start-up of compressor normal ?

[Snapperhead]

so im doing maint on an older R-12 Victory reach in stainless 3 door cooler ( still running on R12 ) , turned off condenser to clean coil and oil fan motor , after done turn on condenser assembly , immediately fan begins to rotate and i hear a click from compressor ( tecumseh ), fan continues to get to full speed in about 5 seconds ..... then 10 seconds later it fires up with ease.

Let it run a few minutes and during that time im wondering what that click was .... turn it off again. Wait 5 minutes. Turn back on , same thing , click , 10 seconds later fires up.

Amps at 9.1 , 113 volts

high 225 low 28

indoor temp 36

Cap tube

This click normal ?

[hvac wiz 79]

a click like the external overload opened ? .. could be weak start components

[Snapperhead]

Thats what i was thinking but didnt want to start replacing parts until i got another opinion .... thanks

[Tjune54]

At 225 psig high prs. and 36F box temp. I'll bet thats not R12 and if it is you have condenser prblems or noncondensibles in with it or an overcharge.

The click is probably the overload as the unit will not equalize until the fan moves cooling air over the condenser.

My b guess is anovercharge of some other refrigerant than R12.

[2sac]

At 225 psig high prs. and 36F box temp. I'll bet thats not R12 and if it is you have condenser prblems or noncondensibles in with it or an overcharge.

The click is probably the overload as the unit will not equalize until the fan moves cooling air over the condenser.

My b guess is anovercharge of some other refrigerant than R12.

This^

[hvac wiz 79]

dang i didnt even pay attention to the pressure he mentioned ... good call

[CoolWine]

Potential relay sticking? Is it in the correct position? Weak start cap? Gremlins?

I might jumper out the OL to rule it out as well. Was the shell hot?

When was R-12 last installed for production built machines?

[Snapperhead]

The owner is a retired tech and just dont like messing with refrig anymore. He's got R12 in the little 12 ounce cans.

Only thing i noticed that was strange was top half of compressor sweats and is cold.

But keeping a 36 degree box , i didnt mess with anything.

Being more experienced in residential , I wasnt sure if this old cooler had some sorta delay I wasnt aware of. I will replace start components this morning.

[CoolWine]

sounds like it's flooding back, what is SH?

[ar_hvac_man]

You should see frost on the suction line entering the compressor but the top half shouldnt be cold and sweating. Sounds like it may be overcharged. Pressures are high.

The click sounds like OL. Bad start and/or run capacitor or weak OL.

Id recover and get the charge right to begin with.

[Snapperhead]

changed cap and it fires up every time now