So, the upright freezer died. It attempts to fire up for a few seconds, then click-dead for a few minutes, lather, rinse, repeat ;)

• Read a LOT, then opened it up and took a look.
  
• R12 1/4 HP compressor, simple relay+overload, no cap at all.
  
• Overload has continuity
  
• Relay measures "upside down" to what I've read (open vs closed) and rattles some but otherwise seeeeeems ok.
  
• Compressor: first time I tested, it did show same resistance on the two windings with a sum of both for the final side. Seems good.

Unfortunately, the Overload is no longer available. Thought about using a PRO410 (or maybe 3n1? Will the cap hurt anything?) at least to see if it can be made to work.

Then I read somewhere about testing the power draw while it is attempting to start. So, hooked up my Kill-A-Watt and re-ran some tests: It pulls around 10 amps (120VAC) while starting

After trying that a couple of times, I retested the resistance across the compressor terminals. A very different picture now: one winding measured 3 ohms, one 7, and just above 7 for the 3rd. When I get home tonight I will remeasure (with everything cooled down) to see if anything changed.

Here's my question: could it be anything other than the compressor? If so, it's worth trying. Why toss $200+ down the drain?

However, if we're sure it's the compressor, I don't need to waste time and money.

My sense: 10A is too much draw even for inrush current. BUT I don't know compressors. Could there be a problem such that enabling it to run full blast for a bit could "clean out" the windings or something?

Your thoughts mucho appreciated!
Pete