ARB fridge power question

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wngrog

wngrog

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I have a new model ARB fridge that does not like DC power. The power light comes on but it is dim and the compressor won't come on.

I can plug the 110 plug in and the light burns bright and the compressor comes on. I set my battery warning to LOW, but I don't think it is the battery. It does it in the back seat acc plug in my Duramax, but if I plug it into the main plug on the dash it works.

I ran an acc plug to rear of my 80 with 10 guage wire and it is doing the same thing.

Is it not getting enough current through that long wire? Anyone else have this problem?
 
I'm sure you checked it, but double check all grounds.

Maybe try another 12v tool or compressor with an equal draw in the same plug?
 
The clue might be the dash/rear difference. An extension / long wire may indeed generate a significant voltage drop. (This is what I use intentionally to limit the max level of discharge of my battery when using my fridge. Works great.) So what you're seeing may well be the same thing as in the voltage at the fridge is too low and it just won't go. Surprisingly, as little as 6' of a standard extension wire for cig ligher plug (14ga from memory?) would give me something like close to 1V drop. I am surprised though that a 10ga wire would cause a similarly large voltage drop. Maybe a fridge setting issue?
What you could do is test the voltage at the fridge when running and see what you got. Just drive a pin through the wire if you don't have direct access and you can attach a voltmeter to it.
 
I have the ARB fridge and ran it both on a single battery and now have a dedicated second battery to the DC adapter in the cargo area. No problems with either hook up for me. I don't have any suggestions, but hope you get it figured out. You'll love the fridge if you get it working the way it's designed to!
 
BJTLC100 said:
I have the ARB fridge and ran it both on a single battery and now have a dedicated second battery to the DC adapter in the cargo area. No problems with either hook up for me. I don't have any suggestions, but hope you get it figured out. You'll love the fridge if you get it working the way it's designed to!
Click to expand...

What did you do to charge the battery in the cargo area? I used to have my enclosed trailer set up with a deep cell battery and my ARB fridge and it would last 3-4 days without recharging it.

I am perplexed that the voltage would drop like that. This is the exact way I did it in my FJ-60 and the ARB ran great. Now, it was the older model and it was not as complicated it seems as this one with the control panel.

It is obviously a voltage drop issue as I tried it in the front plugs of my buddy's FJ Cruiser and in my 100.

It works in the ACC plug in the rear of my 100 fine....
 
Check the quality of the contacts in the wiring for the rear acc plug. A single bad contact can really raise the resistance to current flow. Also use your own ground wire. Don't rely on body panel grounding. If you don't mind a possible burn, put a 10 Amp load on the outlet and feel all the contacts. If any are really warm, fix them.
 
Is there a difference in the sockets used in the different vehicles? One may be a bit deeper than others so the center contact isn't getting proper contact. If the center contact on the plug gets hot that would point to it being the culprit. I had the spring in the center contact on my thermoelectric cooler die and it wouldn't make proper contact in one lighter socket, but another one it worked OK. Fixing the plug made it so it again worked fine in both.
 
I am leaning toward a bad ground. I screwed it into the body close to the plug.

My cell charger works as does a Q Beam and my Tom Tom.

I think the fridge is a bit smarter and is not liking the current flow.

I will run a ground to the battery post and report back.
 
I seriously doubt the cable length in the land cruiser haas much to do with it. How about less than 1% loss over 12 feet on 14ga wire. If anything you are right about the Ground being a problem.

Here's an alternate idea... maybe the fridge is defective? Just a thought. No seriously have you talked to ARB? :)
 
I have had similar problems with my arb over the last year. I have it in the bed of my truck with a wire run from the battery. I also have it in the rear of my fj. In that one I tied into the unused sub plug in the rear quarter panel. Both trucks have had times when the error light comes on and the compressor wont work correctly. Not all of the time but it does happen. I know the newest fridges that came out this year changed the error light to check power light.

I seem to have solved it buy using a second battery. I have a marie box that I use in the bed with a battery hooked up between my truck battery and the fridge. It gets charge from the truck and will help power the fridge. I am also using a solar pannel I bought to help supplement the battery power when its off over longer time periods.

I am installing a second battery in the 80 on the sliders to solve this, but the wiring I ran in it never seems to have an issue.
 
wngrog said:
I redid the ground on mine and it works great.
Click to expand...

that will do it... always one of the first things to check.
good for you
 
Modern vehicles are more often having body panels glued together. That can mean individual sheets are not well connected electrically to each other. Also body mounts often have plastic or rubber spacers so there is a lack of good connection there too.
 
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