Refrigerator / freezer service question

[HMCFab9]

I bought a Amana refrig / bottom freezer from a used appliance service center a little over a year ago. They said they put a new compressor in it.
It's not real old ( I don't think) as menards had a very similar model for sale when I bought mine used.
When I bought it, it seemed to work great. Kept everything cold, etc.
Now it seems like the fridge isn't quite as cold as it was & the freezer doesn't keep food frozen. I've adjusted the controls all the way up & down with no change. The freezer is between about 25+, closer to 30 degrees.
When I bought it, I brought it in, but then took some of the panels off to clean it better. I then took it outside to blow it out with compressed air. While rolling it outside on a dolly, I caught the copper tube that goes to the freezer on the doorknob & put a pretty good kink in it (it also has the small [capillary??] tube on it) I called a different service place to ask what to do & they said run it to see what it does.
It seemed to work good for over a year (even with the kink in the copper line), but now it doesn't' stay cool.

Anything I can do, or do I just call a service guy to come look at it?
It's an Amana M# ARB2107AB MFG# PARB2107AB3 S/N 0110186350
It may have been made by Whirlpool, as whirlpool came up when I looked up an owners manual.
If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. Thanks!

 

[skulldrinker]

Is there frost built up? My old side by side during it's last few months of life until I had money for a new one would build up frost in the freezer and block the flow of air. It was not defrosting automatically so every month I would have to remove the inner panel and sit there with a couple of hair dryers to melt all the ice on the fins of the coil. Along with a couple of big bath towels on the bottom to soak up all the water.

 

[HMCFab9]

The auto defrost is working. There is no ice build-up. The vents are not blocked either.
The thing still works... just doesn't stay cold enough.
Could it have gotten low on refrigerant?

 

[Milton Shaw]

Sounds like you are low on refrigerant. Those only take 4 to 7 ounces so you need to know what you are doing to charge it right. The compressor change before you bought it is probably a sign that that unit has always had a leak. With only 4 or so ounces in them, in a year a leak that slow would be about a bubble every 10 minutes or so. Almost impossible to find with even the most sensitive electronic sniffers. If the tech from the compressor change left the service valves on it, get a set of gauges and a can of 134a and charge it until the low side is between 7 and 10 lbs pressure running. A 14 ounce can has enough to charge it two or three times so don't overcharge it.

 

[HMCFab9]

Milton: Thanks for that info. I'll see if those valves are there & go from there.
I have a new can of 134a & a friend has the gauges.

 

[SSAAHemiFan]

Thanks for the refridgerant info.

I have the same fridge it is still cooling well but starting to get noisy, slight vibration when running

Just told the wife yesterday that the compressor is probably getting ready to blow

 

[dbonne]

Sounds like you are low on refrigerant. Those only take 4 to 7 ounces so you need to know what you are doing to charge it right. The compressor change before you bought it is probably a sign that that unit has always had a leak. With only 4 or so ounces in them, in a year a leak that slow would be about a bubble every 10 minutes or so. Almost impossible to find with even the most sensitive electronic sniffers. If the tech from the compressor change left the service valves on it, get a set of gauges and a can of 134a and charge it until the low side is between 7 and 10 lbs pressure running. A 14 ounce can has enough to charge it two or three times so don't overcharge it.

If a Tech that did the compressor change left service ports on the fridge rather than solder it shut, chances are it is leaking slowly at the service port. Look for any type of oily dirty buildup on or around the cap of the service port, compressor solder joints or on the cap tube you hooked. Dirt and oil buildup on any joint is a sure sign of a slow leak. When changing compressors on a small system such as a fridge, I will always solder them shut. Firstly to prevent small service port leaks, secondly, as quality control on my work. Any time you hook up some gauges to the port you will lose a little bit of charge and system oil, not to mention it increases the chances of introducing contaminates and non-condensables (air) into the system.

 

[RPH]

Make sure it uses R134a first before adding anything. Check what to use and how much.

 

[HMCFab9]

RPH: It does say it takes R134a. 4.5oz.
Dbonne: I haven't checked yet to see if the service ports are still on it.
I will look for any oily / dirty buildup as you suggest.
Can I just add the 134a if needed, or does oil needed to be added also?
I'd like to try to fix this myself if possible & not have to call a tech unless I have to.
Thanks for the input so far.

 

[Milton Shaw]

There are several types of service valves. The easy use "bullet valves" clamp on the line and usually have three "allen" screws holding them together and a center allen screw that pierces the line. This type always leaks and should not be left on a system. The harder to use silver solder on type use a schrader valve and "o" ring cap and can be left on system as they rarely leak. Get a postal/kitchen scale or something like that to measure how much freon you are putting in system. Rarely do you have to add oil to a refig as most of the time enough of the oil says in the compressor.

 

[HMCFab9]

Update: The compressor is probably original to the fridge.
There has been some work done to it before I bought it. I don't know what or why.
I had a service guy come out & look at it & he said it's had some parts replaced, etc.
He took the inside rear panel off in the freezer compartment & it's obvious someone did some work in there. There Is also a large ice buildup on the tubes that lead to the coil. (or whatever it's called... the thing that looks like a radiator... can't think of it right now)
There is no service / charge port on the compressor, the tube is crimped / soldered shut.
The compressor runs & the fan runs... so it's not that they're shot.
The service guy that was here said he doesn't want to work on it.... so what do I do now??
I've been laid off for a while now because of the poor economy, so I don't really have / want to spend the money on a new one. Is there a way I can shoot some more 134a in & hope for the best? What kind of charge port is used or how is charging done?
(I'm an autobody / mechanical guy, but don't really know a lot about a/c / refrigeration)
Any advice? Thanks!

 

[dbonne]

As Milton was saying, you could get an inexpensive bullet valve and bolt it onto the process line (the one with a crimp) and put a couple of ounces into it for cheap. That would probably get you by for a while, however, the bullet valve will leak down your system over time.

 

[HMCFab9]

Where would I get a bullet valve or a Schrader valve from?
I'm thinking Grainger most likely? Any better places to check?
Thanks!