1929 Frigidaire Belt-Drive Fix...

[turbokinetic]

So a friend brought this 1927 - 1929 model Frigidaire here a few weeks back. It was running but cooling very poorly and the compressor sounded bad. 

This unit was originally a sulphur dioxide unit. It had been repaired and recharged with R12 quite a while ago; however this turned out not to be a longterm repair.

In the video linked below, I explain the repairs and show what was involved:  

 

Note the left-side hinged door. That's pretty uncommon!

 

The shelves were taken out for transport since they aren't needed for a mechanical repair. Sadly, the evaporator cover is missing.  Note the dryer mounted to the right of the evaporator? That is an add-on. There is already a screen in the inlet to the evaporator. 

  
The dryer and line to it are part of the high side and as such, they get hot. Would probably be better to have that outside the cabinet. Also, those mounting nuts look scary... hope the studs don't turn in the cabinet befor they come loose. 

 

Condensing unit needs some TLC. The mount springs are missing, not sure about that. The original control has been replaced with a Ranco control, which is just loose and flopping around. And the wiring is pretty shoddy I hate to say. 
 

Recovered half a kilogram of R12. 
 

Modified the float with a spring to allow it to work with a lighter weight liquid density. Didn't get a picture, but there was 325 milliliters of oil trapped in the evaporator! That was about 95% of the oil from the entire system! 
 

Note the sight glass in place, the dryer located outside the cabinet, and the Ranco control mounted with a welded-on bracket; with new wiring. 

 

R152A going in.... Ended up with six 10-ounce cans. 
 

Pressures looking good. 

  
Less than 10°F... 

So this one will get some runtime put on it, to be sure it's healthy; before it goes back to Texas!

 

Sincerely,

David

 

[supersuds]

That's a pretty stout little compressor, to operate on only a couple of ounces of oil! I hope there wasn't any bearing damage.

Another great video, David.

 

[turbokinetic]

Hi John, thanks for the compliment on the video!

 

I think that yes the compressor is well built but also the owner realized it had a problem and shut it down in a timely manner.

 

 

 

[swestoyz]

Nice work! As I've said before, you do a great job of explaining exactly what you are doing and what is going on in you videos. Thank you. I really like the looks of the cabinet on this era of Frigidaire.

Did the compressor still have its original shaft seal?

Ben

 

[turbokinetic]

Hi Ben. Thanks!  I try to make my videos a learning experience for all.

 

This fridge was repaired by a retired technician; several years back.  The owner isn't completely sure of all the details, but thinks this compressor was a replacement. It held vacuum without issue and I didn't have to do anything with the condensing unit at all.

 

The compressor is probably original type to the unit; but the motor and control are definitely not original. It would have had the Frigidaire bellows-type "rocking beam" control; and a Frigidaire Delco repulsion start motor.

 

The only real oddity is the removal of the condensing unit suspension springs. These had a set of 4 springs which kept the unit vibration from transferring to the body of the fridge, the floor; and rest of the house. These are missing and the transport lock screws have been permanently installed to retain the unit. The spring brackets mount studs are still in place, but the springs and brackets are gone.

 

 

[stan]

Thanks for sharing

I watched to the end!
Don't understand all of it, but really like listening and seeing someone that does!

 

[turbokinetic]

Reply #5 -

 

Thanks Stan!  I'm glad you enjoyed the videos. I hope to be able to make some more before long. 

 

As for understanding; thankfully there are a a lot of books and have had family members who did this in the past; so have had exposure from a young age. But yeah; refrigeration can be an abstract concept - with these earlier models being quite complex compared to what we have now!