Air conditioner will not start. Help!

[Cbird]

I recently purchased a 1991 Sea Ray Sundancer 350. The bow air conditioner compressor attempts to start but will not run. It will cycle like this indefinitely until I kill the power.
It appears to me that the capacitor has been replaced at some point. I am questioning whether it is the same size as the original.
I attached a picture of the specs on my 12,000 btu Marine Air Systems faceplate in the hopes that someone on the forum will have the same Working unit in their boat and would tell me what numbers their capacitor has stamped on the side of it. Or simply upload a picture of their capacitor for me to use to purchase a new one.
I tried contacting Dometic but they have not returned my calls.
Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you

 

[Pierpressure1]

Is there an error code on the thermostat?

 

[Cbird]

Is there an error code on the thermostat?

No

 

[Little Ducky]

Have you performed a factory reset?

Post up a picture of the control panel. If it's the same as mine the SMX II below is a link that has some info to assist. Look on page 10.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ml31qePNtvE1SGEIPo1S0Lt9oxHd5mpx/view?usp=sharing

 

[Maggieiscrazy]

Sometimes the capacitor size will be stamped right on the compressor. It does sound like a bad capacitor or a locked compressor. If you put a new capacitor in and the compressor still doesn’t start you can try a hard start kit.

 

[Maggieiscrazy]

Every air conditioner should have a soft start kit installed on it. Especially when power supply is questionable.

 

[Cbird]

Sometimes the capacitor size will be stamped right on the compressor. It does sound like a bad capacitor or a locked compressor. If you put a new capacitor in and the compressor still doesn’t start you can try a hard start kit.

Thanks. Yes, that's what I'm thinking. But I have no idea what size capacitor to try.

 

[Maggieiscrazy]

Thanks. Yes, that's what I'm thinking. But I have no idea what size capacitor to try.

Look at the tag on the compressor. It may say what size capacitor it requires. If not look up the model # on the compressor it should give you the information you need. You need to use the proper size capacitor. If it’s too small it won’t start the compressor. If it’s to big the compressor will overheat causing premature failure.

 

[Cbird]

Look at the tag on the compressor. It may say what size capacitor it requires. If not look up the model # on the compressor it should give you the information you need. You need to use the proper size capacitor. If it’s too small it won’t start the compressor. If it’s to big the compressor will overheat causing premature failure.

I cannot find a tag on the compressor. I downloaded the install guide for the entire ac unit but I didn't see the model of the compressor. I'll look again but this is why I am asking someone else with the exact model to share the information with me. Thanks for the response.

 

[markrsimon]

..one option

Multiply the full load amps by 2,650. Divide this number by the supply voltage. The full load amps and the supply voltage can be found in the owner's manual. The resulting number is the MicroFarad of the capacitor you need. An MFD is a unit of electrical capacitance and will be written on the capacitor or its packaging. You can round up or down 10 percent to match the number to a capacitor size that is available. (This is a general estimate, not an exact figure.)

https://www.hunker.com/12000499/how-to-size-capacitors-for-a-compressor

 

[Cbird]

..one option

Multiply the full load amps by 2,650. Divide this number by the supply voltage. The full load amps and the supply voltage can be found in the owner's manual. The resulting number is the MicroFarad of the capacitor you need. An MFD is a unit of electrical capacitance and will be written on the capacitor or its packaging. You can round up or down 10 percent to match the number to a capacitor size that is available. (This is a general estimate, not an exact figure.)

https://www.hunker.com/12000499/how-to-size-capacitors-for-a-compressor

Thanks for the help. Dometic finally returned my call and gave me the correct size (25 mfd 370vac) of the original capacitor. I installed it, along with the start assist and it still will not run. It no longer cycles. It trips the breaker. I suspect the compressor is bad.

 

[Jeff Delbuono]

My ac issue i am having now is i have no power to controls. Turn on breaker and nothing. Is there another fuse or relay i do not know about. Its a 98 290 dancer

 

[gerryb]

My ac issue i am having now is i have no power to controls. Turn on breaker and nothing. Is there another fuse or relay i do not know about. Its a 98 290 dancer

First thing you need is a multimeter or a NCV tester at least. Check for power 1) coming out of the breaker when turned on and 2) and the control board for the AC Unit if test 1) is GOOD. If 2 is also GOOD (there is power) then there's a problem with the unit/board. If no power to the board, there will be more checking to do...on some units, the AC portion is actually plugged into an electrical outlet which may be inline with a GFCI. I've also seen cases where wirenuts are rusty and faulty, preventing the juice from going through.

 

[Jambrin]

I had trouble this summer where my marine HVAC compressor would not start. It turned out to be the Klixon overload protection device. This device is normally closed, has the AC line voltage to the compressor run through it, sits against the compressor body and will open if the compressor gets too hot. In my case one wire from the Klixon was actually burned/disintegrated causing an open circuit. I do not know why the wire failed but I was able to solder a new temporary wire in place to fix the issue until the replacement part arrived.
If you have one of these protection devices on your compressor then check it! Mine was under a metal cover where the wires connect to the compressor.