SMC Discussion Areas

back in the 60's  did they use R-12 ? if unit is not cooling but you can hear liquid running after you turn if off.... do you think it needs freon?

They used liquid pixie dust... :tounge:

yep They Used R12 up until about 1998-ish...if it sounds like gurgling water in the evaporator coils boiling off, theres gas in there alright, but I'd say something else is wrong if it's not cooling, how about checking the fan that circulates the air for the pops?

I had to replace the condenser fan (bearing was shot) the evaporator fan is good. there is about a 11 degree diference  between the large (aprox) 3/8 copper line and the smaller 3/16 line 81 degrees and 92 degrees large line being cooler. I left it on about 5 min. or so

I have the unit out of the machine right now by the way.  The shrader valve is in the back I don't know if I can get to it when I put it back in

something else I noticed is a copper tube about 3 1/2 ' by 1 1/4 with a small 1/16' tube coming from both ends one end is coming out of the lower part of the condenser.  when I turn off the power,  this gets much colder than the rest of the lines

sorry I don't know all the terms  I'm just an old guy with streetrods and a old gas pump I restored and thought this would be a good  addition to the garage

Welcome to the board!
Not to worry about the terms. What helps a bunch is a couple of pictures.
The folks that assist here have jobs so it may be a few days until you get a good response.
Creighton

ok  this is the part that gets colder when I unplug the unit. Is this the dryer? should it get colder after its turned off

Yes it WAS the filter/dryer, now the desiccant inside it is  contaminated with water & can hold no more, so it allows it (the water) to cause trouble in the capillary tubing.

NOTE the silver clamp on style line tap ( looks like an old "Robin Air" brand 2-bolt model) that has been added to the suction line, these buggers leak, & since it's on the suction line it probably has allowed outside air ( & the associated humidity, IE: water vapor) to enter the system. you probably have ice crystals forming somewhere in the capillary tubing which is shutting off your freon flow to the evaporator. this is why it stops cooling. plus it allows the freon to leak out also.

the fix is to recover the freon, replace the filter dryer, remove the clamp on tap-valve & install an inline (brazed on) service valve & vacuum the system & recharge it.

The gauge shows about 5lbs of pressure in the suction side.... How much should it have?

sorry that's 5 (five) pounds of pressure

Gave it a shot of Freon and its cooling now... see how long it lasts.   on to the wiring harness now. Thanks for all the help from everyone

Should be 5-PSI... so if you're reading 5-PSI is it with the system running, or at rest?
Does it start out at 5psi & stay there?( low freon or severe blockage)  or does it start off higher & drift down to 5-psi?...( ice crystals forming from a previous leak)


but anyway, approx. between 15-25PSI depending at which point the cycles at.

Thanks Johnie
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