Just bought my first Coke machine and have a few questions. I know next to nothing when it comes to electricity and refrigeration. Initially the compressor was coming on and shutting off in a few minutes. I diagnosed that as the thermostat, as I disconnected the thermostat and connected the two wires together. This caused the compressor to stay on, but the unit isnt getting cold (even after several hours). I used an infrared thermometer and the bottom of the unit got very cold (below freezing), but the top remains around 60 degrees, which is the temp in the garage where the unit is at. I assume its the fans on the back of the evaporator that are causing the problem. Secondly, I'm trying to set it up for free vend. I think I've got the Jones plug mod figured out, but does anyone know if I can just move some wires on the relay to accomplish the same thing without the need for a switch. I found a tutorial for doing that with another manufacturer, but dont know if it will work on a Vendo. The wires dont seem to be in the same place. Lastly, is there a mod to replace the florescent lighting with LED's. I need to replace the ballast (the cheapest I found was like $60), so maybe it makes more sense to switch to LED's or maybe someone knows of a different ballast I can get thats a lot cheaper. Thanks in advance for the help.
Basbakhan,
Evaporator fans are fairly easy to replace: unscrew & pull the vend chute, unscrew (sometimes unclip) evaporator coils from the evaporator housing. You should see the evaporator fans right behind there. R & R them. Replacements fan motors are available from vending suppliers such as www.vendingmix.com and others.
As for free vend there is a detailed post here on this forum on how to set up a Vendo or Dixie-Narco. Unless your machine is a antique (more than 40 years old) this should work.
https://www.vend-resource.com/forum-topic/how-do-i-set-soda-machine-free-vend
LED replacements are available on the web for almost any florescent tube, they are plug in replacements. Just google it.
TheRS