Fridge Removal and Repair in Progress

[truk4u]

Well, the dreaded fridge going south has happened while we're in Jdub land. The Amana is DOA and in need of a compressor and coil. This is no easy task and I'm fortunate to be in Houston with lots of POG help. Scheduled to have an appliance company come to Jdub's hanger on Monday morning.

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Here's the Cruiseair evaporator I couldn't get to previously, accessible only by removing the fridge.

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This access is to the Liberty A/C panel, only with fridge removed

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And the worst thing, is a fellow Pogger (Jdub and Mango) plants an electronic cricket in my empty fridge space that drives Nancy nuts for a day (I couldn't hear it) and Mrs Mango finally puts the smack on chicken boy and makes him remove the hidden bug.

So, even if your broke down, 800 miles from home, there is no compassion from the Turd Boys. I think there is a new award for this despicable behavior coming to OKC!;)

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Talk slow........how is it possible both the coil and compressor have gone belly up? I assume you mean evaporator coil.

That is a readily available replacement part. Ditto the compressor. Beats trying to put a new white one in place and have it stand out like a sore thumb.

If it is any consolation I have replaced my evaporator coil, evaporator fan and condenser fan. As long as it is out replace the condenser fan.

Brian has got to be laughing his butt off right now, and while he is doubled over grabbing his stomach, Peter is spreading crab grass seeds on the new lawn.

[Jerry Winchester]

I think the best part was the Trukman finding the "Annoyatron" and telling Nancy, "No that can't be it. That's the sensor for the muffler bearing vibration detector" and continuing the search.

Yes, the stakes are higher now.

[MangoMike]

Trukster,

Thanks for the flattering pix.

The Annoy a Tron worked beyond expectations, but now that it's been outed we'll have to send the case we bought for OK (POG VIII) back to ACME.

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mm

[BrianE]

I had the reefer out twice and it really isn't a big deal. Would guess Jon is right again. How would you know if the compressor was bad until the evap coil is fixed? A good ref. mechanic repaired a coil leak once for me and would guess that a replacement is needed this time. Would also probably try and replace the compressor while it's accessible. Would seriously doubt the entire box is bad.

By the way Truk, it takes the removal of about 8 screws and the entire AC panel pops out. No need to have access from the reefer. It also looks like the dreaded cruisaire filter area is pretty clean....you're welcome.

As to lawn security while we're out of town. There are a number of 240volt hot spots scattered around the property. :eek: I'm also privileged to have a well armed next door neighbor who has my permission to shoot suspected democrats on sight. :rolleyes:

[truk4u]

Jon - The Appliance Company came by on Friday and diagnosed the compressor and coil. I know diddly about refrigerators, but this company is reputable and does tons for work for Bird Land. I have no intentions of replacing the fridge if this one can be repaired. I will discuss the fans with the Tech tomorrow. This same Company did Jdub's Amana with the same problems.

Brian - I cleaned the filter thank you very much, but it wasn't real dirty thanks to your previous efforts. I understand the fridge removal was easy for you, but not for me. We have been living in the bus for the last 4 days with the fridge in the living area, parts scattered through the bus, dinette table and pedestal removed, freezer door removed, 800 miles from home and living out of 2 coolers. Not a pleasant experience for mama Truk. As for the panel, I can't imagine the short wire looms being stretched out far enough to access from the front, but you probably did it and I sure hope I don't have to.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Birdland is the company that did such sterling work on Loc's old bus.

Personally I would not let them oil my bicycle chain. I have seen their work up close and personal.

If you want details email me, but I can tell you it will make you reconsider using them. That is my opinion only having been formed by seeing the quality of the work they did.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

2 questions.

Is that a secondary blower mounted to the top of the crusair unit and if so what is it and why is it there?

It also looks like the unit is wrapped with sticky black tar.

We have neither items on any of ours.

I am also very surprised at the failure rate of these fridges in the bus.

When we get one for the house we will get easily better than 10 years of trouble free use and that is continuous use. Seems to me these bus fridges see way less service before failure. If the owners having failures are leaving them stocked and full for convenience when at home maybe that is not a very good habit.

[truk4u]

Joe,

The black hicky on top is just a distribution duct for the cold air, kind of a plastic T. The evaporator is wrapped with a black foam material and I assume it helps with the condensation.

I guess the fridge is prone to fail due due to the abuse caused by the bus bumping and thumping down those rough roads. Maybe it is considered severe use as opposed to sitting in your kitchen for 10 years. Like you, I have a fridge in my basement I have owned for 26 years and all I have done is change out a freezer fan motor. Amana seems to have most of the failures, maybe they were the cheapest at the time the converters built the buses. I have always been under the impression that leaving the fridge on is better than turning it off when not in use.

Jon,

I remember some of the post from the past about what was discovered on Eric's bus. I'm not dealing with Bird Land, I'm working with the appliance company direct.

[Orren Zook]

Maybe the refrigerator failure rate is a ventilation issue, it looks like more heat generating items in there than found in your normal kitchen application.

[rfoster]

The life of the refrigerator is linked directly to how much cold beer one consumes.

Truk is still deciphering, however his calculations will start over as he will be starting with new components. Go ahead and finish off the old beer - don't want anything clouding the statiscal gathering process.

He can show you the data line charts next time it snows. In yellow.

[dalej]

Roger, your on a roll, is car sales that slow? :)

[rfoster]

Dale: Yep

[truk4u]

The evaporator coil is shot, freon sensor squealing like pig at Jdub's hanger. For you lucky owners of older Amana's, this coil is unavailable, no makee no more!:mad: Going home and remove the damn thing myself and put in a new fridge. All the parts and doors are heading to Jdub's dumpster and the dead shell is back in place for the ride home.

Even if I had all the parts needed, the cost to repair almost equals the cost of a new fridge. Then I would still have all the other components probably on borrowed time.

[merle&louise]

Tom,

I think that Sub Zero makes a model that would be a good fit in place of the Amana. Only thing is, there are not cheap:eek: Hope you find a suitable replacement.

[rickdesilva]

Truk,
In the long run, Its probably best to replace it. Mine died the night before we were to leave for Seiverville. I took all the measurements and spent the day surfing the web comparing all the manufacturers styles and measurements. I ended up with a GE that fit right in where my Jenn air was. It was a counter depth model so it was small with the doors off. I pulled the passenger seat and got mine in thru the door. I think the my XLll door is a little wider than your door.

[truk4u]

Rick and Tuga,

Thanks for the tips, the fridge search is on.. I measured my door Rick and it's not wide enough, you XL2 guys are lucky!

Mine Amana is 67 1/2 X 36, if anyone has any ideas...

[Jamie Bradford]

Hey Tom

Since you are going to be doing all that heavy lifting can I bring the extra couch down & have it put in the bus in case I need it?????????:rolleyes:


Jamie

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

That sucks, does that mean the front window might have to come out?

JIM

[Jerry Winchester]

No mights to it. He might cut it up into small pieces and haul it out the door, but the new one will go in thru the hole where the window was.

[BrianE]

The good news is windshield removal and replacement is a snap in an XL. Dale has the right tool for the job. Too bad you can't do it in Houston where one guy can do it for the price of two. :rolleyes:

[truk4u]

Brian - I have the tool, purchased from the windshield guru himself (Dale). I'm fortunate that the windshield has not be glued or caulked and should be easy.
Bill Miller has my tool and said he found a better way with a screen tool. I'll call him for more 411 when I get home.

Jamie - I'll be glad to take the couch back and place it in the den, Nancy would be REALLY happy!;)

Jimmy C - Yep, out the window buddy...

[lewpopp]

Truk man,

Google "Easy Appliance Parts". They had everything I needed for my 20 year old Amana. You might be surprised.

[garyde]

Hi Tom. I have had good luck at Sears . Here, they have a huge variety of shapes and sizes to choose. Also, I did find a refer there which was counter depth.

[hhoppe]

Truk: I hope I'm not too late with this; I had to chg. the refrigerator in my Royale and determined it would not fit thru the windshield opening and over the dash. We removed a side window and had plenty of room for the replacement. The side window was an easy removal and replacement. I set up a scaffold outside the window and we man handled it from there.
Good luck.

[truk4u]

Thanks Harry...

[truk4u]

Gary - You were right, Sears came through with the best price.

I found out with help from Dan, the magic word for replacement fridges is Cabinet Depth. The depth is the issue on probably many of the older buses and you have to work with 35 3/4 X 69 X 23 box dimensions without the doors. On my Liberty, anything longer than 23 would get way to close to the A/C evaporator.

And for all you macho do it yourselfers who said the fridge was easy to remove, you must be on crack!:rolleyes: It took a hell of a lot of work removing the passenger seat that must weight 100 lbs, dinette table, windshield, fridge doors, wipers, defrost vents and 300 lbs of fridge. Lucky for me I have a son and son-in-laws with good backs and a Kubota with forks.

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One dead Amana on it's way out...

[garyde]

Hi Tom. Good news. Let's see some photos of the new installation.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

If you have a bus with OTR a/c you have that duct going all the way around at the floor and it is 3 or 4 inches you loose down there when you have that.

So do you have it all back together? What other things did you uncover while doing this project, anything?

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Tom, I like those lift truck forks on your loader bucket.
Could you please take a better picture of them sometime. I have never seen anything like that at the farm supply stores. Can they be added and removed easily?
Is that a generic item, or made by Kubota. Do you think they would fit a model 1920 Ford tractor.

JIM

[truk4u]

Joe - No OTR.. The fridge is on order, they don't seem to stock the Cabinet Depth. I have to cut an additional 2 1/2 inches of height above where the fridge sits, the old Amana's are about 2 inches in height lower than the new models.

The old Amana had panels with laminate matching the interior of the bus. The new fridges are a different size, so there was no use getting a fridge panel ready. The new one is just plain white, so I'll have to somehow use the old panels and align them so they look OK and then glue to the front of the fridge. Then I'll have to have some type of trim around them, since the panels are made of 1/8 masonite with the laminate stuck to them. I tried to find matching laminate, but no good, Liberty says it's long gone.

Jim - I bought the forks many years ago for 75.00 and they have paid for themselves many times over. They are universal and will fit any bucket. I'll snap another picture for you without the Amana slug so you can see how they hook to the bucket.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Take a panel from the bus to Home Depo and they will computer match the color PERFECT then just paint the doors. Experiment on the side of the old one for results.

[BrianE]

Tom, The laminate used on the computer desk is currently available. If you look closely, it isn't exactly like the original but we sure as heck couldn't tell the difference. The pattern is Wilson Art, Caldera Rose-Gloss.

[merle&louise]

Tom,

What about replacing the panels with mirrors. I know Libertys use mirrors sparingly but it might be an easy fix. Are mirrors made in 1/8" thickness? Or maybe brushed aluminum panels!

[Jerry Winchester]

Liberty uses mirrors sparingly?

I thought that whole casino / whorehouse chic motif that Liberty used was based mostly on mirrors?

Tuga, I think you need to get out more.

[rickdesilva]

Check out the Jenn air website, I think that they are about as small as you can get. But not cheap.

[phorner]

You're right, Rick.

Truk needs to start with "I don't care what it costs, I need a ....." :D

[merle&louise]

Liberty uses mirrors sparingly?

I thought that whole casino / whorehouse chic motif that Liberty used was based mostly on mirrors?

Tuga, I think you need to get out more.

Jerry,

I was being facetious!

[truk4u]

Joe - It has a pattern/design to it and not just plain.

Brian - Thanks, but that one is discontinued also.

Tuga - No mirrors, can't compete with the King.

Rick - I have Jenn Air at home, but found a Frigidaire that was just right.

Paul - No local government pension here, got to shop.

[garyde]

Hi Tom. If your refer doors are flat, on my fridge, they painted the edgesof the refer a copper color to match the cabinets, and glued on skins with a trim edging on the flat area. Its faux painted, not a natural wood look.

[truk4u]

Gary,

Good suggestion on the skins, I'm going to do the same thing. Glue on the laminate and trim the edges. New fridge is in it's hole, but doors still off waiting on the laminate.

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The fun begins

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My son telling me, "this is getting to be a PIA"!:(

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Easy Pop, easy does it....

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Yikes, I can't see anyway..

[truk4u]

OK, I'm done and won't bore you with anymore fridge mumbo jumbo, but when yours quits, give me call for some pointers!;) What a difference with the new energy star appliances, very thrifty on the amperage that should be a big plus when dry camping.

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Finished product total cost 1,229.00.

[dreamchasers]

Looks good Tom, Very good.

Hector

[Denny]

Great job, Tom

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

That sure looks nice Tom. Well worth the effort. Your the pro now!

:) JIM

[Kevin Erion]

Looks like VERY cold beer in the near future! GREAT!

[dale farley]

Great job Tom. Looks like it was original.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

How many amps difference between the two.

[garyde]

A great job Tom. It all came together very well. Looks original.

[dalej]

Tom,

How did the windshield go back in? That was the one Brian and I had to enlarge the opening on to get the glass back in after putting in new rubber.

You did a great job of showing pog members what's involved in a frig. replace.

[MangoMike]

I hear the new energy star refrig. is wired directly into the Low Beer Light indicator. Hi Tech.

[truk4u]

Joe - It's showing 1 and 2 amps, the old one used 5, this is normal running after comp start-up. The old one hardly ever shut-off, this one was down to set temperature in 4 hours and off. The temperature settings are all digital, so a quick look tells you the status of the fridge, 37 on the fridge and 0 on the freezer. Another plus on the new ones is the built in filter, so we can use more water from the door and less bottled water.

Dale - The windshield was tough to get back in, but I was pre-warned. I wasn't real sure I could get the gasket to seal around the 2 outside corners, but after putting in the strip, it seems ok.

Jamie - How are you making out with yours?

[rfoster]

Truk: Nice, Nice Job. When mine quits I would like to come to your place and refill my water bottles from your frig.

Looks factory to me.

[Jamie Bradford]

Sears came Wednesday & replaced a switch. $ 264 later my fridge was working fine!:)

It actually was easy to remove from the cabinet.

It also is pulling about 2 amps... It was pulling about 15 amps before it was fixed - thus the switch burn out.

[dale farley]

Jamie, I'm glad to hear the switch was the problem. That is much better than having to replace the entire unit. What is the function of the switch?

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Wow. A significant drop in amps and draw. That alone would make it a worth while project for some.

Your batteries are gonna love you for the upgrade.

Now that you have shown the ability to do this we all know where we can come for experienced help.

[jonnie]

Tom,

You are really in for a big suprise when you buy the replacement filters. Bring lots of lew bucks.

[Jamie Bradford]

Dale'

The part was a compressor relay.

[dale farley]

Jamie, That makes sense. That's what we kept hearing clicking on and off when the compessor was tring to start.