Rm4505 dometic Electrolux fridge freezer not working

Bradybunch

Bradybunch

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Hello our motorhome fridge packed up on us a couple of weeks back. The PCB has no blown fuses but there doesn't seem to be any electric going to it. So I'm thinking main fuse box which I am having checked our by an electrician on thursday.

The fridge is 19 years old and the parts obsolete so I am looking at a plan B. How easy is it to change a fridge?
 

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It's not that difficult, bearing in mind you'll be maneuvering a heavyish object in a confined space. Remember you'll need to disconnect the gas and 240/12v connections first, but they're usually quite accessible, probably behind the lower fridge external vent. For one reason or another I've taken mine out a few times, holding screws usually behind plastic screw covers just inside the fridge door.

Your problem is going to be finding another but if you Google your fridge name and model number, plus "replacement" you'll come up with a few ideas. But the same Google search I did came up with quite a few parts too so you might try those first.

Oh yes, and :welcome4:
 
Make sure it will fit thru the hab door, heard of some going thru windows, after dismantelling same and some had to be taken through the cab doors.
 
I'm hoping it's a blown fuse. I did take it to a repair place but I don't think they even looked at it. I know that a new replacement is about 2k which is a daft amount of money. Just took the vents of and there seems to be electric going to fridge which means it might be the pcb! ??

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That resistor just below the top left glass fuse looks as if it's overheated a bit ? Might be worth having someone check it out ?
 
Just remember LPG is very dangerous, Yes you can save money DIY but you can also DIE as well.
 
Bradybunch said:
I know that a new replacement is about 2k which is a daft amount of money. Just took the vents of and there seems to be electric going to fridge which means it might be the pcb!
Click to expand...
The fridge works by heat applied to the cooling circuit, which circulates the refrigerant gas/liquid mixture and magically produces cooling. The heat can be a 12V element, a 240V element or a small gas flame. The control board switches between the heat sources, either manually or automatically.

First thing to find out is, does the cooling circuit still work? I'm assuming that turning the control knob to 240V doesn't have any effect.

The 240V element is located down near the gas flame. The 12V element is next to it. You could disconnect the wires to the 240V element, and if you can use a meter on the 'ohms' setting, check the element's resistance value. It should be about 200 to 300 ohms.

If it's OK, you could connect the element directly to a wire with a 240V plug on it. Plug it in and wait for a few hours to see if the fridge starts cooling. Of course don't leave it like that for a long time, because you're bypassing the thermostat. Then at least you will know that the cooling circuit is working and it's worth buying a new control board if that's the problem.
 
jockaneezer said:
That resistor just below the top left glass fuse looks as if it's overheated a bit ? Might be worth having someone check it out ?
Click to expand...
I’m having the same problem ( 220 v working sporadically and switching to gas also all the time . The resistor you see that looks a bit overheated , my pcb and this resistor looks exactly the same . Is it possible to get the resin out and solder another resistor? I’m not sure the pcb can be replaced for such an older model. I’m concidering halving the heat element 220v renewed ( the reading I’d about 250 ohm, but gets a bit higher or lower when heated. Is it worn out, instable ? I’m also concidering a self built in thermostat and connect the heat element myself to 220 v….

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Qiki Are you sure that there is not a problem with the mains (230v) supply , poor/loose cable connections etc , as the fridge is designed to switch to gas if the mains voltage supply is to low.
 
Qiki said:
I’m having the same problem ( 220 v working sporadically and switching to gas also all the time . The resistor you see that looks a bit overheated , my pcb and this resistor looks exactly the same . Is it possible to get the resin out and solder another resistor? I’m not sure the pcb can be replaced for such an older model. I’m concidering halving the heat element 220v renewed ( the reading I’d about 250 ohm, but gets a bit higher or lower when heated. Is it worn out, instable ? I’m also concidering a self built in thermostat and connect the heat element myself to 220 v….
Click to expand...
The resistor has probably just been getting warm, some do when operated near their wattage rating, they get a lot blacker than that before failing.
The heater sounds OK too, when they fail they go open circuit.

You could fit one of these controllers on the mains element, they are Chinese but good quality, I've used a few.

Elitech Digital Temperature Controller Thermostat AC110V-220V External Temperature Sensor -50 ℃ ~ 99 ℃, STC-1000X Amazon product ASIN B087NF5LVX
 
Qiki said:
I’m having the same problem ( 220 v working sporadically and switching to gas also all the time . The resistor you see that looks a bit overheated , my pcb and this resistor looks exactly the same . Is it possible to get the resin out and solder another resistor? I’m not sure the pcb can be replaced for such an older model. I’m concidering halving the heat element 220v renewed ( the reading I’d about 250 ohm, but gets a bit higher or lower when heated. Is it worn out, instable ? I’m also concidering a self built in thermostat and connect the heat element myself to 220 v….
Click to expand...
w2f

You could even set the above controller up to auto defrost (ie fix the sensor on the evap and set cut in to +3.5°c 👌)
 
The first thing I'd check is the incoming mains voltage to the fridge. Those symptoms are exactly what you see on a campsite where the mains voltage sags below what the control board thinks is OK. You mention 220V, so it looks like the voltage is starting out at the low end of the mains voltage specification anyway. Some people on here have fitted a mains voltage stabiliser to solve the problem, so that's a possibility if that's what the problem is.

The element resistance value does vary as its temperature varies, this is normal.
 
This is a very interesting thread for me as I have similar issues with an Electrolux RM4505 AES.

Was there a resolution to the problem?

Thanks

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I don't think we'll ever know 🙁

IMG_3698.jpeg
 
Update:
It wasn't the switch! It was the track from the switch that had a very small break in it, I tried to bridge the gap but as the board had lacquer on it, it wasn't possible. So I had to bridge the break using a Dremel to remove the lacquer a little further on.
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