AC broken
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Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: I need HELP!!!
Forum Discription: Perplexed/need help with a problem - ask here
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=13761
Printed Date: 29 Apr 2024 at 1:52pm
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Topic: AC broken
Posted By: Psychokitsune
Subject: AC broken
Date Posted: 11 Jul 2020 at 1:37pm
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For some reason it looks like my AC unit is broken, somehow. I've tried doing a full re-set by unplugging all power, waiting, then plugging everything back in but that didn't seem to do anything. when I go to turn the fan or AC on it just hums. So I know power is getting to it. But nothing turns on and no air gets blown anywhere. Has anyone else encountered this problem?
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Replies:
Posted By: podwerkz
Date Posted: 11 Jul 2020 at 6:25pm
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Sounds like the compressor is on but the fan is not on. It helps if you provide more info like: This is brand new and its under warranty and I just bought it... OR: This thing is 25 years old and its given us good service....what should we do? OR: I just installed it, but I noticed it had shipping damage on one corner, and some wires were pulled out. OR: Lightning hit the camper 2 days ago and now the A/C unit is humming.... You know, details matter. In other words, our random guesses can be less random if you give us a few more details surrounding this problem. ------------- r･pod 171 gone but not forgotten! |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 11 Jul 2020 at 8:40pm
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There is another topic under "I Need Help." This needs to be merged with that topic.
------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: Psychokitsune
Date Posted: 13 Jul 2020 at 1:48pm
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Sorry about the lack of details. I have a new 2018 r-pod 179. So the A/C should only be 2 years old. It has been working fine until this. I recently took the top and bottoms pieces apart, cleaned everything, and re-assembled it but that didn't fix my problem either. A/C doesn't run in the day or at night so I know its not a temperature thing. I'm thinking it might be a capacitor, I've been watching tutorial videos so I'll be checking out whether that's the problem later today when I can get on the roof without burning myself. Also, I have no idea how to merge posts.
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Posted By: Badweissenbier
Date Posted: 13 Jul 2020 at 2:18pm
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The fan should kick on first blowing air then the compressor.
If you turn it to fan mode only and it just hums. Good chance either the fan is fouled in place ie being held from turning or your capacitor went bad. Pretty Easy fix just be careful capacitors hold charge and can really shock you. |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 13 Jul 2020 at 2:39pm
Thanks for the additional information. An administrator would need to merge the threads. I hope you can get it figured out. Let us know what you find out. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: Psychokitsune
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2020 at 4:18pm
 All right. Got delayed by a week of rainstorms. finally got chance to check out the electric. Turned all the power off, unplugged the battery, and turned off all the fuses. I think my capacitor has gone bad as there is a zero reading on it. So I think I just need to get a new one, just don't know where to order one. Also think I'm going to install an Easy start 364. Been reading that they help with the power draw so that I don't just immediately short out the new capacitor.
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Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2020 at 6:40pm
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Looks like you are on the microamp setting on your meter. That won't tell you if the cap is bad, you need a meter that measures capacitance (measured in micro farads) Also, you need to take the cap out of the circuit when you test it, and short it out first because it holds a charge and can shock you or damage your meter. Is it the fan cap that you think has failed or the compressor start cap? Or is it the compressor run cap? If its the compressor start cap then you don't need to worry about it if you're buying an easystart as you remove it anyway. If its the fan cap or the compressor run cap then the easiest way to replace it is to look at the label and get a replacement with the same capacitance, voltage rating, and physical size. They're pretty cheap so you might be better off just replacing them if you don't have access to a meter that can measure capacitance. If any are bulging or leaking then replace them. You can also call the easystart folks and discuss it with them, my experience with them was that they are really responsive and helpful. The easystart doesn't change anything related to the fan motor I don't think. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: Psychokitsune
Date Posted: 06 Aug 2020 at 7:59pm
Apparently this wasn't the issue!  So I bought a new capacitor just in case and just finished installing both it and my new Easy Start. My A/C still doesn't work. I know I didn't mess up the wiring because its the same freaking problem that I started with: all I get is a humming motor. The fan isn't even running. I watched this time and it doesn't move even when I turn it on.
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Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 06 Aug 2020 at 9:15pm
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Okay. The EasyStart will not fdo anything for the blower motor. It is for the compressor.If the fan motor is only humming when you turn it on, even with a new start capacitor, then the motor itself may have a seized bearing. Can you turn the blower motor fan by hand (with the power off for safety)? If not, then the bearing is bad or something is blocking the fan and keeping it from rotating. Given some other posts I have seen recently, check to see if there is anything obstructing the blower motor fan and preventing it from turning.If it rotates freely and is not rubbing against anything that could cause it to bind, then you will likely need someone with the ability to diagnose this problem. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: Psychokitsune
Date Posted: 07 Aug 2020 at 4:37pm
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Ok. It looks like I can move the fan motor by hand. there is nothing that I can see that is obstructing it. There is still oil on what I assume is the crank, I've cleaned off the outer screenes. At this point I think either the compressor or the motor is bad but I have no idea how to test them to figure this out.
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Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 07 Aug 2020 at 6:20pm
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You know that the fan motor isn't running because there is no air blowing and/or you can't see it spinning right? Any reason you also think the compressor isn't running? ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 07 Aug 2020 at 6:50pm
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Is it possible the hum you hear is the compressor? It is very hard to remote diagnose a problem like this. We can't see or hear what you are seeing and hearing. I'm not sure if you have the same control as I do but please do a couple of things. Set the thermostat to off. Change the mode to Fan Set the fan from "Auto" to "Hi"--Does the fan come on? If the answer is yes, then the fan is working. If the answer is no, is the humming noise there? You said you can move the motor by hand so it isn't frozen. It is possible that the motor start capacitor is bad. However, you really would need a technician with the proper tools and knowledge to get in there and diagnose the problem and then to repair it. If the above test showed the fan was working, then change the mode to "Lo"--Does the fan switch speeds? If the motor checks out, then change the mode to cool and set the thermostat so that it should start running. What happens? Do you hear the compressor kick on? One thing I just noticed in your description--"oil" on the crank. You really should not see oil there. The motor shaft should be dry. One other thing is that you say you cleaned off the outer screens. What screens are those? Are you talking about the fins on the condenser section? Mine does not have screens, just holes in the housing. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: Psychokitsune
Date Posted: 09 Aug 2020 at 2:54pm
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That's the problem, I've been trying to get this to work and have just been hoping at least the fan would work. I just went through all the fan and A/C fan settings going from low to auto. It doesn't turn on at all, just humms. I did notice that when I went to the A/C settings that it started making another noise. I think it sounded like the compressor turning on but I'm not sure. Also I'm pretty sure I removed a start capacitor when I installed the Easy Start system as that was in the instructions. Not sure if the fan motor has a seperate one? I was talking about the scene that wraps around the outside of the unit that the air gets drawn through. A lot of dirt and dandelion seeds get stuck in mine.
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Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 09 Aug 2020 at 7:17pm
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The cap you removed for the easystart was a compressor start capacitor. Nothing to do with the fan motor. I’m guessing the hum is the compressor motor running as it should. Sounds like your problem at this point is the fan motor, but I might be wrong.
Is the evaporator getting cold at all after the hum starts? Do you have a clamp on current meter? If so what current are you seeing to the a/c? The compressor is about 11-12A, the fan is about 3 IIRC, together about 15-16A. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 09 Aug 2020 at 8:17pm
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To me, it sounds like the fan motor is shot. The fact that it hummed and did not turn plus the fact that when you switched it to AC and it started making another noise tends to confirm the suspicion. The second noise was the compressor kicking on. Here is a link that may help: https://www.amazon.com/Dometic-3314471-011-Fan-Motor-Service/dp/B00XQ8Z9BI/ - https://www.amazon.com/Dometic-3314471-011-Fan-Motor-Service/dp/B00XQ8Z9BI/ You would need to double-check that this is the correct part. It says it is for the Penguin II but it is best to make sure. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 10 Aug 2020 at 7:05am
Could also be the control board. If the fan shaft is spinning freely and the windings aren't cooked then I'm not sure i'd just replace the motor without trying to confirm that is the problem. The fan motor has 6 wires to it. Grn/yel is ground. Wht is neutral. Brn goes to the fan terminal of the run cap (which I think you already replaced, right?). Blk, yel, and red are the 3 speeds. So, you could leave the ground, wht, and brn wires in place, disconnect the blk, yel, and red. Then (carefully!!) temporarily jumper hot to each of the 3 one at a time and see if the fan motor functions properly. If you haven't tested or replaced the run cap do that first. Here is the manual, the schematic is at the end. https://www.dometic.com/assets/12/86/3316570_71286.pdf?att=true ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: Psychokitsune
Date Posted: 13 Aug 2020 at 1:42pm
| Thank you everyone for the extra links and diagrams. I'll up-date you all once I figure out if the fan motor is the problem or not. |
Posted By: RKS1
Date Posted: 13 Aug 2020 at 4:02pm
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Hello everyone I was following the thread. Since I have an air conditioning problem I thought maybe what you guys were talking about would help. Right now my air conditioner is running for seconds at a time then it shuts off it sounds great and it’s working when it shuts off it takes a while for it to start back up again sometimes it comes right on other times it just sounds like it’s humming . This is the first time I’ve used this R-Pod. It’s a 2010 RP174. ------------- Kent |
Posted By: Psychokitsune
Date Posted: 27 Aug 2020 at 11:52am
| Thank you everyone for all your help. It looks like the problem was the fan motor. I think it burned itself out. Just got the replacement today and things are working again. |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 27 Aug 2020 at 12:12pm
 II'm glad you got it fixed. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |