The cooling fan on the back of the fridge is controlled by a thermostat on
the refrigerator cooling fins.  When it gets hot enough back there, the fan
turns on.  Many people have reported theirs to be noisy.  I know mine was
until I replaced it with a couple of 12v computer fans.

There is quite a bit in the archives about this.  On a warm day, if that
side of the van is in the sun, and your refrigerator is running, you should
hear the fan come on.  If not, it may be broken.

The fan can actually switch on even if the refrigerator is not running.  If
the temperature gets hot enough, the thermostat switches it on.

The outside vent is just for combustion air.  The vent on the left side, and
the grill across the top of the back of the cabinet is where cooling air
goes.

Cleaning out under the fridge from time to time will let cooler air come in
more easily.

- Mike Finkbiner
'87 Westy
Moscow, Idaho

Date:    Sun, 20 May 2001 00:43:03 -0500
From:    Stan Wilder <wilden1@juno.com>
Subject: Re: The fridge fired up! YES!!! (and I tell you how... ;-)

>Can one hear it running? Right now I have no idea whether it works
>or not but  knowing when it should and whether I should be able to >hear it
>would  make it  easier to find out, whether it works....

The fridge will make noise after it runs for a while. I'm not sure what
causes the noise but it sounds like an electric fridge changing cycles or
the sort. There are two vents; one on the rear that goes out the side of the
van and the other vents out the top end on the left top. The one on the
inside may just be venting air that circulates around the exhaust vent. At
any rate you'll feel heat there when the fridge is runnning.
<SNIP>

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