Engel MT45 repair? (1 Viewer)

[ih8mudkinkaid]

Anyone know of a place that repairs these things in the Bay Area or west coast? I reached out to Engel for support but they did not seem to be interested in fixing. Never got a call back.

Issue: Runs but doesn't get cold. I did all the flipping and unplugging from online research.

About to jump on the REI 20% off and get the ARB50.

 

[JCruse]

I feel bad. And not just because I have the same fridge.

How old is it?

Did you try calling a second time? Because that's F'ed up! I'd call them twice a day until I got satisfaction.

Hope you have some luck.

 

[rc51kid]

Just to tell you i have a REI CC. You will get a extra 5% return in the form a dividend from all purchases from REI. It says even sale items but it would be worth calling and verifying. You do only get the dividend at the end of the year and then a few months later like march. If you spend a little of it i think you can cash the rest out or something by getting the rest back in cash or a paper store credit which i think you can then cash. I forget exactly how it work but i always end up with a huge dividend. But for the ARB that kind of equals 25% off.

Plus usually it is free shipping to the store and their 100% satisfaction return policy that used to be life time but now is only 1 year. It would be nice to be able to walk in any store and return it if oyu have a problem and not have to ship it back.

 

[lumpy70]

I called everywhere I knew in Canada/US for my old (Engel made) ABR 35Q. It's about 15 years old and basically has the same components as the Engel's today. No one would touch it.

It's disappointing as it's not a rotten piece of fruit, it's hardware with readily accessible parts. They suggested RV dealers but they generally only deal with the evaporative fridges.

I might try just showing up at a fridge repair place...

 

[JCruse]

Has anybody tried these guys in Fla?

Engel Repair, Engel Service Center

 

[ih8mudkinkaid]

Has anybody tried these guys in Fla?

Engel Repair, Engel Service Center

Thats the place I called. The Engel USA branch. They finally got back to me and suggested I order a new cooling unit. Got transferred to a lady that took my info and payment info but never got a email or a charge on my CC. Said it was going to be the same day or the following day. And 3 days later, still nothing. Its a shame such a good company represented by individuals like this...

 

[ih8mudkinkaid]

Just to tell you i have a REI CC. You will get a extra 5% return in the form a dividend from all purchases from REI. It says even sale items but it would be worth calling and verifying. You do only get the dividend at the end of the year and then a few months later like march. If you spend a little of it i think you can cash the rest out or something by getting the rest back in cash or a paper store credit which i think you can then cash. I forget exactly how it work but i always end up with a huge dividend. But for the ARB that kind of equals 25% off.

Plus usually it is free shipping to the store and their 100% satisfaction return policy that used to be life time but now is only 1 year. It would be nice to be able to walk in any store and return it if oyu have a problem and not have to ship it back.

Yup, this is what I like about REI. I also have their CC and love the rewards/dividend system. I still have a couple of days to figure this out. Waiting on the cooling unit purchase from Engel.

 

[titanpat57]

I tried the guys in FL. and few years back....unbelievably bad....total CD.

Might try a commercial appliance repair guy...but if it's electronic, I think it's hopeless unless Engel really cleaned up there act.

 

[JCruse]

Which part is the "cooling unit" exactly?

I see a compressor, the inside 'tubing' and the outside tubing.
AFAIK the only parts they sell to the public is the whole thing as a unit, and you can drop it in any box or cooler (with some work) and make a fridge. But that's almost the price of a new fridge!

 

[ih8mudkinkaid]

The cooling unit. Which includes compressor and metal box/coil thing.

Still waiting to hear back. Sent a message last week...... could of received the ARB from REI by now.

 

[pappy]

This doesn't make me feel good. I have the Engel 35 and it doesn't cool well. I would hate to think it's a coffee table now. Are the folks at ARB any better?

 

[alia176]

@alvarorb I think his fridge sprung a freon leak after it slammed into something on a trip. IIRC, he took it to a Nor Cal fridge repair place and it was good to go after that. Hopefully he'll chime in with more info.

If the fridge isn't cooling properly, usually one needs to check the freon. However, this is not as easy as a vehicle with dedicated ports and such. Typical home fridge requires R22 and I believe the tech has to open up the lines and do some voodo magical stuff for evac, refill and testing. Afterward they somehow close the system back up w/o introducing any air into it.

I have a MT-45 as well so I'm sorta vested into this thread. I wonder if it'd be difficult to measure the temp before and after the compressor of the freon lines (using IR temp gun) to see if there's an appreciable temp drop? Just thinking out loud here as I've never taken mine apart. The compressor takes the warm stuff, cools it down and send it out if I'm not mistaken.

 

[ih8mudkinkaid]

I'm planning to take the old cooling unit to a local appliance repairman and have them check it. Might just be the freon.. but the Engel tech insisted I buy the complete cooling unit.. go figure.

 

[TXSunDevil]

How handy are you? Freon is not hard to put in but generally there is no tap to put a gauge. A saddle valve must be installed and the unit is critical on the amount of freon it takes. First step would be to see if the compressor is running. This can be done with an amp clamp and feeling the refrigerant lines. Next step would be the freon.

 

[ih8mudkinkaid]

I'm handy, but I heard that you cant get the good freon R22. Only a license individual can.

I had the older cooling unit which has a twist off valve like a bicycle inner tube. When I had it connected, the compressor would turn on and off and sometimes stay one.. i'm assuming that means its working.

 

[alia176]

Our unit has the Swing compressor, which is something I've never dealt with but I assume it pulls an appreciable amount of current draw like any other freon compressors.

Edit: wait, it does draw a decent amount of current because I compared the draw against my smaller Waeco friedge with the Danfoss compressor. The Danfoss is definitely hungrier than the Engel.

 

[TXSunDevil]

Are you sure it is r22?

 

[ih8mudkinkaid]

Not sure, but I'm hearing that R22 is colder than the stuff on the consumer shelves. And who doesn't want a colder freezer? pardon my lack of knowledge on these appliances. I was at the mercy of Engel and bought what they said to buy

 

[TXSunDevil]

I would bet it is R134a which can be bought at AutoZone (At least in Texas ). This is from a Google image search and it shows 134a

The charge is critical but it is not hard to do if you have a set of gauges, postal scale and vacuum pump. Many auto parts stores rent the gauges and possibly the vacuum pump. If not you can buy both at Harbor Freight for $150 or so total. If it is low there is a leak and that could be a problem and the freon level is very crucial in these small systems.

 

[ih8mudkinkaid]

Thanks! I twisted the cap off the nozzle a few months back and pressed the needle in, some dark oily liquid squirted out. Smelled kind of funny to, so does the refilling process also includes draining the existing contents?