V-39 compressor

Hi.  I just had a guy come out to charge my coke machine.  The machine had a broken line on the low pressure side so he fixed that.  Problem is that it won't run for more than 10 or so seconds before it turns off.  The refrigeration guy "jumped" a screw driver between the black and white terminals on the compressor.  This made it run for maybe 2-3 minutes then it died (compressor and condenser fan shut off).  Sometimes after a couple of minutes the relay may click....sometimes it tries to start and sometimes it doesn't.  

I might add that the evaporator fan seems to be running like it should (all the time) and the condenser fan motor only runs while the compressor is trying to run.  The guy said he couldn't put any R-12 in because it didn't run long enough.  I was a little concerned though because he didn't seem that knowledgeable.  I've been told he should have vacuumed it down first which he didn't do.  When he left he seemed to think that the relay was bad.   Could this be?  He also made it sound like if the relay was bad the "jump" should have caused it to run longer.  Help, please!  A little more background.  The V-39 is serial number 6586 and was made in Canada.  Has a 1/8 horsepower Kelvinator cooling unit.  

Thanks, Doug
408-593-7375

[johnieG]

Well in my opinion,It sounds like the overcurrent/overtemp circut-breaker (sometimes called a "clickit") is turning your compressor on & off as its trying to prevent damage to the compressors windings, the question is why?  so..if the system was exposed to air then he should have pulled the unit to vacuum after repairing the line & recharging to purge any water vapor from the system!  the compressor could be stuggling to keep running against some ice formation in the lines & causing it to pull too much current, you'll need to pull a vacuum on the system & recharge it again & hopfully the compressor isn't damaged  '>  also if it's not fully charged with F12 it will give the same symptoms & tend to overheat & draw to much current & "Pop" the "clikit" ( it's the round black circut breaker on the white side of the line going into the compressor & is mounted very close to the red, black,& white terminals on it) on older models it usally an over current relay mounted externally near the compressor. perhapes Eric at Global compressors can help you out more too.

The guy didn't vacuum.  He just fixed the broken line and then added one of those junky clamp on valves ( I wanted a real service valve but this joker probably didn't even know what one was).  I took a picture so you could see what I'm working on.

After the repairman (I use that term loosely) left I decided to try turning it on one more time.  It came on and stayed on for about 40 minutes before I unplugged it.  I noticed it was leaking a little oil out of the line on the left of the compressor (the smaller line).  I can see where it's coming out of a little hole.  I don't think the repairman was able to get any F-12 in there so even after running for 40 minutes it never blew cold air.  

I can't seem to find the clikit that you talk about.  Mine just has the Delco-Remy relay that is dated February 26th, 1951.  I can hear it click both when it shuts down and then a couple minutes later even if the thermostat is shut off.  

I fear that unless I find a real repairman in California I may have to ship this thing to Eric at Global.  

Thanks for the help JohnnieG.

doug

[MoonDawg]

Doug- Find another repair service. First, have him fix the hole you found in the line and replace the service valve with one that solders on. Next he should fill the system with nitrogen to find any more leaks.   Then he should vaccum the system to evacuate any water or oils, and fill with freon.
        You can't get it to cool without freon, and the compressor is probably shutting off as a safety feature.
         The unit could be removed from the machine and taken to a refrigeration shop where they will have more resources, and you save the cost of a service truck!         Glen

Thanks Moondawg.  I will try to find a reputable repairman.  As you can see in the picture I haven't bolted it back in to the machine because I feared having to take it out again.  Does anyone know of a place I can bring it to in the San Francisco (San Jose) area?  I'm willing to drive it anywhere within a couple of hours of my house just to get it fixed right.   I suppose I could ship it to Eric but I fear the copper pipes getting damaged more during return shipping.

I was amazed how quiet the machine was, although maybe that was because it wasn't charged to the correct pressure.

Can you see how ugly that solder job is?  

thanks again, Doug

[globalcompressors]

Hi Doug,

  Where did you find this guy? Glen is right, anytime someone slaps a "clamp on" valve on, you're in trouble. All these valves are good for is leaking. The solder job looks like he used a whole stick on that one joint and I CAN'T believe he didn't pull a vacuum. The "clicking" is the overload. It is probably from the air and moisture in the lines. DON'T try to run the unit. Find a qualified service man that uses R12 or a replacement that he is familiar in using. As far as shipping, of course, there is always some risk. Try to find someone local to do the repair. Your best bet is to remove the unit and take it. If you still can't get it taken care of, at that point, call me and we'll see what we can do.

Eric

Thanks for the response Eric.  From the looks of things he may have used 2 sticks of solder.  Now I'm gonna be in trouble because I did run the machine for about 40 minutes.  I finally turned it off because I noticed an oil smell.  When I checked where it was coming from I saw a small puddle under the line on the left hand side (high pressure?)  Did I kill it since it lost oil?  The puddle was maybe about 2" in diameter and tasted like chicken soup (just kidding but it was a similar color).  If I send you the machine can you fix it?  I'm sure I can probably stuff it in a box.  I'm not too concerned about breaking lines since I know one leaks and the other has been butchered.

I have called around and many people say they can work on it but after asking them a few questions I can tell they are just as bad as the previous guy.  He told me that there was no need to measure how much freon was used.  He just did it by pressure.  Also swore by the clamp on valves even though I told him I heard they were bad.  He also wanted to add R-409 even though I had 30 pounds of R-12.  What number can I call you at?  Should I just call the 877-856-4996 number?

thanks, Doug

[globalcompressors]

Doug,

  Did you ever get your 39 up and running? Just wondering.

Eric