Penguin A/C No Start

[CBWELL]

I recently purchased a 1994 Excella 34' that had been sitting for over 4 years unused. The penguin a/c unit will run the fan only when in the cool position. I have taken the cover off (which was broken in several places) and blown everything out. Have taken the cover off of the capacitor and electronic board compartment and the capacitors and the board look good. Can hear no clicking from the thermostat on the unit when trying to get compressor started. Voltage is good, and plugged into a dedicated 30 amp circuit. Is there a pressure switch that would prevent the compressor from starting if the refrigerant is low? Any ideas on why no compressor start. I have gone back through the forums 5 years but not found any relevant information. Thank you.

[AtomicNo13]

Replace the 24 volt American Zeitler relays and the adjacent diodes. Works every time

[CBWELL]

Thank you for the quick reply Atomic. Where are these located? Inside the interior trim piece? Thank you.

[AtomicNo13]

Nope, on the board on the roof. You can get the model number right on the relay. Can be sourced on eBay it directly from AZ direct. I think I paid $10 a piece. There is one for A/C and one for the heats trip. You also might try a light tap on the relay case to see if the contacts are stuck.
You are aware on that model there is a time delay before the compressor will be allowed to start? I think mine is longer than 30 seconds.....

[AtomicNo13]

Sorry, my overly aggressive spell check working overtime.....

[CBWELL]

Thank you for the information. I will go back up and check out those relays. I don't think the unit has been used very much. The whole trailer is suffering from neglect, but the factory stickers are still on the shower, and some of the original plastic is on the carpet in places. Oven never used, and conv/micro like new.
Old guy owned it, and moved away. Son got sick of paying storage, and let it go cheap. Just a lot of checking things to make sure they work, and fixing a few minor water leaks. Thanks again. Chris

[CBWELL]

This morning I tested the capacitor and relay. Both checked out ok. There still seems to be no attempt of the compressor to start. There is no burning smell or any other indication that the compressor is trying to start. Any thoughts, as I hate to replace it if there is only a minor problem. Thank you.

[Ray Eklund]

CBWell. Is your thermostat set on AUTO? After replacing the starting capacitor and the motor starter I managed to get my system running. On Auto, nothing, but that could be just the temperature in the garage storage is cool.

On low or high Fan the compressor and fan ran. Progress? I hope so on mine.

[jcanavera]

One thing to keep in mind is that there may be a delay prior to the compressor starting when power is first applied. i know that when I first activate the air on my trailer the fan immediately starts up but the compressor takes 3-4 minutes to start. Thats a safety factor built in to prevent compressor damage in cases of a quick power loss. I'm not sure if that is a function of the thermostat or the Penguin itself. I have a feeling it's the thermostat since I notice the same delay in the case of the furnace, it sits silent for that 3-4 minute period. Once I get through that first delay, both units operate normally, unless we have a power outage.

Jack

[CBWELL]

Back on the roof this morning after the wind and rain. Tried both fan and auto with no start on the compressor. Left in A/C on position for 15 minutes and no start. No breaker tripping and compressor is not hot. Tried moving thermostat to various positions. still no go. Opened up filter and disconnected and reconnected ribbon from board on panel to board on roof top. Nothing!! I'm thinking it must be something very minor, but what?

[CBWELL]

Just back in from testing. Put a voltmeter across terminals of start capacitor while in A/C mode. Fan is running, and am showing no voltage across terminals. Compressor kicks in!! Blows very cold air, so I know R22 level is ok. Turn back to fan mode and then to A/C again, but compressor will not kick in. Test across terminals again, and after 30 secs or so compressor kicks in. Would this indicate a faulty start capacitor?? Thank you.

[CBWELL]

Went to city and picked up new capacitor. They tested old one and said it was still good. Installed new start capacitor and still doing same thing, compressor kicks in when I jump across capacitor terminal. What else could cause this????? Relay???? Thank you