Norcold 2118x temp limit switch open

[AppleOaksNY]

Went to pre-cool the fridge today for a 3 day getaway tomorrow and when I turned it on I got a "oP LI" error. Called the dealer they said trace the propane line, find the switch and push reset button, or put magnet on box with red light. Well I never found the first box and the red light is not "on". Searched on here and everyone mentions the red light being on. Can someone give me any ideas on what else to try? We can do this trip out of coolers, but next week we have an 8 day trip to VA with 4 adults and 2 kids; HELP!

[AppleOaksNY]

I'm still looking for help on this. Called my dealer back and they said bring it in at the end of the month, wouldn't even let me do a drive by to look at it; called GD Customer Service and was rudely told not their problem, nothing they could do; called Norcold, left several messages, no reply back; called a second dealer (Norcold approved repair facility) and was told they weren't accepting new customers, but get a stronger magnet and try resting the two relays. So my question is: where is the second relay? I can find the one with the red light (still not lit), but am not sure where else to try resetting things. Does anyone have a pic of this "second relay" they could post?

[DECelt]

I had to do this a few years back, and don't recall a light...but it may have changed.

First and foremost, the high temp limit switch is designed to prevent fires caused by overheating. I would think twice about trying a reset unless I could find the reason that it tripped. In my case, I opened the top vent area and found insulation blocking the vent. I reset the switch and all was fine for years.

Search online for the service manual for your model and it will detail the location of the reed switch. The magnet process was kind of hit or miss for me...but it worked eventually.

Sent from my moto g power using Tapatalk

[DECelt]

I had to do this a few years back, and don't recall a light...but it may have changed.

First and foremost, the high temp limit switch is designed to prevent fires caused by overheating. I would think twice about trying a reset unless I could find the reason that it tripped. In my case, I opened the top vent area and found insulation blocking the vent. I reset the switch and all was fine for years.

Search online for the service manual for your model and it will detail the location of the reed switch. The magnet process was kind of hit or miss for me...but it worked eventually.

Sent from my moto g power using Tapatalk

It would seem as if the limit switch box does now have a light and reset. I tried to link you to the service manual but couldn't get it to link ... you'll find it easily with a search. It's a good resource to keep.
There are also a couple of you tube videos out there that will show you the reset process. You will need a pretty strong magnet if it is indeed the reed switch.

Good luck. Used to be that water intrusion would cause this, but that might have been resolved with the newly designed switch box.

Sent from my moto g power using Tapatalk

[AppleOaksNY]

Thanks for the info DECelt, I was able to find the service manual online and download it. My step-son (who has a degree in electronics) helped me with the troubleshooting, and it looks like the TCM is faulty. It doesn't get our fridge up and running before our next trip, but at least I have some info for when it goes back to the dealer (again!).

[DECelt]

Thanks for the info DECelt, I was able to find the service manual online and download it. My step-son (who has a degree in electronics) helped me with the troubleshooting, and it looks like the TCM is faulty. It doesn't get our fridge up and running before our next trip, but at least I have some info for when it goes back to the dealer (again!).

Glad it helped...so far that's about the only thing in my Norcold that I haven't had to work on. Good luck!

Sent from my moto g power using Tapatalk

[DECelt]

Glad it helped...so far that's about the only thing in my Norcold that I haven't had to work on. Good luck!

Sent from my moto g power using Tapatalk

Looking over old Norcold posts. Guess that I shouldn't have said this, because I just had the dreaded li-op.

All fixed and functional again, but for the record Norcold is a bureaucratic nightmare not particularly interested in helping anyone rapidly get their fridge repaired. My best advice is to get it fixed and worry about their forms and approvals later. They don't seem to get it.

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

[Overtaxed]

Welp.. My ~18 month old 2118 just took down it's next full fridge worth of food. This time the temp limit switch failed, similar symptoms to what's shown in this post, same error.

The magnet trick did work to get it running again, but I have to leave the magnet there. . I know it's not overheating because when the first reset the switch (and the stack temperature was basically ambient) as soon as I pulled the magnet away it reset. Going camping on Friday, so I didn't have time to mess with warranty, just ordered another switch from Amazon.

So the Norcold 2118, in 18 months, has failed twice, both times taking a full fridge with it.

This might be the least reliable fridge on the planet. Cannot wait for my JC conversion to come in. This fridge cost more than my last 2 home fridge combined and is, without question, the LEAST reliable appliance I've ever owned. It really would be funny, and I'm sure I'll laugh some day. But not today.

Propane/electric, never, and I repeat NEVER again.

[DECelt]

Welp.. My ~18 month old 2118 just took down it's next full fridge worth of food. This time the temp limit switch failed, similar symptoms to what's shown in this post, same error.

The magnet trick did work to get it running again, but I have to leave the magnet there. . I know it's not overheating because when the first reset the switch (and the stack temperature was basically ambient) as soon as I pulled the magnet away it reset. Going camping on Friday, so I didn't have time to mess with warranty, just ordered another switch from Amazon.

So the Norcold 2118, in 18 months, has failed twice, both times taking a full fridge with it.

This might be the least reliable fridge on the planet. Cannot wait for my JC conversion to come in. This fridge cost more than my last 2 home fridge combined and is, without question, the LEAST reliable appliance I've ever owned. It really would be funny, and I'm sure I'll laugh some day. But not today.

Propane/electric, never, and I repeat NEVER again.

Ouch...twice! Norcold is such a lame company!

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

[Overtaxed]

Ouch...twice! Norcold is such a lame company!

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

The "engineering" in this fridge is just.. Well, saying a 3rd grader could do it better would be an understatement. There are so many possible failure modes; I've hit two of them (failed fan, which instead of throwing a code, just, you guessed it, blows a fuse and shuts the fridge down; and the temp limit switch, no code, just, again, dead fridge); I'm sure there are many more. And the wiring on the back is so bad I'd be embarrassed to show it off in a science fair, let alone charging 4-5K dor it. The list of "known issues" for this thing is a mile long. Doors flaps that don't close, frost issues, propane issues; 12V problems, 120V problems..

It's an awful machine. The only good thing is that it's kind of pretty and it's big for an RV style fridge. So I'll keep those things when I put in my JC refer unit and hopefully get rid of the science project that is the backside/internals of the device.