Questions about old 39lt Engel

[mrbishi]

G'day all,

Just picked up a beaut of an old 39lt Engel (the old yellow/green lid) model for a steal. I've run it and it still get down to nearly -30 so I'd say its still working pretty well for its age.

When its running on 240 volts and the compressor kicks in, it is quite noisey. On 12v it is audible but no where near when its plugged into 240.

Is this normal for the older fridges and I should just live with it, or could it be something simple as the rubber motor mounts perishing? I'd love to get it fixed if that's the case as the fridge as far as I can tell is working fine.

Cheers,
Jon

[01Rod]

It should sound about the same... on 12 or 240..

I have one of these "Older" models they are great.. just not as energy efficient as the newer ones.. Transit bag and/or insulation will help alot.

I am on my 3rd 12volt power lead for this fridge in about 8 years, they seem to wear at the end that plugs into the fridge, if you have a look at it see if its looking a bit burnt at all, and see if plug feels warm when the fridge is running. They get some voltage drop accross the plug which causes the performance on 12v to drop.

and yes they are alot louder than the new ones.

Rod

[TonyH]

Jon, I'd say that the internal transformer is what's causing your noise. Is it a hum like noise??? If you're handy with a spanner or something, rip it apart and see if you can fit some rubber feet to the transformer to isolate it from the solid steel frame.

The transformer has power going into it from the 240 supply, it is then turned into magnetic force by being passed through iron etc, which is then absorbed by the secondary winding which spits out the lower voltage. the 240 is swapped from positive to negative 50 times a second (50Hz A/C), so essentially the transformer is a magnet of one polarity then the other 50 times a second. If the iron core works loose, then it can hum internally too. I'd try the rubber mount first and take it from there. A new transformer should cost less than 150 bucks (trade) at a guess

[mrbishi]

Thanks for the replies guys - its more of a kinda rattling noise on 240 - maybe kinda sounding like an air compressor? I might see if I can take it apart carefully to take a closer look.

[01Rod]

mrbishi

I remember reading a post on another forum that shows how to dismantle an old engel.. if your interested
Outer Limits 4x4 Board :: Index (http://carl.outerlimits4x4.com/index.php)
you will need to do a search for

"Has anyone dismantled an engel --- now with pics ---"
you will find this under "general4x4 tech/discussion"
Sun May 13, 2007 3:30 pm

sorry i cant post the direct link but you have to be logged in to access..
Rod

[mrbishi]

thanks mate!

Another interesting thing to add is when I tilt it up about 10 degrees on its side it sits there and hums nicely to what I assume it should normally sound like.

[318 cruiser]

Go to the Engel web site I would say there would be a number there you could call to get help from the horses mouth

[01Rod]

Go to the Engel web site I would say there would be a number there you could call to get help from the horses mouth

I am sure they will happily refer you to one of there many repair agents..
:)

Rod

[TonyH]

Of which my old business was one;)

[Tomax]

One of my Engels is a 30yo 39litre which has never missed a beat, but it has always vibrated from somewhere inside the motor compartment. I reduced it quite a bit by tapping a plastic furniture wedge in between the casing and the mesh at the motor end.

[mrbishi]

Thanks for the tips guys! I actually went to an Engel dealer and they had a similar age 30 litre which was nice and quite, and overhauled and most importantly would fit into my rear storage (the 40lt didn't). So I swapped my 39lt with the 30lt :D

He actually suggested the same thing - using silastic to mount rubber grommets against the motor and body of fridge to reduce the noise.

Cheers,
Jon

[01Rod]

Glad to hear you got it sorted..

If your happy with the 30 then its a win win for you both...

Rod