old engel info?

Submitted: Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 11:13
ThreadID: 137107 Views:7339 Replies:16 FollowUps:12
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G'day all, does anyone know how to quieten the motor noise on an old engel? thanks
"the only thing constant in my life is change"




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Reply By: Member - McLaren3030 - Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 11:19

Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 11:19
Buy a new one ??. Seriously, you could try removing the outer cover of the fridge and try blowing the dust out of it. Also, there may be a grease nipple in there that you can get to.

Macca.
Macca.

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Reply By: Member - Jim S1 - Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 11:41

Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 11:41
I bought mine in 2002, and it was about 20 years old then !!
Still purrs along happily, but not noisily. Have absolutely no idea how to quieten yours down ....... maybe try an Engel service centre?
Sorry I can't help, but good luck, they're a great little machine.

Cheers
Jim
"Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits." A fisherman.

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Follow Up By: aussiedingo (River Rina) - Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 11:45

Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 11:45
Thanks Jim, it works perfectly - I would just like to quieten it a little, it is a 40 lt. must be 20 or 30 years old, it is a spare to my 3 yo 60 litre.
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Reply By: RMD - Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 12:35

Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 12:35
Aussie

The Engel units do not have a motor at all. They claim it is a swing motor, however nothing inside swings at all.
The compressor is a pulse solenoid sliding, NO SWINGING involved, which has a spindle running in a bore. The action is Recirocating, ie, in and out motion, and as it operates it compresses gas via the piston/cylinder attached to the solenoid spindle. It has to be rebounded at each end of the stroke and that causes the annoying clacking sound because the buffer mechanism is less effective after a few million hits.
There is NO access to the internals and greasing is absolutely impossible. The internals could not operate with grease in there anyway. Strange people suggest such things.
All you can do is, while still allowing sufficient airflow for heat dissipation, is to surround the area with noise absorbing material so the sound is reduced.
Ear plugs while sleeping too, if the fridge is in the truck, nice and close for beer access.
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Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 17:22

Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 17:22
.
There is a good reason why the nice people at Sawafuji named it a "Swing" motor.......

................. they couldn't pronounce "Reciprocating". lol
Cheers
Allan

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Follow Up By: RMD - Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 21:08

Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 21:08
Ah, yes Allan, you are right, “ leciplocating” doesn’t sound too good does it?
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Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 09:34

Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 09:34
.
Mind you, Engel (Australia) does use the term "reciprocating"........

From their website... "The Sawafuji Swing Motor is a true reciprocating compressor."

Furthermore, the engineering definition of a reciprocating compressor is one that employs a piston as positive-displacement and includes those driven by a crankshaft.
Maybe Sawafuji could have called it a "linear compressor" but that's getting picky.
Cheers
Allan

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Reply By: Greg J1 - Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 12:44

Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 12:44
It will just need new rubbers the compressor is mounted on.
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Follow Up By: RMD - Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 15:18

Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 15:18
Mine has the compressor bracketry screwed to the end of cabinet. Where are the rubber mounts?
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Follow Up By: Greg J1 - Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 15:25

Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 15:25
RMD. Never pulled an Engel apart so wouldn’t have a clue where those mystery rubber bushs are.


When ever we have one that starts vibrating and making too much noise we send it to a mini fridge repair guy in Toowoomba. It comes back running silently and I get a bill for about $70. On the invoice it says replaced compressor bushes. Every time.


I can imagine an expert like you tearing your fridge apart to try to prove someone wrong.


In our small family network plus our work shop vehicles we have 2 x 30 litre, 3 x 60 litre and 7x40 litre Engels. My old yellow 39 litre has served me since about 1985. It has been in to get rubbers replaced probably about 4 or 5 times. It’s lived on the back of a cruiser all it’s life. Hardly ever turned off.


Cheers Greg
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Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 17:21

Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 17:21
.
I bought a 40L Engel in 1983. I found it to be noisy when sleeping in the camper. I examined the innards and found that there were rubber mounting bushes between the compressor and the chassis/cabinet so no improvement could be made there. I consequently installed soft rubber pads between the cabinet and the camper floor which was some improvement.
So my Engel had rubber compressor mounts in 1983.

That Engel fridge was sold with the camper. I bought a Troopy which came with a Waeco fridge. Had to repair the temperature setting control and re-engineer a lousy lid latch but it's very quiet under the bed.



Cheers
Allan

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Reply By: Member - Bigfish - Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 15:30

Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 15:30
Assuming you have an engel insulated cover?
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Reply By: Hoyks - Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 15:38

Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 15:38
I have strategically placed bits of cardboard to stop the cooling fins from vibrating against the case.

Make sure that nothing around the motor is bent and hitting any other part of the cooling system as this can also transmit noise. The rubber mounts for the motor need to be in good nick or its metal on metal.

Mine is around 42 years old and still runs... doesn't get cold, but it runs. I wouldn't say its noisy either, but as I'm 3/4 deaf, thats hardly an endorsement.
AnswerID: 620643

Reply By: Joe M8 - Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 16:08

Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 16:08
Hi,
I did the same,placed thick cardboard between the motor and body.
Bought ours mid 70, yellow 40 ltr.
Cheers Cherry.
AnswerID: 620644

Reply By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 17:14

Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 17:14
.
Our Engel was noisy from the very beginning.

I solved the problem eventually........... I SOLD IT.

Cheers
Allan

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Follow Up By: aussiedingo (River Rina) - Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 20:20

Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 20:20
wot! after 47 years - heartless! Allan
"the only thing constant in my life is change"




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Reply By: Member - MIKE.G - Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 20:57

Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 20:57
My Engel is 35+ years old and still humming along. The only way I have found to quieten the noise down was to place a few pieces of soft rubber (thong) under the feet, as most of the noise seemed to be coming from vibration. A total wash down with the pressure washer also helped!

Cheers,

Mike
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Reply By: Bob Y. - Qld - Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 05:31

Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 05:31
We've got a 40L Engel that must be >20 years old, and an 80L upright Engel that's less than 2 years old. They're both noisy! It's all a balancing act whether one has had enough Red that night vs distance from said fridges vs just how tired one is.

A 30L Ironman is deathly silent, but manages to gobble up lots of watts when set to freeze.

Bob

Seen it all, Done it all.
Can't remember most of it.

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Reply By: sjp - Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 06:08

Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 06:08
borrowed an ARB fridge from my brother ,big difference in compressor noise level compared to the old engel ,a lot quieter. lost the DC plug has anyone made one to fit the older lime green model by any chance as i just want to do a battery consumption test comparison on both.
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Reply By: Matthew G3 - Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 08:27

Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 08:27
Take the top cover off and just give the motor a wiggle and have a look at how much free play is in the rubber bushes holding it in place. They wear out the insides of the rubber bush causing metal to hit metal, have placed foam down the side to stop vibration.

Matt
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Reply By: OBJ - Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 09:15

Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 09:15
This may be a little out of left field, but my very old (and still working) Engel developed a noise which I thought was the motor. Took it to an Engel service agent who diagnosed that the bearings in the fan were shot and they replaced the fan. Quiet as a mouse now. I might suggest letting an Engel serviceman take a look at it.

I have a new model and this "old faithful" and it is the old one that I still use as my first choice fridge when travelling.

When I picked up my repaired fridge from the service centre the lady said "I don't suppose we'll be seeing you for another 20 years now". Love that sort of confidence.

Good luck.
AnswerID: 620661

Follow Up By: RMD - Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 12:44

Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 12:44
Can't be the same model as the one which is being asked about because I put a fan in mine 3 years before Engel started doing same. Your has to be much newer than the "old ones". Therefore, the one in question has to be far older than any oe fan Engel.. you can't replace a fan if it hasn't got one. The old ones didn't have a fan.
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Follow Up By: 9900Eagle - Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 17:11

Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 17:11
I might be wrong but I thought engel fridge/freezers had fans in the new models after 1992. That is a long time ago if it is a 20 year old 98 model.

Stand correcting if I am wrong.
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Follow Up By: RMD - Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 19:22

Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 19:22
Mine isgrey 39l unit. No fan in it so I fitted one to make it keep frozen. No fan fitted from new by Engel. The old ones are yellow aren't they.
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Reply By: Member - Andrew - Tuesday, Aug 14, 2018 at 09:54

Tuesday, Aug 14, 2018 at 09:54
Mine is over 25 years old and pre fan.
Lots of noises, rattles ad squeaks so I dismantles as muck as I could unscrew to access the bits around the compressor.

Found lots of loose screws holding coolant pipes, mounting plates, condenser etc which received attention to overcome loosening. I then applied gentle pressure to bend various bits to prevent them vibrating against each other. The motor mounts came good with similar attention but will need replacing next time.
I also created a slight bend ( almost invisible) in the flat grille panels to stop them "oil canning"
It will never be as quiet as the new ones but the noise reduction was dramatic.
Regards
A
AnswerID: 620689

Reply By: ctaplin - Sunday, Aug 19, 2018 at 22:59

Sunday, Aug 19, 2018 at 22:59
I've had both a 40 litre unit that is now 14 years old and now never gets turned off along with an upright 80 litre, fridge/freezer model. The upright needed tweaking to make it work effectively up North, with 12 volt fans circulating the air inside the fridge along with a condenser fan. While running it draws 3.5 amps and the older 40 litre chest type draws 2.5 amps. The chest fridge is much more efficient that the upright model though, cycling in & out much less.

Also a tip if your Engel ever stops and wont restart. Dismantle it to the point where you can access the compressor (solenoid) and tap it gently with a rubber mallet, then turn the power on. I've done it twice with my 80l upright and it gets it going every time. About 3 years since I last had to give it a tap on the shoulder though...

Chris
AnswerID: 620772

Reply By: Ron N - Monday, Aug 20, 2018 at 11:17

Monday, Aug 20, 2018 at 11:17
My engel is a 1977 model, it still rumbles along happily after 41 years - and I've never touched a single thing on it.

I just thought they always made a lot of noise, and you couldn't do anything about it.

Maybe I should tear into it now, and replace all those noisy, worn components, and bend all those pipes that are hitting on things?

But if I do that, I'm scared I'll get the, "Geez, mate, we haven't stocked that part for 30 years! - where did ya dig that fossil up from?", answer? [:-)

Cheers, Ron.
AnswerID: 620781

Follow Up By: Greg J1 - Monday, Aug 20, 2018 at 11:41

Monday, Aug 20, 2018 at 11:41
Hi Ron. That first paragraph you wrote. I had to check if you were referring to my wife or your Engel !!! The second one sounds familiar too. Good on ya mate.
Cheers Greg
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