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Post by 508gm1 on Aug 5, 2023 19:36:28 GMT
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Post by turbokinetic on Aug 7, 2023 14:03:10 GMT
I need another project like I need a hole in the head but this was too neat to pass on. 1100km round trip later & it's home in the garage. I was most interested in this because it is a semi-hermetic compressor assembly & looks complete. The gentleman I purchased it from told me his father had it in storage in the basement of the house for almost 50 years. He did try to start it & the shaft seal started to leak; not surprising. This will be a fall project for me as I have too much on my plate at the moment. The seller advised me that he contacted Mayflower & the shaft seal was still available. I will have to confirm. I am unsure what is left of the original SO2 charge. I should be able to access this gas in a high purity form but will have to check with the supplier. I am open to converting this to accept another more modern refrigerant. I understand modifications will have to be made to the float assembly. I will most likely need some assistance along the way from the more knowledgeable fellas on this forum. Please see the attached pictures. Thanks for taking interest. View AttachmentView AttachmentView AttachmentView AttachmentView AttachmentThat is a beautiful Mayflower! These are very rare and according to some, valuable. They were built in the 1930's but with hardware made in the style of the Colonial period (1600's to 1700's.) I will be delighted to help you with this. If you can get anyhdrous SO2 that will be the easiest way to get it going without modifications being necessary. You should carefully rotate the flywheel by hand and see that it turns freely. If so, it would probably be wise to isolate the compressor and confirm it has adequate oil. That is what was wrong with mine, and I made too many attempts to start it and now the seal is seeping more than it should. Sincerely, David https://youtu.be/42MeRZY-gZ8
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Post by 508gm1 on Aug 8, 2023 16:41:59 GMT
Thanks for the information & video David, very instructive. I attempted to turn the flywheel on the compressor. She is good-n-stuck. Not surprising seeing the lack of oil you found in the crankcase of yours. Hopefully it is not too far gone. I've soaked the shaft behind the flywheel in penetrating oil. I doubt this will help but have to start somewhere. When the neighbors vegetable garden is done, I will take the machine outside to check for remaining SO2. I do have extra dry nitrogen here at the house so if I get to the point of removing components, I'll be sure to do my best to keep the internals dry.
The small metal bracket on the side of the evaporator that holds the sensing bulb; I just noticed the flat head screws are mangled from someone in the past. At this point I will make an assumption that there may be an issue with the cold control. I must confess I am hesitant to even attempt to remove these 2 screws as they are fastened into the evaporator. Thoughts?
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Post by turbokinetic on Aug 8, 2023 17:00:48 GMT
Thanks for the information & video David, very instructive. I attempted to turn the flywheel on the compressor. She is good-n-stuck. Not surprising seeing the lack of oil you found in the crankcase of yours. Hopefully it is not too far gone. I've soaked the shaft behind the flywheel in penetrating oil. I doubt this will help but have to start somewhere. When the neighbors vegetable garden is done, I will take the machine outside to check for remaining SO2. I do have extra dry nitrogen here at the house so if I get to the point of removing components, I'll be sure to do my best to keep the internals dry. The small metal bracket on the side of the evaporator that holds the sensing bulb; I just noticed the flat head screws are mangled from someone in the past. At this point I will make an assumption that there may be an issue with the cold control. I must confess I am hesitant to even attempt to remove these 2 screws as they are fastened into the evaporator. Thoughts? Typically they seize up after the SO2 is mostly gone, because the oil stop circulating and gets trapped in the evaporator. As for those two screws on the evaporator, mine were also damaged and I ended up having to drill them out. I did not want to put heat on the evaporator and cause the porcelain to fail. You probably need to put oil inside the compressor and move the compressor around. Turn it upside down, angle it with the shaft facing down and with the shaft facing up etc, to distribute the oil across all moving parts. Then you can try rocking the crankshaft back and forth gently and see if you can get it moving. Otherwise you may have to carefully tear it down as is and hopefully you can disassemble it without breaking any parts.
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Post by 508gm1 on Aug 8, 2023 17:55:36 GMT
If I get a few hours this weekend, I'll work on pulling the compressor from the assembly. I will keep you posted on results. Thanks again for your support.
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Post by 508gm1 on Aug 8, 2023 21:44:00 GMT
Curiosity got to me this afternoon. I wanted to confirm presence of pressure or not. I cracked the flare connection on the left side of the accumulator. Yes sir, the unit definitely has significant positive pressure; my sinuses are now clear! Unfortunately I think this is really going to have to wait out of respect for the neighbors. The isolation valve to the compressor suction port is stuck so I can't even fill the compressor crankcase with oil & let it sit.
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Post by turbokinetic on Aug 9, 2023 13:36:55 GMT
Curiosity got to me this afternoon. I wanted to confirm presence of pressure or not. I cracked the flare connection on the left side of the accumulator. Yes sir, the unit definitely has significant positive pressure; my sinuses are now clear! Unfortunately I think this is really going to have to wait out of respect for the neighbors. The isolation valve to the compressor suction port is stuck so I can't even fill the compressor crankcase with oil & let it sit. That's typically a good sign if it still has pressure. It is frustrating that the valves are stuck, though! Have you tried penetrating oil on them? If I were you, I would just wait for a breezy day to dilute and carry away the SO2.
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Post by 508gm1 on Aug 13, 2023 16:26:11 GMT
I have spent a few hours on the Mayflower this morning. I released the charge of SO2 slowly over a couple of hours outside with a large fan blowing across the compressor section. The motor runs very well, despite being out of service for some time. I added a few drops of oil into the bearings. The repulsion mechanism retracts the brushes around 60v. This seems about right to me. I have the compressor out as well. I broke the oil fill plug when attempting to take it off. I should have known better to put some heat on it first. I have easy-outs in my tool box at work, I'll get the remnants of the plug removed tomorrow afternoon.
I have the crank case filled as full as I could get it with lubricating oil (WD-40, not my first choice but I had it on hand). I am using the discharge line as a plug right now; I can't for the life of me find my collection of SAE caps anywhere. I will attempt to move the flywheel daily. Unfortunately there was only about 150ml of oil in the compressor. I have my fingers crossed there is no irreparable damage. Regardless, it will be dismantled. We have a great machine shop at work so I should be able to have any mechanical repairs done without a problem.
Update from this afternoon [August 14] : I am elated. The compressor turns. I did remove the discharge valve for inspection. It looks fine. The intake valve that is built into the piston I am unsure of. I thought I would be able to lift it up easily. It does not ... Further investigation required.
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Post by turbokinetic on Aug 15, 2023 21:45:47 GMT
That is excellent you got the compressor turning! Hopefully it will end up without damage. Can't wait to see more about it.
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Post by 508gm1 on Aug 16, 2023 21:56:14 GMT
Thanks David. I removed the fly wheel today; some odd crud built up on both the shaft and the face of the flywheel. Graphite like consistency but maybe petrified rubber from the shaft seal? Strange. Nevertheless, I am encouraged so far. As for my original plan to use SO2 ... I think it would be best to abandon this idea. I have watched what you have posted over the years regarding 152a. Would you be willing to modify the float assembly if I sent it to you? Paid job of course. I have the cold control removed & in the deep freezer to see if it will cycle open. It is a Ranco unit. I am unsure if this type should be opened & serviced. Thoughts? Also that oil fill plug on the compressor I broke is now completely removed. It took some doing but I was able to retain the original threads in the casting. 1/8"npt plug unless you can tell me otherwise. I will have to remove the bottom cover of the compressor to clean out any brass metal filings & inspect the internal workings. Hopefully this weekend.
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Post by turbokinetic on Aug 18, 2023 12:56:19 GMT
Thanks David. I removed the fly wheel today; some odd crud built up on both the shaft and the face of the flywheel. Graphite like consistency but maybe petrified rubber from the shaft seal? Strange. Nevertheless, I am encouraged so far. As for my original plan to use SO2 ... I think it would be best to abandon this idea. I have watched what you have posted over the years regarding 152a. Would you be willing to modify the float assembly if I sent it to you? Paid job of course. I have the cold control removed & in the deep freezer to see if it will cycle open. It is a Ranco unit. I am unsure if this type should be opened & serviced. Thoughts? Also that oil fill plug on the compressor I broke is now completely removed. It took some doing but I was able to retain the original threads in the casting. 1/8"npt plug unless you can tell me otherwise. I will have to remove the bottom cover of the compressor to clean out any brass metal filings & inspect the internal workings. Hopefully this weekend. It's great that you got the plug out successfully while saving the threads. That is always a big plus. As for your Ranco control, yes it can be opened and serviced. There may be a couple screws to take out, and then the sides press in and slide down to remove. It should be cleaned and lubricated. Shouldn't need more than that, to be honest. I would be happy to help with the float mechanism, although it would require the whole evaporator to be sent here. That might be a bit costly on the shipping, but not impossible I expect.
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Post by 508gm1 on Aug 20, 2023 20:12:07 GMT
I will plann to send it to you once I have it removed from the cabinet. I will figure out a way to hold the float captive during shipping.
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Post by turbokinetic on Aug 21, 2023 3:15:43 GMT
I will plant to send it to you once I have it removed from the cabinet. I will figure out a way to hold the float captive during shipping. Please send me an e-mail when you get a moment.
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Post by 508gm1 on Aug 21, 2023 12:42:36 GMT
Email sent - thanks David.
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Post by 508gm1 on Aug 26, 2023 17:50:53 GMT
Good afternoon David,
I successfully removed the evaporator today. I am very please I did not break any of the 4 mounting bolts inside the cabinet. I have removed the float assembly as well. It is completely intact with no evidence of damage. I will separate the float from the mechanism for shipping just in case it gets jostled the wrong way in transit.
I found about 250ml of oil in the evaporator. I suspect this is what lead to the original failure. I have not checked to see how much oil is trapped in the accumulator yet.
What do you recommend for flushing the evaporator before I ship it? IPA ok?
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