Replacing fried electronics

[Skeleton Man]

Quick question: How do I clean parts like the vend solenoids and compressor, etc ? is it safe to spray these in degreaser and pressure wash ?

[Skeleton Man]

Update:

I've got the compressor and evaporator assembly ready to come out, *but* there's a couple of pesky connectors I can't get undone !



There are two of those, and they join into the connector that goes to the door:



(in the above picture one is hidden, and the other wrapped in black tape)

Does anyone know how these are meant to undo ? I'm contemplating cutting them off and replacing with newer connectors..

[BryanH]

On my machine I had two electrical connections coming out from the compressor area. One was a two wire connection (like your top picture) which connected the cooling system junction box to the thermostat inside the can area.  The second was a 6 wire connection that connected the electrical stuff in/on the door (like lights and coin mechs) to the power and vending circuitry (like solenoids / switches).

If you can't get the plugs apart then you can certanly cut them and replace them with new clean parts.  Given the electrical mess you've found in your machine it might be advisable to replace all the wiring and connections that you can!

[Skeleton Man]

That large white plug in the second picture connects the electronics in the door to the vend solenoids/sold out switches and to power...  If I can get the two small connectors undone I can remove the solenoids for clean/repair..  (one solenoid stays down when moved by hand, the others can't be moved by hand)

[MoonDawg]

Trust us. Those connectors will come apart. Examine them to see where the locking clip is located. Clip must be unlocked use a prytool

[Skeleton Man]

Quote (MoonDawg @ April 22 2005,6:19)

Trust us. Those connectors will come apart. Examine them to see where the locking clip is located. Clip must be unlocked use a prytool

They have a '> locking clip, but I can't unlock it !  I have tried: pliers, flat screwdriver, phillips screwdriver, square screwdriver and whatever else I could find..  

What is a prytool ?

[Skeleton Man]

Update: I *finally* got those connectors undone by levering a screwdriver between the locking clip and the body of the plug.. (previously I was just pushing down on the locking clip)

I now have the compressor removed, and I'm working on getting the door off..  (having problems with some bolts on the underside of the top hinge)

I phoned RD Strickland, and when I eventually made it clear what I wanted (guess they aint used to an australian accent), they put me onto a place called Vendwell Industries Inc... (and the guy there seems pretty helpful)..

It looks like I may be able to find parts I'm searching for there, but they're in Toronto so it will have to wait till I'm in the area.. (not making a special 3 hour trip just for a few parts)

[Skeleton Man]

Top view of the upper door hinge:


Bottom view of the upper hinge:


I eventually managed to get those bolts undone with a series of spanners (wrenches).. but now I have to find some way of getting the bottom ones undone:



You'll see there are 3 bolts that come up from the underside of the bottom hinge.. there are holes under them so you can get a scredriver in, except there is no way I could fit anything in the 1" gap between the floor and the bottom of the machine..

Is there a better approach ? I looked to see if I could remove the parts the hinges screw into on the door, but without pulling the entire door apart this looks impossible..

[jasmine64]

I used Simple Green to clean a lot of my machine.
Works very well and is safe too. A little goes a long way or you will be rinsing
forever.

[Skeleton Man]

I'll look into this Simple Green stuff.. some type of detergent ?