Change whole freezer or just the compressor

[SBiringer]

We bought a 1993 Hunter last year. The freezer compressor does not work, but the fridge was fine. The compressor is accessible from inside one of the seats.
I imagine other peoople have had this issue before. Should we change the compressor only or the whole freezer?

 

[kloudie1]

I don’t know how familiar you are with troubleshooting refrigeration systems, but there are many things other than a bum compressor that will make the compressor not run. If you’ve determined that in fact the compressor is bad, then the cost of changing it is about 50-60% of the cost of a new unit. A major difference is that if you don’t install the new unit yourself, the cost of installation will about double the cost of a new unit. It is a tough choice; I changed a compressor in my air conditioner unit last year , but I pulled the unit and took it to a shop where they installed the new compressor that I’d purchased and vacuum tested and recharged the repaired unit. My total cost was about half of a new air conditioner, but I did the removal from boat and re-installation myself.

 

[Rick D]

Freon Is A Problem

I had a unit go bad because the tech put 134 in it. They later put 409 in it but it was too late. That AB unit is not compatible with 134 and it is problematic further in that it's almost impossible to flush and evacuate it well enough to allow for the change. However, if you can get your hands on some R12, you may be OK.

The point of all this is that it is an old unit, superseded by more modern and more energy-efficient designs. After beating my head against the wall, I changed mine out to a Seafrost thin-holding plate evaporator that has been great.

Now, I did a lot of research and talked to several marine refrigeration techs before I took the path I did, but I am no refrigeration guy, so take this with a grain of salt. It may be the control module for the unit, but to the best of my recollection, the control unit is no longer available.

Best of luck! I'm sorry I could not have been of help.