new to RVing-- need help with advice/repair

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MTGrandma

Member
Joined
May 14, 2023
Posts
9
Location
Montana
Hi all from the MT high country! Just bought a 1997 Itasca Spirit and discovered that the AC blows but the compressor isn't working. Debatable whether the last owner even did any cleaning, although he did say that he hired someone to keep the snow off the roof. Bad compressor? How can you test to track down the culprit? Glad to be here, and so grateful for all of your expertise and help!
 
RV air conditioners have only a few repairable items, the most likely one that would allow the fan to run, but not the compressor is the ran/start capacitor. You can find videos on how to test the capacitor with a multimeter on youtube.
 
With a 26-year-old RV that probably has the original air conditioner, I would check the start capacitor but it is also quite possible that the compressor or the motor that drives it has failed. Capacitors are available from places like Amazon and there should be markings on the ones that are there to tell you what to look for. Be very careful working on the unit as a capacitor stores a charge and can be there for a very long time.
 
I second that at its age it is likely dead, but if you are lucky it may just be something simple. The compressor on my 22ish year old unit finally failed a few months ago, upon removing it I was amazed it ran as long as it did, nearly all of the screws were rusted into place, I tried to salvage the still working fan motor from it, but gave up due to the fan blade hubs being rusted to the shaft, and bolts rusted solid.
 
With a 26-year-old RV that probably has the original air conditioner, I would check the start capacitor but it is also quite possible that the compressor or the motor that drives it has failed. Capacitors are available from places like Amazon and there should be markings on the ones that are there to tell you what to look for. Be very careful working on the unit as a capacitor stores a charge and can be there for a very long time.
Thanks for the advice and the heads up! Is there any place where I can find electrical diagrams for this, or do I just go with checking the capacitor's charge?
 
I second that at its age it is likely dead, but if you are lucky it may just be something simple. The compressor on my 22ish year old unit finally failed a few months ago, upon removing it I was amazed it ran as long as it did, nearly all of the screws were rusted into place, I tried to salvage the still working fan motor from it, but gave up due to the fan blade hubs being rusted to the shaft, and bolts rusted solid.
I hope it's something simple, too; not something like a squirrel stuck in the innards lol! But seriously, the fan works great so there's that, and at the very least it needs a cleaning along with a capacitor, compressor, or both. Thank you and Kirk for pointing me in the right direction!
 
Thanks for the advice and the heads up! Is there any place where I can find electrical diagrams for this, or do I just go with checking the capacitor's charge?
If we knew what make and model the air conditioner is we might be able to find a service manual for it. Checking a capacitor is not just a matter of taking a voltage reading.
 
A new start/run capacitor isn't expensive and is an easy DIY replace, so maybe just go ahead and do it. It's a common part and available from discount sources, but you need one with the m-farad rating that matches what you have.
Might be this one.
 

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