected it in the black box,does one of the wires go from that box to the fridge?

 

[Peskyrabbitt]

Could it be the 220w element? Has anyone tried to change one and does the fridge need to be pulled out to do this?

 

[Peskyrabbitt]

I think they've done away with the plug and socket and connected it in the black box,does one of the wires go from that box to the fridge?

No as far as I can see it's the Arial/booster

 

[rb62]

Brown,blue,green/yellow says 240v to me,where does the arrowed cable go? Unplug 240v before having a ferret

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[TheBig1]

changed the element on ours last week, an easy enough job, but the fridge will have to come out to access it

 

[Graham Page]

Hi, We have a Electrolux AES II / Dometic 6505 fridge freezer which we are looking for assistance with, please any advice gratefully appreciated.
We cannot get the fridge / freezer to work on gas , 12v or ehu. 9 times out of ten it will not even click or attempt to start, green light on control panel but not cooling, have exposed the igniter and cleaned flu and surrounds, none of this has helped still nothing? Control panel still shows all operational and no fault.Really confused by it all and expecting a big bill

Hi Peskyrabbitt I had very similar problems with my Electrolux 6505 throughout 2019. It worked on one power source and then another and then finally decided not to work reliably on any of them. It turns out its a common fault with the control board mounted on top of the fridge box behind the control panel. The original circuit boards are encased in resin and that made components overheat over time and fail. I spent a year trying to source a new one but they are totally obsolete. So last year toying with the idea of having to spend 2k plus on a new fridge/freezer I did a whole lot of research on forums all over Europe and finally got connected with a guy in Italy who is an electronics engineer and builds new circuit boards. He's a cottage industry and doesn't want to be deluged with folk so I agreed to be selective about recommending him. My 6505 has been working better than ever since I fitted a new control board and front panel switch board (which is optional but give you new functionality to improve on the original control system). Cost me about £220.00 for both boards including delivery and the package arrived within a couple of weeks. You will have to take the fridge unit out to change the panels. When I removed mine I did a lot of tidying up of cables, cleaning electrical/gas contacts, the gas flue and also replaced all the aperture sealing foam that had rotted away on my 2004 Hymer S650. Also, whilst it was out I fitted a twin CBE thermostatically controlled venting fan kit (£50.00 from a supplier in Holland) that has made so much difference to the airflow and further improved the fridge/freezers performance. PM me if you want to explore further.

 

[GeoffnDee]

Is it possible that a 230v power drop (if that is causing the problem) is being caused by a faulty connection at the point that you are connecting the EHU to ? (the opposite end to the van connection)

 

[Peskyrabbitt]

Is it possible that a 230v power drop (if that is causing the problem) is being caused by a faulty connection at the point that you are connecting the EHU to ? (the opposite end to the van connection)

That's worth a thought/checking as I'm inclined to agree with rb62 and the original plug has been done away with..

 

[Peskyrabbitt]

Brown,blue,green/yellow says 240v to me,where does the arrowed cable go? Unplug 240v before having a ferret

View attachment 509597

Hi Richard, I think that you are right about the original plug being done away with.. (where you have circle) the other wire (arrowed) is coming from the flue pipe and cased in a soft plastic type tube. It doesn't go/connect within the wires you have within your .

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[GeoffnDee]

That's worth a thought/checking as I'm inclined to agree with rb62 and the original plug has been done away with..

I meant the EHU cable plug connection at your house / power supply point , it would also be worth checking EHU plugs at both ends of the cable along with the actual cable for faults/ damage (or try a replacement EHU if you have a spare)

 

[Peskyrabbitt]

I meant the EHU cable plug connection at your house / power supply point , it would also be worth checking EHU plugs at both ends of the cable along with the actual cable for faults/ damage (or try a replacement EHU if you have a spare)

Hi, I have 2 brand new ehu cables as replaced the old one due to having exactly the same thought you'd just had.
Was recently away with the motorhome and still the same issues on ehu with the new cables.

 

[GeoffnDee]

According to the wiring diagram there is a 3amp fuse on the fridge control board for 230v supply also another for the 12v system on the same board , are you able to check these if you can get to the control board ?

 

[Peskyrabbitt]

Sounds like you might have a stuck / faulty relay not switching over?

Hi Dave.. the relay can cause this problem??

 

[Peskyrabbitt]

According to the wiring diagram there is a 3amp fuse on the fridge control board for 230v supply also another for the 12v system on the same board , are you able to check these if you can get to the control board ?

To get to the control board the fridge would need to come out.. it looks like it's never been out. One suggestion stated that it could be the relay? Is this a possibility?

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[GeoffnDee]

I think the relay is for the12v heaters (there may be another) but I have seen that there is a earth connection that is shared by many items within the fridge and a poor connection there would cause problems. I do not know its location ,it may be on the cabinet frame, but it will have many black x 6 ? wires going to it and if you can locate it you could remove and clean this earth connection which may help. (these are 12v but may control 230v via the board but disconnect the 230v supply when doing this to be safe)

 

[Abacist]

A German Dometic technician replaced our 240volt mains element from the outside of the van with the bottom grill removed with his hands up the back of the fridge, all done by touch and feel! Get yourself a mirror and you should be able to find it with its 2 electrical connections at the back with wires coning from them. Otherwise there should be a control block on the back which might be the problem - all wires in and out go through this to a sealed in PCB/Computer Chip.

 

[GeoffnDee]

The fuses for the circuit board power (12v + 230v) may also be remote from the board itself but may be together behind a front facia or similar position if not at the rear inside the cabinet.

 

[Graham Page]

To get to the control board the fridge would need to come out.. it looks like it's never been out. One suggestion stated that it could be the relay? Is this a possibility?

The 12v relay is at the bottom of the back panel on the left behind the big black box in your photo further up the thread. I've attached a photo of mine.

 

[Graham Page]

I think the relay is for the12v heaters (there may be another) but I have seen that there is a earth connection that is shared by many items within the fridge and a poor connection there would cause problems. I do not know its location ,it may be on the cabinet frame, but it will have many black x 6 ? wires going to it and if you can locate it you could remove and clean this earth connection which may help. (these are 12v but may control 230v via the board but disconnect the 230v supply when doing this to be safe)

It is indeed a bolt on the back panel near the bottom of the unit with about 6 black wires looped onto it, so can normally be accessed with the bottom vent off. First thing I tried when mine started playing up - Cleaned up and lubed along with other connections. There is an earth that goes on the a tag on one of the fridge tubes nearby also. It was't my problem but it makes sense to check all of these back panel connections and relay first. Being behind the vent they do corrode.

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[Graham Page]

The fuses for the circuit board power (12v + 230v) may also be remote from the board itself but may be together behind a front facia or similar position if not at the rear inside the cabinet.

The control board has the fuses set into the circuit board. This mounted is on top of the fridge behind the control panel. The original Electrolux one has a cover (Photo Attached). Take off the cover and you will see the circuit board is embedded in resin (trade engineers call it potted) and both fuses sit on top. Also attached is a photo of the replacement I bought from a guy in Italy who makes custom replacements as failure of the 220-240v circuit in particular is a common problem due to overheating and it also then throws out other functions on gas and 12v until you end up with nothing working. The new board is beautifully engineered and now my fridge works better than it ever did since I bought the motorhome in 2013. I added an optional new control panel circuit board that adds functionality over the old one. It tells you whether the AES fridge is running on gas, electric or 12v using different colour LED's so you always know what power source is being used at any given time. You can also override 240v operation by holding down the temp button for 3 seconds - very useful if you are on an EHU at a site where the voltage is sketchy. The RM6505 fridge in mine is the original from when the Hymer was built in 2004. When they work properly the fridge freezer takes some beating even against more modern ones.

 

[GeoffnDee]

Graham Page Do you think that Peskyrabbitt has any chance of checking these fuses without removing the fridge ? if only to eliminate them as the problem.

 

[Graham Page]

Graham Page Do you think that Peskyrabbitt has any chance of checking these fuses without removing the fridge ? if only to eliminate them as the problem.

GeoffnDee, Peskyrabbitt I doubt it very much unless you can gain access to the fridge enclosure from above. Certainly wasn't possible on my Hymer installation, but that said its only 6 screws. Open both doors and pull out the cover plugs around the side of the frame. There are 2 either side in the fridge and one either side in the freezer, then the whole unit is free to slide out. I had enough on my cables to get it almost half way out of the enclosure so you may get to it as its right behind the control panel. When I decided removed mine I did a lot of tidying up of cables, cleaning electrical/gas contacts, the gas flue and also replaced all the aperture sealing foam that had rotted away. Also, whilst it was out I fitted a twin CBE thermostatically controlled venting fan kit (£50.00 from a supplier in Holland) that has made so much difference to the airflow and further improved the fridge/freezers performance further. Its worth the pain for the ultimate gain of not having to buy a new fridge/freezer at about 2.5k!

 

[Peskyrabbitt]

Graham Page Do you think that Peskyrabbitt has any chance of checking these fuses without removing the fridge ? if only to eliminate them as the problem.

Hi Graham
I don't see any chance of checking them unless the fridge is removed unfortunately.. the fridge has no movement whatsoever as far as I can see. There is a shelf above the fridge which I have inspected for removing to allow me access but to remove the shelf the fridge first has to be removed.. have attached a picture.
I did find an earth wire with an extremely poor connection on rectifying the poor connection the fridge is now recognising the ehu connection and it's not trying to go on to gas 10 times out of 10 and the fridge panel is green so I'm hopeful that the fridge continues to work but I'm not holding my breath as think it will revert back to red and again try to attempt to go on to gas..

 

[Graham Page]

Hi Graham
I don't see any chance of checking them unless the fridge is removed unfortunately.. the fridge has no movement whatsoever as far as I can see. There is a shelf above the fridge which I have inspected for removing to allow me access but to remove the shelf the fridge first has to be removed.. have attached a picture.
I did find an earth wire with an extremely poor connection on rectifying the poor connection the fridge is now recognising the ehu connection and it's not trying to go on to gas 10 times out of 10 and the fridge panel is green so I'm hopeful that the fridge continues to work but I'm not holding my breath as think it will revert back to red and again try to attempt to go on to gas..

Ah yes I see. Thats a real shame as the shelf is fixed from below, otherwise it would be so easy to get at the PCB in situ! Good that you have found some contact/connectivity issues. Myself and a retired caravan engineer went through that process at the outset and we hoped that it would work. Everything leads back to the PCB in the end and as I said in other posts on this thread, I lost 240v first and then I ran it on gas for a few trips until that started playing up. Then it stopped working at all, came back again but started constantly hunting from 240v to gas and then died completely! Having lived through that experience I share your concern about its future. If everything else is checked and double checked I would say you are suffering the same PCB failure symptoms I did. Dometic/Electrolux knew about these issues as some were replaced under warranty and in early 2019 you could still buy replacement units until they decided to discontinue them. If you need me to connect you with the guy in Italy that makes replacement circuit boards get in touch. He communicates via WhatsApp messenger and as he doesn't speak good English and I don't speak Italian so we conversed using Google translate. That said, very nice guy and it was easy dealing with him despite the language barriers. Paid for the goods via PayPal and he shipped with full tracking.

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