Air Conditioning - help wires melting on a/c unit

hi ya'll frist post here,i have a reheem a/c central unit and what is happening is the three wires that go from the circuit board to the compressor (red,black purple)the black wire has melted and now has arched to the red wire.what is my problem?the service man told my wife that we need an new compressor(have scroll type) which he said is 1000.00.I'm a chief engineer on a towboat and would like to fix it myself is there some other things i should look for before replacing the compressor thanks for the help

Could be just old age, heat, and exposure. You can carefully remove the wires from the contactor, capacitor (remember, the capacitor is charged even with the power off!), and compressor noting the color and position of each. Acquire the correct wire, including color, size, and type, and reconnect to your compressor, contactor and cap.

You will have to do that anyway to get reasonably reliable volt/amp readings to determine the status of the compressor. That just might be all you need.

Like MD said. Go ahead and replace it all.

The melt down could very well have been from a loose connection.

thanks guys, the black wire got so hot that it melted the connecter to the compressor post,what should the voltage be across these wire and is there a good guide for some repairs on a/c units

Take the wires off the compressor and OHM it out . See what you get R-S-C and "all to ground." if your not EPA for freon you cant replace the compressor yourself.Could be a good start kit with a potential relay can kick it off

ED;)