12 Volt Compressor
Ron, I don't know much about a 12 volt compressor but I did some reading and I found a couple of areas where it said not to appy 12 volts. If you have a start winding and start relay you will never be able to duplicate it directly. Usually, you can check all the terminals, with the power off and the leads disconnected, to ground (the casing of the compressor or the copper lines). Use an Ohmeter with 100k ohms for a descent check. Any reading to ground indicates a dead short. If you find out which terminals are which, you should read less resistance between the common and 2 of them , and more resistance between the common and 3rd lead(this will be your run winding. The other 2 are start windings, I believe). If you have no short to ground and you have continuity, your compressor should be okay. There is one more test for a locked rotor. It is usually diagnosed with an amp meter. The reading of the amps is compared with the lock rotor amps (LRA) rating for the compressor. Chances are that you are going to need a tech person. I put a link below for an example of a manufacturer's ratings for checking their compressor. good luck, Mike D
