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compressor wants to start but won't

23K views 13 replies 5 participants last post by  Marty S. 
#1 ·
Hey I have a unit that had no freon in it. I checked and found a hole in the lines. I repair the leak and put about 1.5 pounds of freon in it. I also added a super start cap to the comp. You can hear it wanting to start but will not start - even with the extra cap. Is this thing just locked up and bad? There is a low pressure switch on the unit, so I would think it shut the comp off before damage was done. How do I get more freon in the unit if the comp wont run?

Thanks for the help.
 
#5 ·
The compersor will click in then click out, but it does not hum. The contactor stays in but it will not run.
Are you sure the capacitor arrangement is correct?

I'd return the capacitor arrangement to the way it was right before the leak and see if it runs.

Why does a simple leak repair require a "super start cap"?

If the contactor is staying engaged then what's clicking in and out? Is it the starting relay?
 
#7 · (Edited)
I would pull the disconnect and make sure the LV control system is functioning 100% correctly. Does the contactor stay engaged?

If not, will it stay engaged with pressure switches bypassed?

Now remove the extra cap (ie return it to stock condition where it was known to be running fine) and re-connect the disconnect and see what happens.

If the clicking out is the actual contactor then I'd think the problem is the protection circuitry (LP, HP, etc) or the contactor itself.

Could the original cap be bad if it's still in the circuit? I don't think your super start cap will function properly if it's in the circuit with a bad cap.

What kind of system is it? How long did it sit without refrigerant? How old is it?

Can you ohm out the compressor?

Good luck
 
#9 · (Edited)
Ok I'm here now. Cap is good but I put a new one on. Contractor is pulled in, it tries to start and bums. Hums for 5 seconds that shuts off. Tries again to start and Hums for 5 sec then cuts offf

There are 4.1 oh in-between the common cap wire and the blue wire going to compressor. 3 ohms between same blue wire and ground (black wire from compressor),and 1.1 between the cap common and the black ground.
 
#10 ·
There is no ground wire on the compressor.

Your ohms add up as they should.

Did you use a scale to determine that you only put 1.5 pounds of refrigerant in the system?
 
#11 ·
yes I used a scale. then when I pulled out the freon I used a scale again and it measured the same 1.5. The black wire goes the the contactor, I said ground but yeah it is the other side of the 240 V. The one thing I did not do is remove the black wire from the contactor before I measures the resistance.
 
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