Ignition feed to fridge relay?

Electrical issues, both 12 volt and 120 volt
Post Reply
DavidP
Weekend Camper
Posts: 78
Joined: Wed Nov 25, 2015 8:01 pm
B190 Year: 1994
Location: Southern NJ

Ignition feed to fridge relay?

Post by DavidP »

I ran across a few problems with the fridge on our 94. My girl left the fridge on 12V when we got home (I forgot too!) and the house battery was dead. Figured someone rewired it so I would make it a point to make sure it was turned off. After the race at Snowshoe WV when we got home the fridge was DOA on 12V and everything was at 67*. The 30A breaker tripped and didn't reset. The green wire connector at the fridge was corroded pulling high amps. After smacking the breaker a few times it reset but the connects are probably bad because it started getting hot along with the relay. I replaced the relay and breaker and all seamed well except for the fact that the yellow wire from the ignition is always hot. No one rewired it and I am not sure where the origin is other than it is suppose to be ignition. Can someone tell me where the wire gets its signal? Fuse box under hood, dash, spliced into ignition etc.? I appreciate any help.
Mgittrich
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 103
Joined: Wed Jul 24, 2013 9:01 pm
B190 Year: 1993
WBCCI: 0

Re: Ignition feed to fridge relay?

Post by Mgittrich »

I had issues with 12v fridge operation and went on a search for where the relay get its ignition current from. You might check this post out it may give you some useful information.

http://b190.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1329

In the end, I finally got the fridge to work on 12v but given its performance I wish I had not spent the time. My fridge doesn't work well in warm weather and the 12v operation is the weakest refrigeration mode. I now just run on propane, a little risky, and it works fine as long as the temps are below 80 degrees.

Good luck with your efforts.

Mike
BOBandDEB
Weekend Camper
Posts: 24
Joined: Sun Jun 05, 2016 6:08 pm
B190 Year: 1994
WBCCI: 0
Location: Gila Bend, Az

Re: Ignition feed to fridge relay?

Post by BOBandDEB »

The yellow wire was always hot on my '94 also.
Our fridge was very weak so I replaced it with a new one that is propane or 110 only. Airstream did a terrible job of installing them. The installation instructions are very specific about the clearances behind the coils, and recommend a cooling fan if the vent is out the side instead of the roof. I made and installed the recommended baffles, insulation on the sides, and added the largest vent fan they recommended. The fridge now works very well at OAT's of 90 degrees plus when parked. It does not work very well at temps over 90 degrees going down the road, and I suspect the air whizzing by the upper and lower vents restricts the air from flowing inside and up past the coils, and out the upper vent. I thought about making scoops to push air into the lower and suck out the upper vent, but haven't got to it yet.
Post Reply