Removeable DC cooler/fridges (Multivan type)

[liccawicca]

heylo,

my '85 Wolfsburg Westy is only a "half-camper".. instead of having the full fridge/stove setup, there is a small cooler bolted to the floor behind the passenger seat.
this sucker's not working..
anyone know where i can get a new one? or do you think someone might be able to fix it?

thanks,
gen

[ 11-09-2001: Message edited by: Capt. Mike ]

[mojo]

are you sure its a refridgerator,it might just be a icebox and not powered,also there are alot of 12V coolers available on the market,you can plug them into your cigarette lighter while you are driving,then plug into 110V when camped(if available) also there are some propane power fridges,if you do have power to this bolted down cooler,youll have to leave more info try and get a make and model of it,then check your basic is it plugged in ,check fuses ect...have fun mojo

[liccawicca]

thanks for the reply!

the best way to describe this thing is that.. it's got a power cord that you could plug into an outlet as well as a cord that could go into a cigarette lighter outlet. i attempted to use both chords before i left for my previous trip and the thing would not get cold..

you said that there are items like this on the market already? so it would be possible for me to remove the old one and replace it?

thanks!
gen

[mojo]

im not sure but i cant remember if the wolfsburg model came with a fridge from VW,im 99% positive it didnt,so eitheir some owner eithier had it put in or someone done it themselves,try and see if you can find a make and model of fridge,then find someone with some knowledge of 110V and 12V electric,your fridge might work it might just take figuring out how is the key ,then again it might be a rig job and better to take it out,i use a coleman 50 quart electric 12V cooler it works good while driving the only thing is you have to have electric when camped,i dont camp with electric 90% of time,hence i have one of those 3 day coolers and i use the dometic fride in westy on LP,try www.campingworld.com for new fridge ideas,you might take your van to a RV shop to check fridge, but beware of price,sounds like ya got a fixer upper,try and find a good mechanic,and read everything on this site pertaining to your van,good luck and have fun,mojorisin

[Tim Hannink]

The non-GL Vanagon Camper (usually a Wolfsburg Edition) came with a Dometic RC-160E portable refrigerator that worked on 110 VAC or 12 VDC. I have a copy of the operating manual on my web page at http://home.earthlink.net/~tjhannink/ details the refrigerator and the other equipment that came with a base (non-GL) camper model.
The refrigerator works great on 110 VAC, but needs to be precooled, full and level to work properly on 12 VDC. A stock auxiliary battery was installed in the base camper model to support this unit, using the fridge relay normally found in a camper.

Tim

[ 06-04-2001: Message edited by: Tim Hannink ]

[This message was edited by Capt. Mike on October 10, 2002 at 06:23 AM.]

[Capt. Mike]

Transferred to consolide same topic.

New "weekender fridge" anyone tried to give coninuous power

ragland Junior Member posted September 09, 2002 2:50 PM

I have a 2002 Weekender, which has a tiny fridge under a rear-facing seat. It shuts off only about a half hour after stopping the car to avoid drawing the aux. battery too far down. This makes it pretty worthless for camping. I intend to bypass this shutoff protection. Has anyone tried this? Will it kill the battery too quickly? I feel that this should be a deep cycle battery and should not suffer too much from being drawn to nothing. I can use the interior lights to see if it's really low.

David Ragland September 09, 2002

psusparks Junior Member posted September 11, 2002 02:26 PM

Fridge on 02 weekender...

I have an 02 as well and if your fridge is shutting off after half hour then something is wrong. My fridge can draw off that battery of almost 12 hours. You might be having a charging problem; sounds like a warranty visit.

July 27, 2002

ragland Junior Member posted September 11, 2002 07:10 PM

Thanks, PSUS, May I ask, does your fridge work well. I mean, can it keep stuff cold if parked in 100° weather. I have already called my dealer (service dept) and he is telling that I should not be exdpecting any better than I am getting. He also seems to know almost nothing about the firdge, though. Thinking that it runs off the main battery.

David Ragland

[This message was edited by Capt. Mike on September 22, 2002 at 05:21 AM.]

[psusparks]

My small fridge will not typically drop below 40 degrees on most days but 100 degrees would be a stretch. Take a look in the book, it has the specs on what to expect under most conditions. Make sure you pre-cool the box before putting items in and put the items in just before you leave.

[jessicarose]

Hi all! I'm shopping for a van and have narrowed down what I want to a 90 or 91 MultiVan, the 1/2 camper model. I've found some contradictory info out there about the fridge. Some say there was no fridge option, others say there was a fridge option that took the place of one of the two rear-facing jumpseats, and still another source states that there was an option of having both jumpseats and a fridge too.

I'd like to know what's out there, mainly because I'd like to know what my options are for adding on a fridge without sacraficing the second jumpseat. The van I'm looking at buying right now has no fridge, is a '90 Multivan.

Thanks for any info, pointers, leads to other sources you can offer!

Regards, Jessica