Simpsonn8908
Member
- Dec 18, 2017
- 97
- Boat Info
- 1998 Sundancer 330
- Engines
- 7.4 MPIs V Drives
Hi All:
Just wanted to share a bit of work I have been doing on my boat in case it might help someone else. I was initially going to post this in the Official 330 thread, but figured that the SP18 wasn't specific to my model and others might benefit from the information. I apologize in advance for not taking pictures during the process as there was a few bloodied knuckles and some cursing which will also be left out. On to the problems and solutions.
I bought my boat in January of last year and when I bought her, she had a number of problems. One of which was an ice maker that did not produce ice. Now, as I was getting a deal, I did not press the issue as a bag is only a few bucks, and I still had my cabin fridge. Fast forward a year later, and I am considering living aboard. Now I want the extra freezer space, even if I am not making ice. First issue was the box was not getting cold. I turned it on, left it over night, and in the morning, the compressor and fan were still running, but the inside was only sightly (maybe) cooler than the ambient air temperature. I pulled the unit out, and adjusted the temperature down. (This is not recommended on the SP18 as it is supposed to be ideal from factory, but prior to tearing into it, I figured, "why not try?" No change. Out comes the unit.
Now it is sitting at home on my bench, and I plug it in again. Everything powers up, compressor gets warm, but not hot, coils are no where near even warm to the touch. Begin wondering if the system is low on R-134 and start looking for a valve to fill, there is none. The system is closed. D*mn.
Okay, how do I refill a closed system? ...Better yet, how do I check if my system is even low. GOOGLE! Enter the Supco Bullet Piercing Valve (BPV) 31. For those are unfamiliar with this, as I was, the BPV31 is made specifically for closed refrigerant systems. It comes with two sleeves which allows the valve to fit a couple different size tubes. The valve tightens onto a line with three allen screws and a forth leads down to punch the line. The problem is, the valve doesn't have the coupling that you need to hook up a pressure gauge or to fill the system. For that, you'll need an R12 to R134a adapater. As with my BPV, I ordered it off of Amazon.
Now, I have the BPV installed and the adapter. So far, I am a couple of hours in research and diagnostics. I have a can of R134a in my garage along with a gauge which I then hook up to the system. After depressing the piercing valve, I release it. There is no pressure in the system. Because of this, I decide to go with dead center of the "V" on my gauge and start filling to approximately 35-37PSI. Immediately, the compressor starts getting hotter, as do the coils, and the low pressure return side starts getting cool. At this point, it's time for a beer and wait on it to cool. About an hour later, the inside of the freezer is cold, the return line has condensation on it, and everything seems to be working. Woooo!
Enter problem two: Ice maker mechanism does not work, turn, nor show any signs of life. I will spare you the details of disassembly, but tell you that it was, in fact, dead. The gears were rusted, and the nonstick coating was pealing off.
After a bit more research, I found out that the Frigidaire ice maker assembly is a drop in replacement, so I order it. Turns out, it fits, but it is not an exact replacement. The U-Line ice maker is a five wire ordeal without a ground (it is grounded to the box itself), and the Frigidaire model is a 4 wire assembly with a dedicated ground wire. Out comes the wiring diagrams for both models.
This is where I spent the majority of my time, and rather than bore you with the details, I will give you the results. I am also happy to point those smarter than me to the wiring diagrams so that you can tell me what I did wrong. With that said, here is what I found out. When replacing the five wire model with the 4 (technically 3, as I just regrounded the green wire), the yellow and white wires are tied together and attach to the white of the new Frigidaire unit. This is your neutral line. The black goes to the black: power. And the original brown (water valve line) goes to the yellow on the unit. The red wire can be disconnected and removed. If you want more explanation for what you just did, see below. If not stop now.
Now, what you have done. Tying the white and yellow together provides the neutral line to your original temperature control. The temperature control completes the circuit for your compressor and fan via a white wire and blue wire which comes off of it. The read wire was also attached to this unit.
The temperature control needs to stay put, as it will turn off switch the neutral from the yellow line to the red when you hit a certain temperature (the temperature to cycle the ice maker arms). When it switches the line, your compressor and fan shut off, so that the mold can get warm enough to release the ice. (Originally the red provided the neutral to the motor completing the circuit.) The four wire ice maker has this built in. Once the temperature rises again, the power is switched back on for your compressor and coil fan.
In essence, you now have two thermostats, one that tells the compressor and fan to shut off (via powering the non existent red wire), and one that tells the ice maker when it is time to cycle. The second is built in on the three wire Frigidaire model.
If you have questions, I will answer as best I can. After all this work, my unit is working again and producing ice. All in, I think I have spent approximately $25.00. This includes the used Frigidaire unit as well as the BPV31 and adapter. If you need to purchase refrigerant, it may be a bit more out of pocket. Even if you do, it's significantly less than the $1,100-1,200 for a new ice maker.
Hope this helps someone!
Nic
Just wanted to share a bit of work I have been doing on my boat in case it might help someone else. I was initially going to post this in the Official 330 thread, but figured that the SP18 wasn't specific to my model and others might benefit from the information. I apologize in advance for not taking pictures during the process as there was a few bloodied knuckles and some cursing which will also be left out. On to the problems and solutions.
I bought my boat in January of last year and when I bought her, she had a number of problems. One of which was an ice maker that did not produce ice. Now, as I was getting a deal, I did not press the issue as a bag is only a few bucks, and I still had my cabin fridge. Fast forward a year later, and I am considering living aboard. Now I want the extra freezer space, even if I am not making ice. First issue was the box was not getting cold. I turned it on, left it over night, and in the morning, the compressor and fan were still running, but the inside was only sightly (maybe) cooler than the ambient air temperature. I pulled the unit out, and adjusted the temperature down. (This is not recommended on the SP18 as it is supposed to be ideal from factory, but prior to tearing into it, I figured, "why not try?" No change. Out comes the unit.
Now it is sitting at home on my bench, and I plug it in again. Everything powers up, compressor gets warm, but not hot, coils are no where near even warm to the touch. Begin wondering if the system is low on R-134 and start looking for a valve to fill, there is none. The system is closed. D*mn.
Okay, how do I refill a closed system? ...Better yet, how do I check if my system is even low. GOOGLE! Enter the Supco Bullet Piercing Valve (BPV) 31. For those are unfamiliar with this, as I was, the BPV31 is made specifically for closed refrigerant systems. It comes with two sleeves which allows the valve to fit a couple different size tubes. The valve tightens onto a line with three allen screws and a forth leads down to punch the line. The problem is, the valve doesn't have the coupling that you need to hook up a pressure gauge or to fill the system. For that, you'll need an R12 to R134a adapater. As with my BPV, I ordered it off of Amazon.
Now, I have the BPV installed and the adapter. So far, I am a couple of hours in research and diagnostics. I have a can of R134a in my garage along with a gauge which I then hook up to the system. After depressing the piercing valve, I release it. There is no pressure in the system. Because of this, I decide to go with dead center of the "V" on my gauge and start filling to approximately 35-37PSI. Immediately, the compressor starts getting hotter, as do the coils, and the low pressure return side starts getting cool. At this point, it's time for a beer and wait on it to cool. About an hour later, the inside of the freezer is cold, the return line has condensation on it, and everything seems to be working. Woooo!
Enter problem two: Ice maker mechanism does not work, turn, nor show any signs of life. I will spare you the details of disassembly, but tell you that it was, in fact, dead. The gears were rusted, and the nonstick coating was pealing off.
After a bit more research, I found out that the Frigidaire ice maker assembly is a drop in replacement, so I order it. Turns out, it fits, but it is not an exact replacement. The U-Line ice maker is a five wire ordeal without a ground (it is grounded to the box itself), and the Frigidaire model is a 4 wire assembly with a dedicated ground wire. Out comes the wiring diagrams for both models.
This is where I spent the majority of my time, and rather than bore you with the details, I will give you the results. I am also happy to point those smarter than me to the wiring diagrams so that you can tell me what I did wrong. With that said, here is what I found out. When replacing the five wire model with the 4 (technically 3, as I just regrounded the green wire), the yellow and white wires are tied together and attach to the white of the new Frigidaire unit. This is your neutral line. The black goes to the black: power. And the original brown (water valve line) goes to the yellow on the unit. The red wire can be disconnected and removed. If you want more explanation for what you just did, see below. If not stop now.
Now, what you have done. Tying the white and yellow together provides the neutral line to your original temperature control. The temperature control completes the circuit for your compressor and fan via a white wire and blue wire which comes off of it. The read wire was also attached to this unit.
The temperature control needs to stay put, as it will turn off switch the neutral from the yellow line to the red when you hit a certain temperature (the temperature to cycle the ice maker arms). When it switches the line, your compressor and fan shut off, so that the mold can get warm enough to release the ice. (Originally the red provided the neutral to the motor completing the circuit.) The four wire ice maker has this built in. Once the temperature rises again, the power is switched back on for your compressor and coil fan.
In essence, you now have two thermostats, one that tells the compressor and fan to shut off (via powering the non existent red wire), and one that tells the ice maker when it is time to cycle. The second is built in on the three wire Frigidaire model.
If you have questions, I will answer as best I can. After all this work, my unit is working again and producing ice. All in, I think I have spent approximately $25.00. This includes the used Frigidaire unit as well as the BPV31 and adapter. If you need to purchase refrigerant, it may be a bit more out of pocket. Even if you do, it's significantly less than the $1,100-1,200 for a new ice maker.
Hope this helps someone!
Nic
