1960'S- 1970'S GE COMPRESSOR WR87X60

[speedwagon]

GE in the past was very guarded with their refrigerator compressor data. No information sticker or plate on the compressors. Nothing on the internet either. Even the repair manual GE 1962-1974 that was downloaded from this website has the data for compressors.
I have a new unused vintage GE compressor part# WR87X60 from that time period. The data is needed to determine if it can be used in the 1964 GE Americana Refrigerator.
It looks similar to the failed compressor in the refrigerator but it is smaller.
These compressors have the looped large tube which the condenser attaches to.
Any information on the WR87X60 would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[turbokinetic]

GE made several versions of this compressor, of varying lengths. As far as I know all HP ratings were available in each different casing size, so that doesn't mean anything. If the compressor still has its starting components, often the start relay will be marked with the compressor HP; giving some clues.

John L. has far more experience than I do and may be able to shed more light.

 

[combo52]

Replacement compressor for a 64 GE refrigerator

I assume if you’re talking about a 1964 Americano with the French door refrigerator on top you need the 3rd hp compressor GE used or about 1000 BTU compressor.

I don’t have anything to tell me what the power of the compressor you have is. We have successfully replaced the compressors in refrigerators like that With an R134 a compressor taken from larger GE side-by-side and whirlpool side-by-side usually an Embraco compressors work very well.

It does take some skill to figure out how to mount it and to remount the hot gas, defrost valve, etc., in the system, but you will Have a working refrigerator if you do it right uses considerably less power, which is nice as well.

John L

 

[speedwagon]

1960'S- 1970'S GE COMPRESSOR WR87X60

Thanks for the replies. I have a new Embraco R134a compressor #FF 8.5HBK to replace it. John at Antique Appliances sized it for me.

After much searching I found a refrigerator tech to do the work. However he is concerned about getting all the old gas and oil out of the system. He would rather flush the system and fill it with Hot Shot, (R417C). On Ebay I found the vintage new compressor and thought it was a blessing.
Will also check starting components.

Tim I.

 

[speedwagon]

1960'S- 1970'S GE COMPRESSOR WR87X60

Based on turbokenetic's advise, I found the starting components and the data on the relay is: WR7X13T, 1/3 HP. The guardette data: 3ARG1B35,(WR8X44).
The start relay and guardette are not the same part numbers for the French door 1964 Refrigerator TDF-15 CA. Although it used a 1/3 HP compressor the original compressor had three gas ports protruding from the compressor. The smaller look alike compressor only has two gas ports. Each compressor has an additional port with a valve for servicing. If I were to use the two port compressor could one line be doubled up?
The capillary line on the refrigerator is so small I'm wondering if that can be flushed adequately?
If it is easily done then I will update it with the R134a compressor, as John L.
recommended.

 

[turbokinetic]

Would need to see the lines arrangement to understand the extra ports. That GE compressor shouldn't have an external precooler nor any other reason for extra ports. It is possible that it has more than one return line but should have only one discharge line. If the original had more than one return line, you can tee together the two lines and combine then into one. However, I expect that once you get the old compressor out, it will become more evident how it is plumbed.

As for the capillary tube, it is indeed difficult to flush these systems. The bigger issue is that the cap tube restricts efforts to flush the old oil from the evaporator, so that will need to be disconnected at the evaporator if possible. Sometimes it is not possible, and the old oil has to stay. If that is the case, it will likely not hurt anything as long as the system is properly evacuated with heat.

In general, if you are keeping the same compressor horsepower, but changing from an R12 specification compressor to an R134A specification compressor you will need to increase the length of the capillary tube. There is more than one method to calculate or estimate this. If you can measure the length of the original cap tube, it is easy to do; but if you cannot access the tube to measure it, sometimes you have to estimate based on the cap tube charts. In general, adding about 10 to 15% length to the cap tube is by-the-book. Often things work without adding any to the tube, but sometimes this is needed. If the system has problems getting cold enough to satisfy the thermostat before freezing back to the compressor, the tube is flowing too much refrigerant or it is overcharged. If dialing in the charge can't get it working correctly, it may need cap tube adjustment. Some of these systems were marginal from the factory and dialing them in is a trick.

Back to the compressor ports, it is absolutely critical that the plumbing is correct. As far as I know, GE never made a compressor that required more than one return port. If it appears this is the case, need to be extremely careful to get a complete understanding of how the system is engineered. There are always things out there that nobody has seen. Recognizing that it is different and needs to be investigated is a critical skill in this field. Pictures will help.

 

[speedwagon]

Pictures

Thanks for response turbokinetic. Attached
are pictures. The connection on the service port labeled #1 is for the capillary line.
The connection labeled #2 was connected to the line leading to the defrost hot gas solenoid.
The third line the largest, L shaped, came from the evaporator.
In the second picture are the cooling line connections that are basically a looped line that loops through the bottom of the compressor. The lines at that point do not mix with the gasses in the compressor. They remain sealed from inlet to outlet.
Total of five gas lines on the compressor.