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Old 03-08-2023, 10:34 AM   #1
tjblocker
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Issues with my 2022 3231CK; perhaps issues with other units.

Preview: In what follows I'm going to discuss issues I've had with my <1 yr old 2022 3231CK. This includes issues with brakes, fridge, and the roller blinds. I'm posting this in hopes of helping others, and I'm not necessarily seeking advice

Brakes:
My trailer has drum brakes and these have never worked very well. I once complained to the dealer but was told to burnish (break in) the brakes. They did improve slightly but they've always been pretty lame. I fear being brake checked. I've ordered a disc brake upgrade but I just made a discovery that might interest anyone having brake troubles. My 2019 Ram 3500 Cummins has four trailer brake settings. These are light electric, heavy electric, light hydraulic, and heavy hydraulic (mine was set on light electric). I just discovered these settings this morning and don't know if setting mine from light to heavy will correct the issue. Regardless, I'm upgrading to disc. If you have brake troubles look into the settings for your TV brake controller. If you're buying new I strongly suggest that you insist on disc brakes. There's a reason that nearly all auto have moved to disc brakes.



Fridge:
Mine came with a Norcold 2118 absorption unit. When outside temps get around 100 degrees the fridge worked very poorly. Freezer temps were around 20 degrees and fridge temps were 45-50 degrees. I upgraded my cooling unit to an Amish 12 volt vapor compression (i.e. residential) fridge. Today my freezer temps are never above 0 and fridge temps range from 33 to 40. In other words perfect. Solar proves nearly 100% of my power for my fridge (1400 watts generation)



Roller Shade:
Our trailer came with day/night roller shades. I love the function and look of these shades, but they have an achilles heel. Internally there's a small lame plastic part that engages the roller with the spring. This breaks and as a result the spring loses its tension and the blinds unroll completely and won't roll up. If you see this part I bet you will agree with me when I say that this terrible feeble part is ridiculous. I currently have three blinds that are broken like this. This tiny part should have been steel.



I posted this in hopes someone else might benefit from my experiences with my Monty. Hope this helps someone.

Cheers
Tom
 
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2019 Ram Cummins 3500 SRW air bags
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Old 03-08-2023, 10:45 AM   #2
Mikendebbie
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"Roller Shade:
Our trailer came with day/night roller shades. I love the function and look of these shades, but they have an achilles heel. Internally there's a small lame plastic part that engages the roller with the spring. This breaks and as a result the spring loses its tension and the blinds unroll completely and won't roll up. If you see this part I bet you will agree with me when I say that this terrible feeble part is ridiculous. I currently have three blinds that are broken like this. This tiny part should have been steel."

I believe your shades may be by Irvine Shades.
They have some videos on their site that may be helpful in how to adjust and/or fix them...
https://www.irvineshadeanddoor.com

Call their customer service and they will likely send you new blind guts at no charge. They have helped me several times.

Office Address:
1000 Verdant Drive
Elkhart, IN 46516-9042
(574) 522-1446

Cheryl_isd@outlook.com
orders.irvineshade@outlook.com
cs.irvineshade@outlook.com
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Old 03-08-2023, 10:59 AM   #3
tjblocker
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I did contact Irving via an email and they answered telling me that I must go through the dealer. I don't know why they did this, because I've seen several posts attesting to what you said.
Thank you
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2019 Ram Cummins 3500 SRW air bags
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Old 03-08-2023, 11:09 AM   #4
Mikendebbie
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tjblocker View Post
I did contact Irving via an email and they answered telling me that I must go through the dealer. I don't know why they did this, because I've seen several posts attesting to what you said.
Thank you
Wow - that is a big change! They never turned me away - always helpful.
"Go thru your dealer" is the standard Keystone line.
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Old 03-08-2023, 05:25 PM   #5
rames14
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Keystone has requested that all warranty work come through the dealer the first year of ownership. That way they can handle the incoming warranty issues. Irvine Shade has been very good to work with. As for setting of brakes, that is one your dealer should have helped set. You also have a gain setting. Once you get hydraulic brakes, it will be heavy electric over hydraulic. Also, if we ever have an issue with our fridge, we will do the same thing. However, a known issue of Norcold is they need 1 or 2 5/16” washers under the door to keep the flapper from hanging open. Best of luck.
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Old 03-08-2023, 05:43 PM   #6
tjblocker
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Thank you
I knew about gain settings, but I've never had a brake controller that had such settings... at least not that I'm aware of.
My dealer (Lewiston Idaho) is really good at

1) the person you need to speak to isn't here, I'll have them call you. NOT!!!!!!!!!

2) I'll call you back Not!!!!!!!!!
3) Send me a list of trailer problems and I'll call you back... NOT!!!!!!!
The walk-through was anything but complete. Just days ago I discovered that some of my lights have switches in the covers' center
Only one TPMS sensor works, and that's all that ever works.
Service has not been so good.
thanks again and cheers
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Old 03-08-2023, 06:32 PM   #7
rames14
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Tom, make sure the booster is on for your TPMS. Your dealer is similar to many. When we picked up our Montana, we stayed at our dealer (3) days. Mostly our issue was a satellite dish issue that was Winegard. We had to struggle to find any other issues. Our dealer is 500 miles away. I save up issues and they get me in first thing in the morning, fix it and I leave. If they can’t get it done by closing, they give us a key to the gate so we can stay on site and come and go as we need. There are good dealers out there. You can sell RV’s cheaper if you don’t staff the service department. Best of luck getting the issues fixed. This forum is a good source for information.
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Old 03-09-2023, 02:44 AM   #8
LeftOverParts
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Although it's probably is not related to the model, we had two shades at the dining table on our 2021 3231 break (wouldn't stay down) at about the 1 year mark. It ended up being the spring mechanism and the plastic cog. Called Irvine Shade and they said we must go through a distributor. So, went with RV Blind Co, 602-321-9986. They mailed the parts right away and took under 30 mins to replace. Since they were about $50 for the pair, didn't deal with the hassle of going to the RV dealer and just DIY'd it.

If it's an ISD roller, it will be stamped as such on one of the roller ends. If you go the DIY route they will need the shade width and diameter of the roller pole. To remove the valance, you'll need a #2 square bit. If the shade is one of the longer ones, you'll probably need someone to hold one end of the roller while the other unclips it from the brackets. RVBC has a YouTube video on how to install and adjust the spring.

Went with the residential fridge. GE model, no ice maker. (So far, so good but we did buy a 3 yr ext warranty for the trailer.)

Ordered with discs and came with Kodiak 250's. They work great. (Ford uses a gain control on the brake controller.) Just finished the bearing re-grease and the pads will be super easy to change when the time comes. Kodiak uses semi-met pads that cross reference to GM cars so will be very economical and easy to source.
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