Need a Thermostat Wizard!.....

[Don Coyote]

Hey Guys, noobie here. 

 

I just bought a Dixie Narco 522e, installed a new compressor, ... and it won't shut off!!! I put a new thermostat in it today, but it still gets down to 34-degrees before I unplug it. The thermostat is set to it's lowest setting without being turned off. (It DOES turn off at it's lowest setting..... and it did with the OLD thermostat, also). I can't get it to turn off at 40-degrees, or so..... it just keeps running.  

Have any of y'all ever wired the thermostat direct to the compressor? I'm thinking of running the "hot" wire through the thermostat and out to a "line in" to the the 3-in-1 capacitor that starts the compressor. 

........ Think that would work? (Sounds logical to ME). 

 

And, by the way............ how many Chickens would it take to kill a Buffalo? (..... Asking for a friend). 

 

[AZVendor]

There's no need to rewire anything.  You have done something wrong. Where is the thermostat capillary tube going? On an E model it should clip into a slot in the back air plenum just to the right of the evaporator.  The correct thermostat will have an oval loop with a tiny tail on it that clips into the slot. The slot is high on the plenum. The wrong thermostat or incorrectly placed cap tube will read incorrectly. The correct temp setting is 3 1/2 from zero.

Edited May 25, 2022 by AZVendor

[Don Coyote]

New thermostat is probably wrong. Capillary tube is half the length of the old one. Physically, aesthetically, they are identical... I bought two of these on eBay for $8.00 each... made for a GE refrigerator. I have the capillary tube wound around a tube in the evaporator. 

Is there a way to test the OLD thermostat with an ohms meter? Symptoms were exactly the same with the old thermostat as with the new. I'm not sure the old one was bad. Does the thermostat work in tandem with an electronic relay that might have gone bad, or is it completely analog?

Thanks for the reply, AZV. 

[AZVendor]

You really think that you can just throw any part at a machine and install it any old way you want?  A fool's errand.  "Physically, aesthetically, they are identical." They are not. You know you're a redneck when......   Get the correct thermostat: 802.800.580.11.  This will fix it.  No capillary tube ever wraps around anything.  An ohmmeter won't tell you if the contacts are burned so don't waste your time with an old, unknown thermostat. There is also no relay for the compressor.  The thermostat is simply a switch.

[Don Coyote]

..................... You should see my ski lift. 

 

 

[tblake05]

34 minutes ago, Don Coyote said:

.. I bought two of these on eBay for $8.00 each... made for a GE refrigerator.

Yep, there is your problem. Why in Gods name would you cheap out on a thermostat.... when it could fail and freeze every can in your machine. No thanks! Name brand replacements are only about 25.00. Small price to pay for peace of mind.

[Don Coyote]

Good advice, tblake ............ but I'm not even certain that the old one was bad. 

This has been a learning experience, for sure. 

Edited May 25, 2022 by Don Coyote
credit to author

[Don Coyote]

.....I Am The Thermostat Wizard!!! 

 

So, ..... there's an adjustment/calibration screw inside the thermostat. The $8.00 unit I bought on eBay must have been calibrated for a freezer, NOT a refrigerator. I turned the adjustment screw clockwise two full turns, and now the compressor is cutting out at about 36 degrees and coming back on at around 44.

 

Exactly what I wanted!!! 🤗

Now I just need to make a new bracket for the thromostat, a little farther back in the machine. 

 

..... I'm gettin' good at this. 😎

 

 

Edited May 26, 2022 by Don Coyote

[AZVendor]

Whatever.  There's a reason some repairs are called Mickey Mouse.  PLEASE don't ever go into the repair business and try to convince people that you know what you're doing.  I also can't tell what you did to this unit since there should not be two 3/8" lines laying in front of the evaporator.  If that is the accumulator laying down then you've effed it up again.

[tblake05]

Ya the small adjustment screw thing sounds kinda hokey.

could have gotten the correct t-stat for the machine and saved yourself the headache of incorrect temps, incorrect wiring, and incorrect mounting.

most guys in this business, myself included- though I’m not perfect, don’t have time to waste making things work. We know what is wrong, know what we need, show up on the jobsite with all the correct tools and parts, hopefully spend less than 30 minutes there. And we’re gone.

next time someone services that machine, they are gonna have fun. It could even be you. Once you have a bunch of machines, they all blend together, so remembering what modifications have been done to certain ones doesn’t happen. Then you show up on site with the incorrect parts, say a thermostat, and you look like an unprofessional dope. Vs: service call placed, cans are slushy, has to be a thermostat, you know the machine model, you have a spare thermostat in stock cause your a professional, next day your there, swap it out in 15 minutes and back to good.

trust me, that’s been me both ways.

[Don Coyote]

This machine is going to my hunting cabin in Escanaba, ... it really doesn't matter if it looks like crap. As long as it's functional, and can run off my 5000 watt generator without interfering with the jukebox..... I'm golden. 

Filling it with Coke Zeros and PBR's. 

(My Dad was going to turn this thing into a gun safe). 

[Don Coyote]

On 5/24/2022 at 9:44 PM, AZVendor said:

You really think that you can just throw any part at a machine and install it any old way you want?  

................................. YES!!!

[Don Coyote]

17 hours ago, AZVendor said:

... there should not be two 3/8" lines laying in front of the evaporator. 

Here's a better view........

[Don Coyote]

17 hours ago, tblake05 said:

Ya the small adjustment screw thing sounds kinda hokey.

So here's the hole where you can find the adjustment screw. 

Under the adjustment knob is a helical ramp that adds/reduces tension on the spring that activates the paddle that makes/breaks contact with the breaker points. When you turn the knob clockwise to make it colder, the ramp reduces the tension on the spring, increasing the travel for the piston and making the compressor run longer... making it colder. 

So... turning the adjustment screw does the same thing, basically..... counter clockwise makes the compressor run longer, clockwise makes the compressor shut off sooner.

Good to know, if you're into analytic diagnostics. 

[Don Coyote]

..... THIS is how I celebrate "Black Friday" every year...........