[ckphilli]

Greetings- I just had to jump start my outside A/C fan. I'm afraid the motor has burned up for the most part. Here's what happened...

A/C got warm.
Went outside and heard an electrical binding sound like "enrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr"
Got a skewer and pushed the fan blade until the motor took over.

I'm afraid that when it shuts off, it won't start by itself again. Is there anything I can do? If the motor needs to be swapped...would you say I should leave it to the pros? I am mechanically inclined, but I've never played with air conditioners.

Any advice would be appreciated-

[Wino]

If it is similar to the unit shown on link, you should be able to get a new fan motor from local AC / refrigerator dealer or electric motor repair shop and DIY. Most units have a electrical disconnect mounted at the unit (required here), be sure it is off before messing with wiring. Take a digital picture of wiring or draw up a simple schematic before removing wires. Pull the fan/motor and take with you to duplicate.

http://www.hometips.com/cs-protected...entairfix.html

[ckphilli]

Originally Posted by Wino

If it is similar to the unit shown on link, you should be able to get a new fan motor from local AC / refrigerator dealer or electric motor repair shop and DIY. Most units have a electrical disconnect mounted at the unit (required here), be sure it is off before messing with wiring. Take a digital picture of wiring or draw up a simple schematic before removing wires. Pull the fan/motor and take with you to duplicate.

http://www.hometips.com/cs-protected...entairfix.html

Thanks for the info. I started looking at my home warranty and the deductible is only 50$. So I'm going to try this route as I think total cost would probably be more than 50.

I appreciate the reply, I still may get into it if the warranty company gives me any grief.

I'll leave this unsolved and post the results tomorrow after the AC dude comes over-

[ineedhelp890]

I had a similar problem with the blower in my condenser unit last week. The problem is with the starter, it supplies more current to get the fan started than switches back to normal once the fan is going. The sound you are hearing is the fan trying to start. I forget what the part is called, but it is not expensive.

[lexmarks567]

if the fan turns by hand replace the capacitor first.chances are thats all you need.

[ckphilli]

Originally Posted by lexmarks567

if the fan turns by hand replace the capacitor first.chances are thats all you need.

Bingo- that's what the a/c man just changed. Warranties are good. 50 dollar copay and I'm back in business. Maybe I could have found a capacitor cheaper...but maybe I would have torn this thing apart and sunk more than 50. Who knows, we're cool here again.