RV Technician Magazine Fall 2005

Ford RV Refrigeration Article in RV Technician - Fall 2005

RV Refrigerator & Cooling Unit Removal

To remove the refrigerator from the RV you will need:

a drop cloth
needle nose pliers
two crescent wrenches (8" or 10")
usually a Phillips screwdriver but in some cases a square head screwdriver
a 3/8" flare plug for the gas line supply, and
a cap for the propane supply side.

Removing the Refrigerator from the RV Removing a refrigerator from an RV is not a difficult task, however, it does take the knowledge and in some cases, requires two people.

The following information is taken from the Ford Procedures Manual.

GENERAL PROCEDURES FOR REMOVING REFRIGERATOR FROM VEHICLE
‐ Shut off propane at main tank valve
‐ Mark positions of 12VDC wires. Disconnect 12VDC wires and tape positive wire.

Using two crescent wrenches, one on refrigerator connection and other on brass flare nut, disconnect LP gas line. Do not loosen this nut without a back-up wrench as indicated.

Remove the screws or bolts in the freezer compartment.

On the units with bolts, you will need to remove the shelf that the bolts were in. Do so by pulling it straight out.

Outside vehicle; remove screws or bolts in lower rear section of unit (if any are present).
Inside vehicle, cover floor and any other areas that removal could damage, with a drop cloth.
Remove refrigerator doors. This is not a necessity, but it helps in making the load lighter.
Remove four (or six) screws around the frame, which holds the refrigerator to the wall. Sometimes they are only on the sides, other times they are on the top and/or bottom.
Slide refrigerator out of opening and remove to service area.

At this time, you can either leave the refrigerators doors off,
or reinstall them to the cabinet.

To remove the cooling unit from the refrigerator cabinet you
will need:

Philips screw driver

pry bar

l" X 4"X 6" piece of wood

Place a protective barrier on the floor so that when you lay the refrigerator on it's front, you protect the outer cabinet/doors. Cardboard, carpet, or anything of that nature will work.

Lay the refrigerator on its front on top of the protective barrier. You should now be looking at the cooling unit, which is on the backside of the refrigerator.

Remove the boiler pack, which is located on the lower right side. There are four tabs on the boiler pack. Unhook the tabs from their slots. Do not straighten them out, as they may break off The easiest and safest way is to squeeze the cover, which allows the tabs to come out. Remove this cover by rolling it counter clockwise off the boiler, and then it will lift right off.

Safety glasses should be worn during the next procedure.

Remove the electric heating element's). To remove the heat element, use a gentle twisting motion as you pull the heat element out of its sleeve.

When accomplishing the following step, take precautions against crimping gas line, thermocouple, or thermostat
capillary tubes.

Remove screws holding burner assembly in place and carefully set burner assembly aside.

Pry only under large tube exiting the evaporator. Such force exerted elsewhere could damage the cooling unit.

Lift upward on cooling unit tubing that passes through the urethane to and from the evaporator. Helpful hint: Create a downward pressure with your toes on the 1/4" lip of the refrigerator frame. If a pry bar is necessary, place it on the 1" x 4" x 6" piece of wood to protect box. Different sizes of wood may be necessary for different makes and models of refrigerators.

Cooling unit is now exposed and ready for replacement. In our 21 years of RV refrigerator repairs, we have never had any accidents of any kind because safety is our #1 priority. "When you become educated and do the do's and don't the don'ts, accidents do not happen.

For further education on The Ford Procedures, read future issues of the #1 RV Tech magazine, RV Technician. Remember, it's all about EDUCATION. It's easy when you know how.

Source: The Ford Procedures Manual by Roger D. and Onna Lee Ford courtesy of Ford RV Refrigeration. For more information, go to www.rvrefrigeration.com or contact us at 1746 Big Bear Hwy, Benton, KY 42025, (270) 354-9239, or email info@rvrefrigeration.com.

The following procedure could be hazardous to eyes.

Safety glasses shall be worn at all times. Have eye-flushing solution nearby.