Mini Fridge

Garage sale buy, so no great investment. Have a Haier 2.7 cuft mini fridge. Not the mini cube but one step up. Model - HSB03-01. Compressor runs non-stop and is very hot. Temps are as follows (infrared meter):

Compressor 185 to 190 degrees
Ice compartment 12 degrees
Food compartment 45 degrees

Had the dial set all the way to 7 last night and it was continually cranking. Have the dial set to about 4 now and you see the readings above. Yesterdays readings were about the same. Here is the weird thing, I tried to test the thermostat this morning by dialing if down to zero and then turning it up to see when it would kick on. Turned it down and the compressor stopped. Tried to turn it back up and it would not come on. I unplugged, let it cool down and then retried to get the readings posted above. So I know the compressor is overheating, is it a refrigerant issue, a thermostat malfunction, or a capacitor/relay issue?

Last time I had an issue with my house fridge, the compressor was really hot, but would not run, only hummed. I changed the start capacitor to fix. This one sure sounds like the compressor is running. Back coils tag out at 100 degrees if that matters.

 

I would suspect the unit has a leak and is low on refrigerant.

That's a cold plate unit.... no circulating fan.
The freezer will never get cold enough to be effective. Good for ice... that's it.

 

Have watched a couple of videos on how to add refrigerant to these units. The videos were for repair of completely empty units (someone put a chisel through the line chipping ice). They repaired with JB Weld, pulled a vacuum and added some R134a from a can similar to charging a car AC system. Is it that easy? and would the repair last seeing as this unit is low but not empty and it is probably a good 10 years old. In addition to HSB03-01 other markings are as follows:Haier BA0680E0200 9603972901751

 

Deleted by accident (my bad)

 

On the third day he rose again....

Working with my neighbor who is a heating and air guy to recover/repair the charge on this unit. He had enough spare parts around to allow me to solder on a valve and "T" fitting. Question, do I have to pull or purge the system of any residual before soldering on a coupler and valve or can I just hit it with a torch similar to plumbing soldering? He gave me some silver solder to I guess braze the fitting instead of solder. Do I Flux?

 

You need to be careful soldering/brazing in the presence of refrigerant as it can create a noxious gas. If you're using the solfas type rod then you won't need to flux.