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tri again
08-25-2013, 12:57 PM
Older non - frost free that we turn on with the dial occasionally for a day or so
in the garage for bbq stuff.
NEVER turn it off when it's running.

Anyway, been great for years and now it won't click on.

Thinking thermocouple connected to the temp dial turn on switch?

Guess it's worth a 20$ gamble if I can find one.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

kb0nly
08-25-2013, 01:04 PM
I had one that did the same thing, it was the thermostat. Moving that switch often just wore it out i guess. Guy at the local appliance place told me that its not meant to be turned on and off a lot, just set and forget. They make everything so cheap these days!

tri again
08-25-2013, 01:18 PM
Guess best to unplug then...
Maybe I'll try some contact cleaner, or just hotwire it...just kidding.

I have lots of stage equipment, a gk amp in particular, NOT cheap at all and pots are always scratchy and noisy.
So aggravating I don't even want to try to clean them.

Thanks kb.

kb0nly
08-25-2013, 01:42 PM
What i did was wire up a switched outlet, switch and box mounted to side of fridge that turns it on and off. Now i just flip the switch on the side, nice part is the temp is already set so i can flip the switch a bit before i need it cool and come back when its ready.

I hate those damn pots now days, used to be a shot of contact cleaner and all was good once the carbon was cleaned off. Now they are made so cheap that contact cleaner doesn't seem to do much for them. Why cant they build anything like they used to??

Dirtcrasher
08-25-2013, 08:52 PM
Is there a relay on the compressor? Got a wiring diagram? There should be 3 terminals on the compressor, common, run and start windings. Any one to the housing should not have continuity.

Thermocouples are part of the sealed refrigerant system. Thermostats can be jumped.

You have no defrost timer so it isn't that, lol.....

tri again
09-02-2013, 03:51 PM
Lucked out with some contact cleaner. Sprayed where I could and then blew it around with the air compressor to get it into the windings as best I could from outside.

Seems to have taken the scratchy noise out of it, plugged it in and it fired right up, so now I'll plug / unplug until I wire up a switched outlet.

Apparently there are 2 kinds of variable resistor cleaner.
Some is like oven cleaner and very caustic, but what I used was computer type cleaner.
Got it for the delicate mass air flow sensor on the F150.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

kb0nly
09-02-2013, 04:40 PM
Yep there is actually about a half a dozen types of contact cleaner, alcohol based, non alcohol, lubricating, non film, etc etc... I think i have like four types here at least... LOL

Good deal! Definitely make sure you set and forget and unplug or switch its power instead. I really should work on my spare again, for some reason it will run til the freezer is frosted over now and then it never goes into a defrost cycle. But generally i use it like a cooler, for the weekend or a few days. So its not too big of a deal yet.

If that cleaner is good for a MAF sensor then its definitely the non film non alcohol type, you don't want to leave any residue whatsoever on them. I had a MAF sensor that went bad once, cleaning didnt help, and what an expensive SOB!!