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AC Condenser Fan Motor and capacitor question. Need AC tech to answer.?
My outside condenser is approx. 16 yrs old. I had the fan motor replaced 2-3 years ago with an AO Smith motor approx. $150 and a capacitor for the motor and also the compressor just to be sure. It has worked fine since.
The other day I was home and the AC kicked on then after a few minutes I realized it wasn't getting cold so I looked outside and the fan motor was not running. So, I turned off AC and then flipped the breaker.
Waited approx. 5 mins after looking over outside unit for signs of a major issue but did not see anything out of place.
Turned AC back on and it worked fine and has worked since then approx. 3 days.
Is this a hiccup or a sign the motor may be going out since it maybe a cheap replacement or maybe the capacitor is failing?
What does the symptom I described lead towards? the motor or the capacitor? The motor makes no odd noises.
Thanks Jeff
3 Answers
- ?Lv 46 years agoFavorite Answer
It's unlikely a capacitor problem or it wouldn't have ran ok for 3 days. When you looked outside and saw the fan not moving, could you tell if the compressor was running? If not there are several things that could have happened; tripped breaker to the condenser that you cured by resetting it, ants or spiders can get between the contacts on the contactor or the contacts could be pitted or burnt, a loose 24V connection or damaged thermostat wire are all possibilities.
My preferred advice would be to have an HVAC pro clean and service the system or just wait and see. If there is a problem it will likely happen again. However, if the problem recurs with no one there to catch it, it could lead to more serious damage.
Source(s): HVAC contractor 34 yrs - Back WLv 66 years ago
could be the motor contactor also referred to as the starter. you can push it in manually and if the fan starts that tells you the fan is okay. Check the batteries in the control thermostat inside your house. they need replacing most are AAA or double A batteries. Take a visual look at the capacitor to see that its not deformed or puffing out anywhere.
- Pat F85Lv 66 years ago
I'm not a tech, but a cap is like $15, and they do fail . A.O Smith make quality motors, so I'd replace the cap before the motor. Test it first, though.
Source(s): To test the capacitor with a multimeter, set the meter to read in the high ohms range, somewhere above 10k and 1m ohms. Touch the meter leads to the corresponding leads on the capacitor, red to positive and black to negative. The meter should start at zero and then moving slowly toward infinity.
