Cavalier not getting cold

Greetings from Memphis, TN ...

My wife has always wanted one of the square coke machines from the 70's - 80's era (something to do with her childhood) '>

We recently purchased a used Cavalier model CC8-456G from a local guy who runs a construction yard.  He said that everything worked and they had been using it down at his workplace and finally upgraded to a newer machine.  I paid him $200 for it, plus $25 to deliver it to my house.

Mechanically, everything works, although, I managed to break the keylock ... whoops.  I figure I'll replace that as well as the coin mechanism since this one doesn't support "free vend".

Now, the problem is that it doesn't get cold.  I can hear everything running inside, and as I mentioned, mechanically it all works (drop in a coin, press the button, get a can)

Is there anything that I can do myself to troubleshoot the machine?  

Does anyone know of a place in Memphis, TN that works on these?

Does anyone have any idea if a place would take this unit in as a trade and credit it against the purchase of one of their re-furb units?  (maybe in Memphis to save on my freight charges?)


Thanks for the info!

[Jim]

Did you actually see & feel the machine cooling and functioning prior to the purchase? If not, it may have not worked properly which prompted the upgrade in machines at the yard...

I would start with by-passing the thermostat and see if the machine runs and cools. It should begin to cool down in less than 10 minutes if things are in order...

How was the machine transported to your house? Standing up or laying down? If laying down, how long did you wait before plugging it in and starting the machine up...?

Nope .. we never actually saw the machine in working order.  So I don't know if it ever actually cooled or not.

As for the transportation, it was transported on it's back and the guy told us to wait 2 hours before plugging it in ... we waited 3.

To throw another kink into the whole mess, one of the guys in my sport rocketry club who works on high-pressure A/C systems told me to hose everything off inside and make sure that there was no debris in the cooling fins or anything that could be blocking airflow.

I took his advice and now when I plug it in, it trips the house breaker.

I think it's time to cut my losses and see if I can get any $$$ out of it and then go buy one from a refurb company.

Grrrr ... $200 down the tubes ...

 

But, if I decide to work on it a little more, how would I go about bypassing the thermostat?  (I know cars, computers and A/V gear ... not coke machines)

[globalcompressors]

Hey,

 Locate the thermostat next to the evaporator coil inside the cooling compartment. Remove the two wires and run a jumper between them. The compressor should start up at that point. As far as the breaker tripping in the house, that could be from water getting into the fan motor or the compressor starting relay. If you have access to compressed air, blow everything out before trying to start the unit back up. Don't give up just yet '> You can still have the refrigeration rebuilt for probably less than the cost of another machine. "shameless plug"  '>
Jim may be right, the fellow that just wanted to "upgrade" probably didn't tell you the whole truth about the machine you bought. Don't worry, we'll get you going!  '>

Eric

OK, I let the unit sit for a week since I don't have an air compressor to help dry everything out.

I plugged it in and everything came on ... the fan by the evaporator coils is spinning and I can feel air blowing inside the unit.  Drop in a quarter and press the button ... out comes a Coke.

So, everything is mechanically working again, but I don't think the air is cold.  I'm going to let it run for a while and go back to the garage to check it.

Assuming the air is not cold ... I assume I only need someone to come add freon to it, correct?

Who would I call to come service the unit?  All the A/C guys I've talked to only do high-pressure stuff ... they won't touch a coke machine.

Thanks again for all your help.  Once we get it to spit out cold drinks, I'll be looking for a coin mechanism that supports free vend along with a new lock ... then I'll be set!

The drinks are COLD !

You have no idea how excited I am to finally get this thing up and running.

I have one last question regarding the compressor .... should it be hot to the touch, or does that indicate the freon pressure is off?

Thanks for all your help!

[johnieG]

Generally yes, all compressors get VERY warm to hot to the touch, After all there job is to move heat from the cabinet to the outside air to cool the sodas,etc. this is why it's vital to have clean condenser coils and a working fan to move air over the coils as well as the compressor housing. Cool man!(bad pun...sorry )