fridge won't switch on ...?

[alstevens]

Thanks again for the help folks - one issue and many questions - why would a fuse go on on new machine unless there was an underlying problem ? Where would such a fuse be and why would it not simply go again if the problem ( whatever) was still there... and why did I not just get a new cool box and a centrally heated tent |?

 

[alstevens]

p.s. Did not hear the fridge at all - it was just the switch sign that kept moving back to 'switch off' - should I have heard something ? - becoming slightly paranoid perhaps. Time for some wine.

 

[briwy]

Did you try the heater??

 

[alstevens]

heater seems ok ...

 

[alstevens]

though I just used the remote....

 

[WelshGas]

Reset the Control Panel, as described in your other Topic/Thread.
Although there might be no error messages displayed, did you press the reset button?

 

[alstevens]

That's the bottom right one again with the curvy arrow ???

 

[bcasey]

I had the same problem about 3 years ago on my 2007 Cali, out of warranty, and spent a lot of time investigating batteries, fuses, and replacing the earth wire which was one possible source of this kind of problem with earlier models. This didn't result in a cure, so I googled further, including similar problems with marine fridges, which suffer similar problems, it seems.

I seem to remember that this site had a lot of discussion on fridge problems at the time, and that the recommended VW "cure" was a replacement fridge at about £1200!

With the help of the site, I eventually narrowed the possibilities down to a faulty fridge controller ( a small black box under the fridge, and hard to get to).

I bought a replacement on the Internet, and installed it, which luckily finally fixed the problem. It seems that the mechanical parts of the fridge, especially the compressor, are relatively "bullet-proof", and that the controller, with a printed circuit, is the weak link.

If your Cali is under warranty, I would expect VW to take care of it, without a big delay.

If your Cali is not in warranty, and VW are not willing to help, the same controller is used in a lot of fridges, including portable and marine types, and is made by Danfoss. It is described as a "Danfoss BD35F/BD50 CONTROLLER 12/24V". The (penguin) part number seems to be E50895. The Danfoss part no. may be 101N0300

As compared with a possible bill for £1200, I thought a cost of about £100 for a new controller was worth a try.

I bought mine in 2013 from penguinfrigo.com, (Penguin Refrigeration Ltd, Unit 2B, Alexandria Park, Penner Road, Havant, Hants, PO9 1QY). They are still online. The site has some helpful advice on common fridge problems.

If you are into DIY and no longer worried about voiding your warranty etc ......

Installation involves removal of the fridge lid, unplugging of the power, etc. to the fridge through the small panel at the rear of the kitchen unit (beside the waste tank drain tap) the lifting out of the fridge and its compressor, etc underneath, (easier with two people) and removal of the black box and its replacement by the new one, a "plug in" job. The most difficult bit is getting everything past the cooling tubes and cage which surround the controller. I can't guarantee that this will solve all problems, as other causes may be involved. I have had no new fridge problems in the last 18 months.

I hope this is of some use.

 

[alstevens]

Thanks for the help / suggestions - fortunately the warranty in crisp and fresh and I am now better prepared for the inevitable discussions during 'diagnostics'......

al

 

[Mrs J.H]

Hi folks, fourth time out and the fridge would not switch on - get to the display - press the fridge on section - it switches on momentarily then immediately returns to the switch off tick ??? Is it me , or is it the switch or....???

Hi have you checked the power supply cable hasn't come loose, it is located under the left lower side of kitchen unit, remove round cover & with a torch you should be able to see if cable has come loose. This happened to us we took to main dealer who rectified the problem in minutes!!
Hope this helps
Mrs JH

 

[alstevens]

Thanks for the suggestion - just rushed out and checked - sadly no easy cable fix there , everything ( the two connections on view anyway ) tight. Good to know what's under the cover though, and that it comes off easily - thanks again for the idea ..

al

 

[cookiemonster]

same as bcasey just 2 month ago!
We bought our 2006 cali second hand in spring last year and realized quickly that the fridge was not working!
fridge appeared to go on and switching off very quickly

After doing some tests on the controller, I took the risk and ordered a new one to penguin
VW wanted to charge €270 (I am in Ireland)

I replaced the controller and it was a big relief to discover that it was indeed this faulty part
I managed to replace the controller without removing the fridge

 

[davep74]

Cookiemonster. How did you manage to replace the controller without removing the fridge? I am about to embark on repairing my fridge with a new controller so if I can do it without dismantling my entire kitchen I'd view that as a bonus.

 

[AlanC]

We had the problem this weekend. My heart fell as the van is off with one of our daughters over Easter.

I found that by turning the temp up to Max, the fridge would switch on. Bring it down to 5 and it wouldn't.
I had a thermometer in the fridge and it was reading just about 5-6 degrees C. It was cold in the Malverns this weekend.

So I think the reason our fridge would not switch on was because the temp we set it to was higher than the temp in the fridge so it didn't need to run. Set the temp to lower than the temp currently in the fridge, i.e Max, and all was OK. The compressor buzzed away perfectly all weekend.

 

[cookiemonster]

Inside the cupboard, remove the left side panel (where there is already an opening for the tank lever)
unplug the cables on the controler (it might be a good idea to take photos before hand)
remove the only screw in front of controler
at this point, there still the small plug to unclip, between the controler and the main tank of compressor,
you should be able to pull the plug by gently tucking the cable
It's very tight and once unplugged, you'll need to extract the controller.
I was not able to slide back the new one with its aluminium housing ... very tight
I spent a lot of time trying to plug it back! as you're doing it with almost no visibility and more by touch
extra source of light might be necessary

 

[davep74]

cheers cookie monster. Cant believe the VW garage wanted over a grand for something that has now taken me 20 minutes to take out. They described a nightmare scenario of removing the kitchen! All out now though. Just need Penguinfrigo to deliver a new one and hopefully my fridge will be up and running again

 

[alstevens]

Finally - went in for an hour and a half of 'diagnostics' - apparently need to replace the entire fridge- unfortunately they do not keep a stock of these anywhere I am told - not one on a shelf anywhere in the U>K. or Germany - they are only ordered with the new build Calis, so the dealer has to requisition one from the production line and ship it over here. So I probably have to apologise to someone waiting for a Cali somewhere, who will have to wait a bit longer. Youd think they'd keep a few just in case .... all of which will take a couple of weeks plus 2 days to do the replacement work. Not surprised that some of you have struggled to refit if it takes a main dealer 2 days .... Anyway the staff were most apologetic and did their best to be helpful.... As I'm an hour away from them they have promised to have the van collected from home when the bits are ready - Also had the creeping door blind syndrome on the sliding door ( think GrannyJen had the same) which they will fix at the same time ( seems to involve virtually a new door ...) The price of the fridge would have been around 1100 pounds plus fitting it seems (!!!!!!) What price that 3 year warranty ???

al

 

[GrannyJen]

Finally - went in for an hour and a half of 'diagnostics' - apparently need to replace the entire fridge- unfortunately they do not keep a stock of these anywhere I am told - not one on a shelf anywhere in the U>K. or Germany - they are only ordered with the new build Calis, so the dealer has to requisition one from the production line and ship it over here. So I probably have to apologise to someone waiting for a Cali somewhere, who will have to wait a bit longer. Youd think they'd keep a few just in case .... all of which will take a couple of weeks plus 2 days to do the replacement work. Not surprised that some of you have struggled to refit if it takes a main dealer 2 days .... Anyway the staff were most apologetic and did their best to be helpful.... As I'm an hour away from them they have promised to have the van collected from home when the bits are ready - Also had the creeping door blind syndrome on the sliding door ( think GrannyJen had the same) which they will fix at the same time ( seems to involve virtually a new door ...) The price of the fridge would have been around 1100 pounds plus fitting it seems (!!!!!!) What price that 3 year warranty ???

al

Well, at least it's getting sorted so congratulations on finally getting a result!

My problem is down to the battery not getting enough charge to power the fridge which seems to be down to needing a new battery charger which ... guess what .... are on back order and a two week wait!

 

[alstevens]

All part of the unique cali narrative as you might say - reassuring to know that other folk are in there also...have a great if warm wined easter ..

al

 

[alstevens]

Finally fixed !!! - despite the original 'we'll have to take the whole kitchen out and it will take two days ' diagnosis, the dealer (Carr's, Indian Queens, Cornwall ) found the process a lot more straightforward and replaced the fridge without gutting Herman - still took most of a day though. Also replaced the 'creepingup' sliding door blind without demur. In fact they were very helpful and courteous all round - well done David at Carr's . Still have no idea what was actually wrong with the fridge though. Had it not been for the warranty I would still be elbow deep in forum postings and peering into dark corners with torch and little idea of what to replace.....

Cold booze and fresh salad in the fridge - good to go as you might say...

al

 

[incarpaul]

Don't suppose anyone would know the value (ohms) of the thermistor built into the fridge??? it's on the green/brown and white/brown wires....... I'm trying to find a replacement.

 

[davep74]

I took mine to Maplins and they charged me 29p for a new resistor

 

[Thomastemtime]

Sorry to resurrect am old thread, Cookiemonster

Inside the cupboard, remove the left side panel (where there is already an opening for the tank lever)
unplug the cables on the controler (it might be a good idea to take photos before hand)
remove the only screw in front of controler
at this point, there still the small plug to unclip, between the controler and the main tank of compressor,
you should be able to pull the plug by gently tucking the cable
It's very tight and once unplugged, you'll need to extract the controller.
I was not able to slide back the new one with its aluminium housing ... very tight
I spent a lot of time trying to plug it back! as you're doing it with almost no visibility and more by touch
extra source of light might be necessary

View attachment 7544

Sorry to drag up the past
Can you rember how you got the plug off from the side of the controller?
Does it unplug from the compressor?

I have got the other leads off and the controller is loose only attached by that last lead, but for the life of me I can't work out how to get it off?

Otherwise I may have to regroup and take the fridge out

Thanks for any help.

 

[bcasey]

Sorry to resurrect am old thread, Cookiemonster

Sorry to drag up the past
Can you rember how you got the plug off from the side of the controller?
Does it unplug from the compressor?

I have got the other leads off and the controller is loose only attached by that last lead, but for the life of me I can't work out how to get it off?

Otherwise I may have to regroup and take the fridge out

Thanks for any help.

Hi, the Club circulated your problem to me also, as I made a comment in the past.
After a bit of Googling, I found the attached YouTube, which might be what you are looking for.
The 3-pin plug is easy to get off if you have full access, and the right screwdriver, in both my overhauls I have taken the fridge out and worked on it with decent lighting, and upside down, for ease of access. It might be possible to get the isolated controller/compressor “bench-tested” by connected to a 12-volt battery, without routing through the Cali controller/fuses, etc.
I found it necessary to carefully bend the surrounding cage/tubes to remove and replace the controller/plug, etc.
The video is one of a series, most are worth watching. The company involved may be able to test a controller if you contact them, and can deliver it minus the fridge.
The compressor is rarely at fault, I understand.
I hope this is relevant!
Regards, bcasey

 

[Thomastemtime]

Hi, the Club circulated your problem to me also, as I made a comment in the past.
After a bit of Googling, I found the attached YouTube, which might be what you are looking for.
The 3-pin plug is easy to get off if you have full access, and the right screwdriver, in both my overhauls I have taken the fridge out and worked on it with decent lighting, and upside down, for ease of access. It might be possible to get the isolated controller/compressor “bench-tested” by connected to a 12-volt battery, without routing through the Cali controller/fuses, etc.
I found it necessary to carefully bend the surrounding cage/tubes to remove and replace the controller/plug, etc.
The video is one of a series, most are worth watching. The company involved may be able to test a controller if you contact them, and can deliver it minus the fridge.
The compressor is rarely at fault, I understand.
I hope this is relevant!
Regards, bcasey

Thank you, your post gave me the push to take the fridge out, I brought a new controller and it now works great. You are right, not much room even with fridge out and upside down but I got it done. Rolling the controller on was important as well, the clip the black metal piece at the back into the controller body.

I did the earth shunt at the same time, seemed prudent.

I'm new to van ownership and with a 2007 SE I have plenty of bits to do and this forum has been amazing!