‘93 Eurovan CV (Westfalia) fridge not working

[LineBounce]

Hey everyone, I recently purchased a 1993 Eurovan CV - the Westfalia full camper model imported from Canada. So far I’ve been unable to get the fridge to work. When I try to turn it on from the control panel, the snowflake symbol displays and I can adjust the temperature, but there is no cooling or sound from the fridge. Going into the control panel diagnostic mode, it looks like the fridge isn’t drawing any power even when on.

Any ideas as to what the issue might be? The house batteries are healthy and power everything else without issue.

[SteveZ]

First, I suggest that you plug the 110 volt AC power cord into a known working outlet and see if the charger is working and if the fridge will work. (I doubt it will, but it's good to eliminate what that might indicate.) Next, check the voltage of your auxiliary batteries to make sure that the value is above 12.2 volts, which is 50% of a full charge for lead acid type batteries. (If that's the type of battery you have, you should never let them drop below 12.2 volts to insure they will have a long life.)

Note that the fridge will not operate if the voltage in your auxiliary batteries is below 10.5 volts. The system will turn off the fridge if the power drops to 10.5 volts or below.

Next, visually check all the wiring under the fridge for loose connections, corrosion, bad groundings, or the smell of electrical component burning. Trace all the wiring you can see and make sure everything is well connected. Our vans are old and wiring can fail from age. Sometimes wiggling wires and connectors will reveal breaks, near breaks, or other issues. Disconnecting connectors will allow you to examine the contacts for discolouration and poor connections. A spray of electric contact cleaner before reassembly of the connectors doesn't hurt!

Also check that all the connections and the circuit board behind the panel above the dashboard are well connected with no corrosion, poor connectors, etc.

Also under the fridge and in and around your battery area try to identify anything that looks like it may have been wiring that was done by a previous owner and is not OEM. Make sure that all is in good condition and makes sense from an operational viewpoint, especially if it appears to involve the fridge.

On an old vehicle, disconnecting, cleaning (shiny wires and terminals), and reconnecting wiring is a good way to check everything and head off future issues.

Good luck.
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Steve in Nova Scotia

1992 Eurovan CV - The Canadian full camper by Westfalia

[LineBounce]

Thanks very much for the write up Steve! I’ll start working through that troubleshooting list.