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tinman7 · 03-14-2004, 08:06 AM

Does anyone out there know how to go about troubleshooting airconditioners? I have a 76 overlander, I know it has the orignal one in it. I bought this A/S last september,it had been parked for 17 years with no one using it and it was only used for 4500 mi. before that. I was hoping with such little use it would be something small that was causing the problem. When I turn it on the fan comes on but I don't hear the compressor and it does not get cold. I am 2 hrs away from it now but in a month I hope to start getting it ready for our first season. I can live without AC but... I hope it may just be corroded conections or something obvious, I just don't where to look,I removed the cover on top but didn't see any thing to mess with so I just closed it up. the thermostat seems to be ok, when I run it the fan kicks on and the heater will work.
Any thoughts?
Thanks Frank

Airstream 1975! · 03-14-2004, 08:15 AM

Hey, I kinda have the same problem. I have a 75 OL with the original AC only my compressor comes on just not the fan. Maybe we could combine parts and share the AC

Just kidding. Could be a bad relay or corroded connections. At least that is what I have been told on thid forum. They don't make Armstrongs anymore and parts are hard to come by. Granger sells fan motors and relays and such. If you have a charge in the system (meaning there is freon) that usually indicates that you don't have a leak. I'm gonna start working on mine soon I will let you know what I find. If I decide to scrap the unit I will probably put it up for sale for parts etc. Rob

tinman7 · 03-14-2004, 08:41 AM

Rob,
That mite be an option

My ac is also a armstrong unit and from what I gather these were real top of the line. How can I test if there is feron in it? I think thats out of my league for Fixen, I have the manuals for the unit but it dosn't tell you any easy thing to look for. I just hate to bring it to a trailer place and have them just say you need a new one without even looking at it!
Thanks, Frank

Airstream 1975! · 03-14-2004, 08:53 AM

Frank, Have it looked at by an AC specialist who can check the charge with the appropriate gauges. Shouldn't be to expensive. Usually around $50 for a once over. If there is a charge of freon, maybe they could charge it all the way for you. That would probably mean the problem is electrical. Maybe they could offer suggestions. Rob

Sneakinup · 03-14-2004, 09:16 AM

First make sure you have a 30 amp line running to your trailer. The compressor might not start up on a 15 amp line. Mine usually doesn't.

Just a thought.

jaco · 03-14-2004, 10:04 AM

Tinman do you have a service manual?
I know that in the 74 manual there is a pretty good description of trouble shooting the Armstrong AC.
Unfortunenately I suspect that my Armstrong AC was an addition after the original purchase. So it may not be what is described in my manual.

If you do not maybe someone with a 76 manual can copy and mail or fax you that section.
Just ask.

I'll send you the 74 info if you cant find any 76.

thenewkid64 · 03-14-2004, 10:58 AM

Tinman,

The Armstrong's are a different kind of system that most RV Ac's. It will be worth fixing vs. replacing. We have the OM 78 on our motorhome.

There are only a few things that can go wrong based on your description. 3
Loss of Freon. This can be checked and recharged by a residential heating/ AC guy. You will need to hunt for one willing to work on it. There should be service ports.

Bad Capacitor. If this was the case the blower motor may not start either. Rob, Pull your shroud and see if you can spin the fan. There are oil ports , your bearings may be seized, new motors are available.

Bad transformer. The Units that use a wall mounted thermostat have a step down transformer for the feed to the thermostat. The feed from the thermostat feeds a relay that energizes the compressor. Bad Transformer, no compressor. This transformer is under the shroud.

Be careful when you remove the shroud they are available as a replacement but are a bit spendy. If you are going under the shroud, oil all the oil fittings and clean out the accumulated debris. This would also be a good time to inspect the seal between the roof and the AC.

Airstream 1975! · 03-14-2004, 11:05 AM

How do you remove the shroud (I know very carefully

)? I have looked at it a couple of times but haven't quite figured it out. I have the original 1975 owners maintenance guide. Maybe I could mail it to anyone who needs it

. I need the part numbers for the capacitors and relays (not the Armstrong numbers) that are cross referenced. Anyone have those? Rob

jaco · 03-14-2004, 11:38 AM

Hello Airstream 75,

Is the maintenance guide you mention part of the Airstream Service Manual? or a separate piece of literature by Armstrong?
If so, how many pages and are any color? If it is seperate from the manual I am very interested in obtaining a copy. I will contact you. Thanks.

jaco · 03-14-2004, 12:13 PM

Here is a picture of a shroud for a 74 Armstrong.

It was bought at Inland RV and appears it has already been painted by the new owner Chas. I think he said that it comes unpainted.

Notice the opening in the top. My 74 shroud does not have that opening..hence I assume mine is a later model.

Does your shroud have the hole in the top as in pic?

Airstream 1975! · 03-14-2004, 12:42 PM

No, mine does not have the top hole mine has a vent on both sides and has an opening in the rear. If you look at inlandrv mine is the 76-79 model. I PM'ed you by the way. Rob

tinman7 · 03-14-2004, 12:56 PM

Brett
I removed the shroud last fall to have a look see,it took awhile to remove the 4 screws that held it down(rusted) but I got them out and the shroud came off ok,it does not have a opening in the top. When I ran the AC the fan went on all three speeds but I could not hear or feel the compressor. When I get Back to see the a/s (if it ever warms up here)I'll check that transformer (if I can find it)....I did not see much of anything to work on when I was up there but Ididn't know what I was looking for. I just saw the fan,compressor and the coils.

Thanks Frank

tinman7 · 03-14-2004, 01:03 PM

Hey Jaco,
That shroud looks great,even if I can't get my ac going I would like to get mine looking like that.

jaco · 03-14-2004, 03:25 PM

I may be mistaken about this but I think that the replacement shrouds are fiberglass and the originals were ABS plastic. Seems like Inland Andy said something like that.

All of the shrouds he sells are listed and pictured on his Inland RV website. But I don't have his permish to post those pics here. Maybe he'll do so for us. I still hope to refurb my existing (76-79) shroud but it looks like it might crumble in my hands.

Not knowing how much life to expect from my Armstrong, I can't see spending 250 dollars for new shroud.

Mine appears to just be pookeyd to the roof. i.e. there does not seem to be any moulding or rail etc. at the roof where shroud sits down and mates to aluminum. Once I get it off I hope to find a data plate of some kind with a model number and hopefully a serial number of the AC.

Wonder if I will ever find a build date code legend to determine my year model?

uwe · 03-14-2004, 04:30 PM

Someone posted this already, but it is imperative that you have a 30A hookup to start the A/C compressor. Mine will not start on the 15A adaptor plugged into a standard wall outlet.
The shroud from the picture above is one from InlandRV. My Armstrong A/C utilizes the same shroud. The original a/c is very nice, and well worth fixing. It runs quiet and with little vibration, compared to new a/c units. Also, the shroud and drain work very well. The entire assembly is custom to the Airstream, and has alow profile. It sqats on teh curvature, looking more like it belongs there than the modern A/C units. Those are proportioned differently.
I had mt new shroud painted silver by a auto paint shop. It looks great.

thenewkid64 · 03-14-2004, 04:47 PM

Jaco,

The Armstrong AC units are worth fixing. Look at how many Airstreams still have a 25 year old unit that works installed. Very few aftermarket units last 10 years let alone 25. Most of them will also out cool the current crop of AC units too.

The Armstong units CAN be repaired, most others are toss and replace. If you look at the replacement cost and figure that you may get 7 years out of an AC unit, I would be on the 4th unit at $650.00 each (using the current Airstream equal, Duotherm Penguin). That $2600.00 buys a ton of parts and pays for lots of labor, I doubt anyone has spent that kind of money over the life of their ownership on just the AC.

Yes the shrouds for Inland are spendy, but they ARE available. I see he now has some of the lower wraps for the Motorhomes too, those are also spendy, but I bet having a body shop make one would cost more if I needed it.

Just my $.02 worth...............

overlander63 · 03-14-2004, 05:03 PM

My Armstrong is 32 years old, and still does its job as it is supposed to. If you spend a few hundred on your unit now, it may last another 10 years or more before replacement.
Terry

Airstream 1975! · 05-09-2004, 06:39 AM

Hi everyone, Happy Mothers day to all the moms out there and all the single dads too.I have been playing with my 3 kids all morning(ages 4,2 and 11mos!)boy are they a handfull

I have an Armstrong AC, and want to remove the shroud. How do you do this? Are there bolts on the roof or are they inside? I have never been up on the roof so I was just wondering the easiest way to get it off. I know to be very careful with it once it is off but I need to get there first. Can anyone give me directions? Rob

overlander63 · 05-09-2004, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Airstream 1975!

Hi everyone, Happy Mothers day to all the moms out there and all the single dads too.I have been playing with my 3 kids all morning(ages 4,2 and 11mos!)boy are they a handfull

I have an Armstrong AC, and want to remove the shroud. How do you do this? Are there bolts on the roof or are they inside? I have never been up on the roof so I was just wondering the easiest way to get it off. I know to be very careful with it once it is off but I need to get there first. Can anyone give me directions? Rob

Rob, I think mine is different from yours, but mine is held on by four screws. Remove the screws and slide the housing forward, then up and off. It would really help if you had someone that you could hand the housing to after removing it. They are not at all heavy, but they are very awkward, and if it is windy, you could wind up doing a mary Poppins across your yard.
Terry