Westinghouse M-6 1940's refrigerator won't start

[trichter2003]

Greetings all, great forum and glad to have found it!

I have a Westinghouse M-6 serial # 8123888 refrigerator .

Have owned it for 20-years and converted it to kegerator. It has worked like a champ until this summer when I first plugged it in from winter storage (non-use...unattached garage, unheated) I get no cooling.
Symptoms I have: get the initial 'hum' and then a 'click' to the compressor/motor. Compressor/motor will 'click' then 'buzz/hum' for nearly 10-20 seconds, then silence for a couple minutes, then that cycle repeats itself.
The compressor/motor gets hot to the touch after a few of these mentioned cycles of 'click/hum'.No cooling is ever generated.

I"ve checked power to the compressor and verified there is voltage going to the three wires/terminals attached to the top of the compressor/motor (three red arrows on the uploaded photo). One of those wires is a capacitor or relay of some sort, and THEN it goes to the compressor/motor (Yellow arrow on the uploaded photo).

Question is........can I assume the compressor/motor seized and is dead? If so, is it worth tracking down a replacement (therefore I'll need to start another thread asking how to do that!)



Regards and thankful,
trichter2003

 

[rickgburton]

It sounds like the compressor is locked. To find a replacement compressor and install it will be very expensive. R12 is no longer available so you'll need to use a drop in refrigerant. Finding someone to do the repair will also be difficult. You can expect to pay $600 or more for that repair so probably not worth it.

 

[trichter2003]

Well, obviously not what I wanted to hear, but I suppose the old girl gave me quite a good run at it. Lots of memories with that thing, and the story behind it is great. Hard to toss it! Ah...sentiment.
Thank you rickgburton.

 

[rickgburton]

Anytime my friend!