ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area compressor terninals

Looking for ideas?I have a 2 ton a/c condenssor where the compressor terminals have heated up and melted.They have become ark damaged to the point that they will not accept a connector. I have cleaned and replaced the terminal conectors on the wire twice now and would rather find a lasting repair than replace the whole unit as I would like to get a few more years from it.So far I'm thinking about using tiny split bolts.
Before i get flamed here I guess i need to state that I am qualified i as a refrigeration mechanic and an industrial electrician. Have been to the trade shows/whole salers ect and the genaric answer is of course to replace the comp/unit for the fear of call backs.
Thanks

I assume these are the ¼ inch quick connect terminals. Most I have seen are too close together for split bolts, even the smallest ones. I have soldered short pigtails to the terminals and then used wire nuts to connect to the circuit wiring. Not exactly the desired way but cheaper than a new compressor. Good luck

Frank: if you try the soldered pigtails, remember to use soft solder and an iron, if possible. You don't want to cook the lug seals any more than necessary. For you guys that are wondering what brought out that comment, most air conditioning tube fittings are made with hard solder - almost a brazeing rod - and a torch.

Frank,
Personally, I'd get some new terminal lugs welded on with a spot-welder, using this method the actual weld only takes a second and will withstand a lot higher temperature than a soldered or brazed weld.
Spot-welding is used in the factory, when the compressors are assembled.

are the posts still intact? Do the terminals consist of a spade with a post attached? I've seen the spade fried, with the round post still sticking out enough. There are solderless terminals for these round posts-I'll try to find and post-I've seen them on hard-starts, and supco kits. No luck yet, I have used the tiny brundy splices before with no guarantee-one has performed for eight years now. Not a lot of clearance in that little compartment.

Hey Trumpy, I'm not much of a welder, but if this is a hermetic, there's only about 3/8" to 5/8" between terminals, I don't know how you could attach the grounding electrode to the terminal without sending current through one or other windings. Have you had luck with that before? It would be a good answer if it didn't compromise motor and fusite integrity.

[This message has been edited by chi spark (edited 05-13-2004).]

Your local hvac supplier will have a kit just for this. It's a set of wires with odd looking screw tight connectors made to grab onto the little bit of terminal that's left.

The counter guy will know exactly what you're looking for.

Like Maintainanceguy said, they make a terminal repair kit just for this application. I have one on my unit. Keep in mind this is just a quick fix, the root cause is that your compressor is worn out. You are pulling more power than it was designed to. I'm just waiting for an HVAC buddy to change out my unit when he has time.

Chi spark,
A spot-welder looks like this:

Well I'm going to the wholesaler to see about the terminal kit.As already said i asked around and never heard of such animal.As for soldering and welding I'm not sure i can get a good joint with out butchering the refrigerant seals on the hermetic compressor terminals.There is only a 3x4 inch work space in the box so thats plan B if the terminal kit turns out to be no joy. thanks again.