Does the compressor actually have a 208/230 on the nameplate or is it 230 only ? I agree its more the voltage than the hertz. I am not a liscenced electritian but do have almost 20 years in the hvac trade. Even on proper power those units have a tough time starting in some cases, Is there any drop in voltage when the compressor tries to start ? Losing caps,relays and compressors really sounds like they are cycling on overloads on startup untill something goes.
http://www.supco.com/ a "start assist/hard start" sp66 or something like that may be all thats needed have had to go that route on many of those even on 60 hz power. Ohh and another tip use the supplied flare nuts with the unit the large one has a thicker end than most and using premade ones or "standard" flare nuts tends to result in leaks when its in the heating mode.
