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Old 07-16-2010, 04:11 AM   #1
docport
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Refrigerator quits while on the road

Have a 2010 3455SA bought in Dec.2010 and have had nightmares with unit. Landing gear broke, Bedroom slide jammed causing damage to bed and slide floor/walls. Water line cross threaded causing flooding in storage area. These are being fixed as we speak?write ( I hope ) It's only been 10 weeks since dealer has had unit. The flame in the refrigerator keeps going out when traveling. Never had that happen in other units. Dealer and Keystone stated that the units are not supposed to be running while traveling on the road. Is this just my problem or have other had the same and are there any fixes. Thanks

Docport
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Old 07-16-2010, 04:27 AM   #2
camper4
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Sorry you are having all those problems.
As for the frig, some run with it on and others won't. We run with ours on and have not had or heard of others having the problem with it going out. Unless Keystone has changed something, it sounds like an individual problem.
I would look for a missing piece that would help block the wind. Compare yours to others.
Good luck.
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Old 07-16-2010, 05:02 AM   #3
NCFischers
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We travel with the fridge on and have had no problems. Can you run the fridge on gas when you are parked? There is a spider that likes propane and sometimes will build a web in the gas tube. This can restrict the propane flow. The only way to clean the web out is with a bottle brush or something similar.
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Old 07-16-2010, 06:21 AM   #4
BB_TX
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Hate to hear about your problems. We bought an '07 new in July '07 and have had virtually no problems at all except the DVD player quit a few months ago. Nothing with the trailer itself except an occasional loose screw/bolt. 97 nights and over 10,000 miles so far.
We always run our fridge when traveling. Have had it on gas as long as 12 hours before and never a problem.
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Old 07-16-2010, 07:40 AM   #5
docport
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Thanks everyone for the comments. The fridge runs great either on gas or electric while parked, it's just when I head down the road that the flame goes out.. Checked for spiders and the tube is clear. Different camping world service centers both said there was nothing wrong. Keystone said that we are not supposed to run down the road with fridge running...never heard that before.... I DO LOVE this unit. It is beautiful and floor plan just what my wife and I wanted. It's just that I have bought a unit built on a Friday I guess.
Getting good service has been a nightmare as well. Had to get the States Att. General in to kick start folks after 2 months of sitting in the shop. Alot of money for a high end unit that has major problems since the get-go.
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Old 07-16-2010, 08:38 AM   #6
William H. Collier
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We always travel with ours running and did have it go out just once. That day we were traveling with a very strong cross wind blowing against that side of the Big Sky. We stopped for lunch and noticed that the fault light was on, shut it off and restarted and have not had it happen again.
Bill
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Old 07-16-2010, 02:22 PM   #7
exav8tr
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docport, Welcome to "THE BEST DARNED FORUM ON THE WWW!!! I, and many others here, do not consider the Montana line to be "high end" units, having said this, doesn't mean there should be problems with them. Many of us say we get "the best bang for our buck". Perhaps the Big Sky is in that category but the Montana line seems to be a middle of the road camper, at least that is my take on it. Don't get me wrong, we love our 3400 and plan on keeping it for quite some time. We feel VERY comfortable with it. We have never owned an RV before, nor pulled one either. DW says I am getting better and better at backing into these tight spots.....

I think once you get the kinks worked out you will thoroughly enjoy your new unit. IF, and I'm not, I ever upgrade to a new unit, it will be a 3400 with the Hickory finish. I really love that color wood, very rich and deep looking. What's so good about the Montana line is the variety of floor plans available. Service can sometimes be a bear, but this is totally on the individual dealerships. Keystone has been great with service, especially for us MOC members. If you ever need to deal direct with them let them know you are a MOC member.

When we travel we turn our propane off as a safety measure. Many don't and that's fine with me. We rarely go more than 6 hours at a time and the fridge seems to stay cold that long without running, just don't open it for a long time letting out the cold air. DW fixes sandwiches when we travel and leaves them in the fridge so we do open it once while travelling....

I do hope you get these problems resolved, if not, you might look into your states lemon law, if it comes to that. I have heard Keystone really listens when that term is used.....

BTW: I bet you meant you bought it in Dec of 2009!
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Old 07-16-2010, 04:20 PM   #8
richfaa
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5 campers and always ran with the fridge on propane, No problem... You have a problem.
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Old 07-16-2010, 05:38 PM   #9
docport
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OOp's my bad, It was December of 2009. I realize that there are top line units, but when msrp=80,000 and dealer wants 63,000, that to me is alot of money even in these times. My home is 34 acres across the street from one of the finger lakes in upstate NY and I paid 63,000, sure it was 22 years ago. It's just when you lay out that kind of money you expect a better product and service. Guess I'm from the old school. I'm sure once things are worked out it will be great, but it sure has been frustrating. It looks like I'll just have to stop periodically and run the refridge. That will give me a chance to get out and stretch the old bones. Hey folks, I want to thank you for you input. I'm retired Army and hopefully will run into some of you on the road or at one of the military rv sites.
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Old 07-17-2010, 12:58 PM   #10
CamillaMichael
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We run ours when on the road...have no idea if it is not running while we are actually moving, but at each stop, I have a tendancy to do a check on some of the rig's "moving" parts and routinely check the refrig...it has always been running like a champ. Really hate to hear of your woes...it's bad enough when a product that has been used and abused starts to not work. When the product is new, for me, nothing can be more frustrating than to be faced with one problem after another, as you have had to deal with. We really do love our Montana and hope that you will be able to get yours working correctly and on the road so that you too can enjoy your Montana.
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Old 07-18-2010, 05:09 AM   #11
Fjkiss
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Docport: have you tried running on just batt. for a bit at camp to see if the wind is blowing out the flame or is there another problem like bad 12 volt fuse on the control board,or miss alined flame sensor or other problem.
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Old 07-18-2010, 06:15 AM   #12
docport
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Frank....Thanks for the tip..I've dry camped without a problem. I've had service check it out and all they did was take the cover off and "look" at it and say there is nothing wrong. Told because there's 2 vents, its probably sucking the flame out from the top vent Go figure.
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Old 07-18-2010, 07:49 AM   #13
SlickWillie
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I did a little research, and found an old PDF on some of the Dometic fridges. It recommended setting the temperature control to maximum cooling if you were having trouble with the burner blowing out. May be worth a try. I can understand Keystone not diving into the issue of it blowing out while traveling; strictly liability.
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Old 07-18-2010, 11:26 AM   #14
docport
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SlickWillie: Thanks for the tip. "When" I get my unit back, I'll try it. Sure worth a try, although I'm not sure mine is Dometic. Shame when it's been so long, one forgets just what he has.
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Old 07-19-2010, 05:26 PM   #15
Farmhawk
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You may also want to check your gas manifold pressure. I had the same issues with an SOB and had a tech out to check it and found the pressure was too low. Cranked up the pressure to where it was supposed to be and didn't have any more problems.
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Old 07-19-2010, 06:13 PM   #16
jackel1959
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As others have said, it should not be doing this. We have traveled with the fridge running on our last 2 rigs (Dometic Refers) and this one (Norcold) and absolutely no problems. Can you run several of your gas appliances at once? Refer, Stove, Heater and Water heater? If not then it may definitely be a pressure problem. Keep after you dealer and good luck in getting it fixed.
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Old 07-20-2010, 02:28 AM   #17
docport
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Thanks folks..Hopefully, the dealer will have my rig ready this week. I WILL call before hand and make sure the gas pressure is checked. That could be the problem.
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Old 07-29-2010, 06:52 AM   #18
docport
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Well I picked up the rig from the dealer after 9 weeks in the shop. States Att. Gen. office big help. Keystone also big on helping and making sure everything was done. Bed slide completely repaired and new side panels installed. All problems finally repaired. Regarding refrigerator, they found some open spaces on bottom of gas unit and repaired. Now cleaning and getting ready for "shakedown" cruise. Hope all goes well. Thanks to all for the tips and advice
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