Can't get compressor motor to turn right direction

[b-body-bob]

I just hooked up my repaired Champion VR5-8 compressor, and can't get the motor to turn the right way. I've reversed the connections at the motor, and at the disconnect, and no matter what I do the thing wants to turn the opposite direction it needs to.

Shouldn't reversing the wiring always reverse the motor? I've got to be missing something simple.

Thanks in advance for advice

 

[JoeFin]

Shouldn't reversing the wiring always reverse the motor? I've got to be missing something simple.

Thanks in advance for advice

On a 3 phase motor - yes

But you only need to swap 2 of the 3 phases

 

[55bigblockcid]

120 v motor switch 8and 5 or purple and orange.

Do you have a picture of the plate on the motor with the wiring info?

 

[nehog]

Post pictures of the motor's ID and data plates.

And post the motor model and maker information.

You need to 'swap' two wires but without more information it is difficult to be exact as to which two wires to swap.

 

[G_P]

Is it a reversible motor?

Agreed that without a picture of the wiring diagram we cant tell much.

 

[b-body-bob]

It's a 2-phase 220v compressor with a 5HP Baldor motor catalog # L1430T.

I have 3 wires from the breaker box, black, white, and ground. I've switched the black and white but nothing changes.

There is a wiring diagram on the motor itself, but there are no wire colors and they're all the same color.

The motor and compressor are as came from the factory except for the caps that I replaced because one had burned up (that's why I ended up with the compressor)

Is it possible I wired something wrong with the caps and caused this? I was pretty sure I got it back together right, but anything's possible. I didn't change anything on the motor except the caps.

I'll go get a quick photo of the wiring diagram on the motor and add it in a few minutes. I found a partial photo of it and can see that it says the motor is reversible by swapping the wires.

 

[b-body-bob]

Here's the motor wiring diagram.

I looked at the wiring itself too. There are 4 wires that come out of the motor, all white. Two are larger gauge than the other two. Those pair off, one big and one small together, with a wire nut. Then a black pigtail comes off each of the pairs, which is what I am connected to.

FWIW, the tank plate says this is a 1995 compressor, so the motor should be the same vintage.

 

[nehog]

Those wires should be marked with numbers. Swap the ones marked 5 and 8 and the motor will reverse. IIRC, the swapped wires will be the smaller gauge wires.

If the wires are not marked, then mark one of the pair that go to one wire nut with a bit of tape. That way you don't accidentally reconnect the same way as it is now.

 

[55bigblockcid]

120 v motor switch 8and 5 or purple and orange.

Do you have a picture of the plate on the motor with the wiring info?

As I said earlier switch 5 and 8

 

[b-body-bob]

Thanks nehog,

I had just walked back in to report that I'd noticed the wires are numbered. It's hooked up as per the diagram. It hasn't been untaped for what looks like decades, but it has been fixed, there is a zap-divot inside the cover and shrink wrap on #8 wire.

Since it hasn't been apart, and it's impossible the pump has turned backward since new, *and* I replaced the caps, I think what happened is I reversed the two wires at the caps, giving the same effect as swapping the #5 for #8.

 

[b-body-bob]

Well I've pored over pictures taken of the caps before I replaced them, and pictures taken this morning, and I can't see any differences in the way it's all connected from the motor to the caps and between the caps.

Is it possible the compressor has been turning backward all this time? It was used commercially and they had no complaints until it started popping breakers due to the cap failing.

 

[LG63]

Is it possible the compressor has been turning backward all this time? It was used commercially and they had no complaints until it started popping breakers due to the cap failing.

Possible, on some pumps the only difference between CW and CCW is the flywheel, i.e. the direction of fan blades.

 

[mm08822]

Here are the motor data sheets. - had to split file and delete a few pages to make pdf size limit. Last page is wiring diagram for motor. label/record the way you have connected now. Disconnect everything and ring out what you are left with. that should confirm your current wiring connections are right or wrong. re-connect based on finding to meet the wiring diagram.

 

[b-body-bob]

Possible, on some pumps the only difference between CW and CCW is the flywheel, i.e. the direction of fan blades.

I just finished tightening the belt and double checked that the flywheel is on the same way as it was when I got it, and the arrow agrees with the direction labeled on the unloader.

So it's either run backward forever (impossible), or I did something wrong (likely)

Here are the motor data sheets. - had to split file and delete a few pages to make pdf size limit. Last page is wiring diagram for motor. label/record the way you have connected now. Disconnect everything and ring out what you are left with. that should confirm your current wiring connections are right or wrong. re-connect based on finding to meet the wiring diagram.

Thanks. I'm at the point of just switching #5 and #8 and calling it good, but I'll definitely look at that before I start cutting factory splices out. It's pretty much has to be something mis-wired in the caps since that's the only thing that's been apart. Hopefully I'll have my aha moment looking at the wiring diagram.

... Just noticed, the diagram shows #1 and #8 connecting to either end of the cap sequence, so I'm thinking I must have connected them to the wrong ends, which in effect has me reversed down at the the wiring junction. Going out now to ring them out to figure out which two wires I need to swap.

Thanks everybody, hopefully the next post from me in this thread will be that I did X, and had a happy result.

 

[b-body-bob]

OK, it's spinning the right way. I made a command decision that it'd be easier to just rewire it at the junction than to fight disconnecting the caps and ringing the wires to find the root cause.

Now the other fun starts, it was blowing air out the intake due to a valve that wasn't seating (fixed) and once that was fixed it doesn't want to get above 20psi, which could be another valve that's not seating. Turn it off, and it's got a constant hiss at the unloader so the checkvalve may be bad. Since that's not electrical I'll take my sorrows out of this forum

Thanks again for the info and help