Re-thinking the RM8551 4.3 - Page 2 - Escape Trailer Owners Community
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×

Go Back   Escape Trailer Owners Community > Escape Tech > Escape Systems | Water, Waste, Charging & Propane
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 07-21-2015, 11:15 AM   #21
Senior Member
 
Patandlinda's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Ventura County, California
Trailer: 2013 19 Escape
Posts: 7,204
Quote:
Originally Posted by MyronL View Post
From all I have read and heard this battered sad sack of a fridge sure got issues. I don’t think it’s a lemon but who can ignore them issues. Not insignificant is the big mystery behind why some owners have drastically differing versions of the same fridge! I mean like, why do some got the 4.3 with fans, others not, or other components found in back, or on top, that are different from other 4.3 owners. Some get an insulated trailer cavity, but others did not. My 4.3 warms up inside big time when it is 90° f plus outside after I do something foolish, like open its door for a cold one. That’s not nice for the price, is it? Isn’t it strange we get tropical weather here but cannot get the Dometic “T” version?

Therefore to satisfy curiosity about these things I submit pictures of my 4.3’s behind, and open this thread for others to submit their differing versions, if you got one. My serial number is 13700005, purchased 19 Sep 2013. Show us what you got!

PS: I pulled mine out to do some of the mods I have been reading about, and they are these:
  • · Built framing for that baffle Reace liked, then didn’t like. I liked Ron of BC’s design and did my modified version of it. A metal baffle is easier to install because of its flexibility. Logic told me it has to help.
  • · Insulated the be-Jesus out of the fridge cavity. (Ditto sentence 3 above.)
  • · Replaced the thermistor with a Snip-the-clip thermistor. (Why not?)
  • · Designed a plastic curtain acting as a barrior for escaping cold air. (Better than nothing.)
  • · Removed the freezer compartment. (I always bring an ice chest anyway.)
  • · Struggled with adding a manual switch for them two factory “Texas fans,” then rejected the idea. (If it ain’t broke, etc.)
I don’t want a new door, or to upgrade to the bigger two-door model. 4.3 is fine for me. Like I said, I do not think the thing is a lemon…not yet.
Myron some pics of ours pick up Nov. 2013
Attached Thumbnails
IMG_0260.jpg   IMG_0262.jpg   IMG_0263.jpg   P1010001.jpg  
Patandlinda is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2015, 11:20 AM   #22
Senior Member
 
Patandlinda's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Ventura County, California
Trailer: 2013 19 Escape
Posts: 7,204
re-thinking the rm8551 4.3

Quote:
Originally Posted by Patandlinda View Post
Myron some pics of ours pick up Nov. 2013
pics are before my recent changes . the baffle was redone now at a true 45 degree . the wiring was foe a inside frig fan . Pat
Patandlinda is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2015, 11:59 AM   #23
Senior Member
 
MyronL's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: ..., New Mexico
Trailer: 2013 Esc19/'14 Silvrado
Posts: 4,193
Rich..... It is left over scraps of sheet from an unrelated project. I thought it might work better than my first idea, which was hanging a cut down old plastic shower curtain from the top shelf. (Bought the full sheet from a plastics products supplier in town.)

I made it a snug fit. Not attached to fridge wall. It's primary value is probably limited to when you want to grab something off the door.

Not the greatest but....
Attached Thumbnails
Frigscreen.jpg  
__________________
Myron
"A billion here, a billion there...add it all up and before you know it you're talking real money." Everett Dirkson
MyronL is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2015, 12:39 PM   #24
Senior Member
 
Kountrykamper's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Middle, Tennessee
Trailer: 2017 Escape 19' #2
Posts: 1,441
I mounted my switch in the upper cabinet.

There seems to be 2 versions of the 4.3. One with the connections on the top with 2 fans. One with the connections on the back with 1 fan.

My cabinet was not cleaned up in this picture so excuse the mess. I now have a double with 2 switches in that location. One for interior fan and one for outside.

Trailer completed August 2013
Attached Thumbnails
IMG_0038.jpg   IMG_0206.JPG  
__________________
Tom
Kountrykamper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2015, 01:22 PM   #25
Senior Member
 
Zardoz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Marana, Arizona
Trailer: 2018 Airstream Flying Cloud (Escape 19 & 5.0 previously)
Posts: 1,078
Quote:
Originally Posted by MyronL View Post
Rich..... It is left over scraps of sheet from an unrelated project. I thought it might work better than my first idea, which was hanging a cut down old plastic shower curtain from the top shelf. (Bought the full sheet from a plastics products supplier in town.)

I made it a snug fit. Not attached to fridge wall. It's primary value is probably limited to when you want to grab something off the door.

Not the greatest but....
I appreciate the photo and your comments; thanks very much, Myron! I'm pondering how to replicate the type walk-in coolers have, using 4 or 5 sheets of overlapping, clear plastic that you can reach in through.
Zardoz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2015, 01:35 PM   #26
Senior Member
 
santacruzer's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Santa Cruz, California
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19
Posts: 755
The down side of having the buss block and the fuse on the top of the unit is having to remove the front fascia if one suspected a blown fuse.
__________________
2019 Tundra CrewMax Limited TRD 4WD
2014 Escape 19
santacruzer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2015, 01:41 PM   #27
Senior Member
 
santacruzer's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Santa Cruz, California
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19
Posts: 755
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jubal View Post
Requires a ground wire in addition to battery positive. With the lower junction block you have east access to battery positive for a fan switch.
Yeah, I understand it would require a ground wire, but I like the idea of having the switch lighted when on, and if it means running a little more wire it's worth it. I'll probably add a second fan as well when I get around to this project. So far, my problems with the refrigerator (and it's a 4.3) have been minimal, but haven't used the trailer in really hot weather yet.
__________________
2019 Tundra CrewMax Limited TRD 4WD
2014 Escape 19
santacruzer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2015, 01:46 PM   #28
Senior Member
 
Zardoz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Marana, Arizona
Trailer: 2018 Airstream Flying Cloud (Escape 19 & 5.0 previously)
Posts: 1,078
Quote:
Originally Posted by santacruzer View Post
The down side of having the buss block and the fuse on the top of the unit is having to remove the front fascia if one suspected a blown fuse.
No s#%t! Next time I'm in Chiliwack, I'm going to have to buy some replacement trim to go around the interior fridge opening to replace the pieces I mangled on the reinstallation. This time I'm going to use a light, removeable adhesive though in case I ever need to replace the fuse..
Zardoz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2015, 01:51 PM   #29
Senior Member
 
santacruzer's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Santa Cruz, California
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19
Posts: 755
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zardoz View Post
No s#%t! Next time I'm in Chiliwack, I'm going to have to buy some replacement trim to go around the interior fridge opening to replace the pieces I mangled on the reinstallation. This time I'm going to use a light, removeable adhesive though in case I ever need to replace the fuse..
No way that buss block and fuse can be re-routed to back where it's accessible through the outside panel? Almost defeats the purpose of having an outside access point, except maybe for the propane connection.
__________________
2019 Tundra CrewMax Limited TRD 4WD
2014 Escape 19
santacruzer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2015, 03:36 PM   #30
Senior Member
 
Ron in BC's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: North Van., British Columbia
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19, sold; 2019 Escape 21, Sept. 2019
Posts: 8,743
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zardoz View Post
No s#%t! Next time I'm in Chiliwack, I'm going to have to buy some replacement trim to go around the interior fridge opening to replace the pieces I mangled on the reinstallation. .
I got lucky on that part, I managed to get it back on intact. I cheated, I took out some of the little staples, leaving only ones at the ends and one in the center and managed to get them back in the original holes.

Also, when I went to push the fridge back in the opening there was no way it would go back in it was so tight. I had to trim the opening a bit. Ah, this fridge has been a learning curve.

Ron
Ron in BC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2015, 04:46 PM   #31
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: N/A, Indiana
Trailer: Escape
Posts: 976
Quote:
Originally Posted by santacruzer View Post
No way that buss block and fuse can be re-routed to back where it's accessible through the outside panel? Almost defeats the purpose of having an outside access point, except maybe for the propane connection.
The buss/junction block is adhered to the top of fridge and would be a pain to relocate and rewire. I will add an additional fuse where the batt pos wire was joined with a butt crimp terminal in the lower access point.
From the pictures it appears that the 4.3 fridge with the single fan location is below the absorption coil. The fridge with two fans location is below the condenser. I wonder which location is more effective.
__________________
"Never argue with an idiot. They only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience." George Carlin
Jubal is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2015, 05:07 PM   #32
Senior Member
 
Zardoz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Marana, Arizona
Trailer: 2018 Airstream Flying Cloud (Escape 19 & 5.0 previously)
Posts: 1,078
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron in BC View Post
I got lucky on that part, I managed to get it back on intact. I cheated, I took out some of the little staples, leaving only ones at the ends and one in the center and managed to get them back in the original holes.

Also, when I went to push the fridge back in the opening there was no way it would go back in it was so tight. I had to trim the opening a bit. Ah, this fridge has been a learning curve.

Ron
Mine was so tight I had to put a length of 1x3 against the fridge's bottom corners on the outside and beat it with a hand sledge just to get to come lose. After much more such "persuasion," I was able to wrestleit free from the inside. And like you, I had to do a little hand planning to get it back in. I did the same as you re-aligning the staples into their original holes. But since they wouldn't stay put, I "tapped" them with the butt end of a small hammer. Considering I spent a day and a half working on this and it fought me the whole way, I probably got a little too enthusiastic with the hammer. But I did learn a good lesson on how soft that trim really is.
Zardoz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2015, 05:14 PM   #33
Senior Member
 
Ron in BC's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: North Van., British Columbia
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19, sold; 2019 Escape 21, Sept. 2019
Posts: 8,743
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zardoz View Post
Mine was so tight I had to put a length of 1x3 against the fridge's bottom corners on the outside and beat it with a hand sledge just to get to come lose. After much more such "persuasion," I was able to wrestleit free from the inside. And like you, I had to do a little hand planning to get it back in. I did the same as you re-aligning the staples into their original holes. But since they wouldn't stay put, I "tapped" them with the butt end of a small hammer. Considering I spent a day and a half working on this and it fought me the whole way, I probably got a little too enthusiastic with the hammer. But I did learn a good lesson on how soft that trim really is.
Aren't you glad you bought a new trailer so you wouldn't have to fix up an old one. Glad, sort of, that I wasn't the only one to have to adjust the opening size to get the fridge back in. Happy though that the mods seem to be working and were worth the effort.

Ron
Ron in BC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2015, 05:28 PM   #34
Senior Member
 
Zardoz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Marana, Arizona
Trailer: 2018 Airstream Flying Cloud (Escape 19 & 5.0 previously)
Posts: 1,078
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron in BC View Post
Aren't you glad you bought a new trailer so you wouldn't have to fix up an old one. Glad, sort of, that I wasn't the only one to have to adjust the opening size to get the fridge back in. Happy though that the mods seem to be working and were worth the effort.

Ron
Me too (fingers crossed).
Zardoz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2015, 10:06 PM   #35
Senior Member
 
MyronL's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: ..., New Mexico
Trailer: 2013 Esc19/'14 Silvrado
Posts: 4,193
So I got my work done and the fridge is slid safely back in place. Now the testing begins. I am plugged into shore power, I set the fridge to 5 dots. It is Monday.

At 1 pm the fridge reads 59 degrees F and it's 87 in the trailer. At 5 PM the fridge is at 40 degrees F, trailer is 88 degrees. BUT... the shore power red light is now blinking!!! I re-set the power and use the same settings, 5 dots, shore power. No blinking. I come back later that night at 8:30 PM and the red blinking has resumed. No clue what's happening here. I switch to propane, 3 dots, for the night.
Next morning (on propane) fridge at 6 AM reads 25 degrees F, trailer at 58 degrees, so the problem has somehow to do with the wiring to shore power, I assume.

All through today I'm messing with extension cords and GFI's etc, all them are good... but a continuing pattern has emerged: When I reset the power by shutting the fridge down then restarting it on shore power the light panel seems to be back to normal. But I come back to check an hour and a half later and the fridge is blinking red again!

Tomorrow I disconnect and pull the unit out and begin a blind-man's search for answers. What have I done! (??)
__________________
Myron
"A billion here, a billion there...add it all up and before you know it you're talking real money." Everett Dirkson
MyronL is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2015, 10:40 PM   #36
Site Team
 
rbryan4's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Canyon Lake, Texas
Trailer: 2015 19 "Past Tents", 2021 F150 Lariat 2.7L EB
Posts: 10,222
Quote:
Originally Posted by MyronL View Post
So I got my work done and the fridge is slid safely back in place. Now the testing begins. I am plugged into shore power, I set the fridge to 5 dots. It is Monday.

At 1 pm the fridge reads 59 degrees F and it's 87 in the trailer. At 5 PM the fridge is at 40 degrees F, trailer is 88 degrees. BUT... the shore power red light is now blinking!!! I re-set the power and use the same settings, 5 dots, shore power. No blinking. I come back later that night at 8:30 PM and the red blinking has resumed. No clue what's happening here. I switch to propane, 3 dots, for the night.
Next morning (on propane) fridge at 6 AM reads 25 degrees F, trailer at 58 degrees, so the problem has somehow to do with the wiring to shore power, I assume.

All through today I'm messing with extension cords and GFI's etc, all them are good... but a continuing pattern has emerged: When I reset the power by shutting the fridge down then restarting it on shore power the light panel seems to be back to normal. But I come back to check an hour and a half later and the fridge is blinking red again!

Tomorrow I disconnect and pull the unit out and begin a blind-man's search for answers. What have I done! (??)
Myron, how are your batteries?
__________________
"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy an RV. And that is pretty close."
rbryan4 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-22-2015, 06:48 AM   #37
Senior Member
 
Kountrykamper's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Middle, Tennessee
Trailer: 2017 Escape 19' #2
Posts: 1,441
Myron. You did plug the 115 volt plug back in correct? Make sure its tight and and plugged in good to the 115 outlet.
__________________
Tom
Kountrykamper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-22-2015, 07:10 AM   #38
Senior Member
 
Zardoz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Marana, Arizona
Trailer: 2018 Airstream Flying Cloud (Escape 19 & 5.0 previously)
Posts: 1,078
I'd call Reace. If anyone knows these systems, it'd be him. If anything, he could help you narrow it down. Like you said, at this point you're working "blind." He could at least give you a pair of glasses to try on.
Zardoz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-22-2015, 09:54 AM   #39
Senior Member
 
Kountrykamper's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Middle, Tennessee
Trailer: 2017 Escape 19' #2
Posts: 1,441
The 115 does not have to be plugged into the trailer outlet. Before you pull the fridge I would just plug the fridge 115 plug straight in known good power supply without GFI's or extension cord connections. Something might be overheating.
__________________
Tom
Kountrykamper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-22-2015, 10:50 AM   #40
Senior Member
 
LeonW's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: St. Paul, Minnesota
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21 -- The Skylark. Towed by a 2014 Highlander
Posts: 1,159
Shore power red light blinking

Myron, I am confused. When you say the red light is blinking, do you mean the surge protector / EMS? Is there another red light on the fridge?

Thanks
LeonW is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off




» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Escape Trailer Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:06 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2023 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.