For my CA 2 B16 I need #1 Power Cord from WALL to Compresor to light prongs on back of chest. #2 Door Gasket #3 spring in door handle #4 2 slide in racks, & one rack retainer. Optonaly later the CRISPER & Ice Tray. 15W Light Bulb. Im a newbe sow i do not know wher to get these parts. Im in Southern California , mailing works fine. Cell 714-833-2253 messaging is ok.
Oh; so you found it's actually a CA and not a CK. That changes everything with the machine its self. The CA machines need a little more care than the CK do.
Sadly, there is no sure-fire source for these parts. A few of us do work on Monitor Tops and save some odds and end parts, but mostly to support our own restoration projects. There are no huge stashes of parts for sale, sadly. You are best using social networking such as Facebook, and asking in the "Classified" section here.
monitortop.freeforums.net/board/11/classifiedsThe power cord is somewhat feasible to make or repair. If you have the connectors from the original cord, those can be removed and re-used with new cable, to produce a new cord which will fit both the connectors. Both of the connections, at the compressor relay and the cabinet, have the same spacing as a standard North American 5-15 or 1-15 outlet. When unable to locate an original Monitor Top connector, I have made a cord by modifying the female connector on an extension cord. You need to sand away some of the plastic so that the connector body has rounded corners and will fit into the connection on the back of the cabinet. Usually the extension cord end can be used as-is for the compressor relay connector.
As for the racks, those are very hard to come by, so you would be best to ask on the Classified section for that.
The light bulb is available at any hardware stores, such as Lowe's or Home Depot. It's a "15 W frosted appliance bulb" and should be with all the other light bulbs.
You can also get a door gasket from hardware stores. They sell a self-adhesive "double-bead" window weatherstripping which does a nice job taking the place of the original. It can be installed without taking the door apart, as well. There are several threads on this forum where these gaskets are discussed. There are several suppliers, such as McMaster-Carr who sell them online.
As for the startup of the CA machine, it needs to be checked more carefully than a CK. The CA machine was a two-year only design. GE engineered this machine to get away from sulphur dioxide, however their new refrigerant (methyl formate) turned out to be less than ideal. GE went back to SO2 after the two years of CA machines.
The CA machines require a heater to be in continuous operation in the compressor oil sump. This heater is mandatory for the machine to function normally and not seize up. Very often the heater goes bad over time. You can detect whether or not the heater is still good, by measuring resistance at the compressor power cord terminals; or measuring power draw with the thermostat OFF. Turn the thermostat OFF, and measure resistance at the power cord attachment point. You should see around 1000Ω (1kΩ) across the terminals. Alternatively, plug unit into Kill-A-Watt meter with thermostat OFF, and observe heater power draw. Note that heater should pull 12 to 15 watts power. If you don't see these results, then you'll need to install a new heater. Thankfully these are available new.
Also, the main issue GE had with the methyl formate refrigerant was chemical stability. The refrigerant degrades and releases gases into the system which are not able to be condensed by the compressor. The buildup of noncondensable gas will overload the compressor and cause it to seize up. Sometimes, even after they have seized up once, you can still re-activate them. It is imperative that the noncondensable gas is removed from the system, or the damage will continue and eventually the compressor will be unrepairable.
As for startup, use the following procedure. You will need a power meter such as a Kill-A-Watt meter.
1 - Plug unit into Kill-A-Watt meter with thermostat OFF, and observe heater power draw. Note that heater should pull 12 to 15
watts power.
2 - If heater is working, allow oil to warm overnight.
3 - Change meter to current (
amps) mode.
4 - Switch thermostat to ON position. Observe the current draw from the comrpessor. It may show a reading of 10 or more, but this should drop to about 3 amps after running for 5 or 10 seconds. If the current does not taper off in 5 or 10 seconds, turn off power immediately. If the compressor fails to start, wait about 30 seconds between tries, and repeat 4 or 5 times.
5 - A) If heater is good and was allowed to warm overnight at step 2; you can let the unit run; while monitoring the compressor power (
watts.)
B) If heater was not good, stop after confirming the compressor starts. Replace the heater before proceeding.
6 - Compressor power should stabilize below 200W after it has run for 15 or 20 minutes. If the compressor power climbs to 350 or 400W, stop the unit. This indicates high levels of noncondensable gas. Continued running will result in seizing of the compressor.
7 - After about one hour, the evaporator should have a coating of frost on most of its surfaces. If the cooling unit is mounted on a cabinet with the door closed, the thermostat should cycle off.
If there are problems, we can provide more guidance. First thing to do is download the GE factory manual available in the CA Machines technical area. Bear in mind that the manual was written for these machines while they were in production. It covers common issues faced by these machines while they were within the first few years of service. The manual does not cover issues which we as restorers are facing now, caused by 80 years of age on the units. Those of us who have worked with these machines in the recent years have additional steps which can be taken which are not in the manual.
This should be enough to give you some ideas and a starting point.
Good luck with it!
Sincerely,
David
