Central Air Conditioner Broken

[eurolarva]

My GE Central Air Fan is not working on the outside unit. I can push start the fan to get it going and then the unit works fine. I found on the internet a new fan with capacitor but it is 289 dollars. They also sell the complete outside unit for 400 dollars. How hard is this to install. If I install the whole unit will I need someone to come and install the freon or is that already in the unit. Or should I just replace the Fan and hope the rest of the unit lasts a few years longer? My guess is the system is about 20 years old.

 

[crab bait]

Re: Central Air Conditioner Broken

since MINN. only has 2 weeks of summer.. i'd just go fan.. but really all you need is the capacitor.. an that's CHEAPER an easier..<br /><br />i took a/c an refrig in trade school..<br /><br />yes ,a tech would have to check/ purge/ an possibly recharge unit.. <br /><br />just replace the capacitor...

 

[ndemge]

Re: Central Air Conditioner Broken

If your unit is 20 years old, I'd have the whole thing replaced.<br /><br />2 years ago, I had some hail damage, and isurance co gave me a new unit. Just a 2 Ton, Small house.<br /><br />SAVED me $80 a month on my Electric bill. My unit was 22 years old. <br /><br />I was refered to a local Refridgeration guy that does side jobs, got it done for HALF the price. I think I paid $550 for the unit, INSTALLED. Only took the guy an hour to do the job.<br /><br />..Talk to friends, friends of friends, someone's got to know a ac guy that wants to make a buck.

 

[Trent]

Re: Central Air Conditioner Broken

289.00 is too high. Buy a aftermarket fan for about 80.00. Crab bait is probably right about the capacitor. They are about 15.00. Most air cond. shops will sell you one.

 

[eurolarva]

Re: Central Air Conditioner Broken

Thanks for the input guys. I found an appliance parts place that sells just the motor for 85 bucks. I will have to add the fins but to save almost 200 bucks I am fine with that. The capacitor is also running the compressor which is running just fine. I am hoping it is just the brushes on the motor that are fried. I will find out friday when I pick the motor up.

 

[ob]

Re: Central Air Conditioner Broken

If you have the type condensing unit that does not have a separate fan motor capacitor but uses what is refered to as a dual capacitior,the fan portion of the capacitor can still be bad and the compressor will run just fine.Only other possibility is if the start winding of the fan motor is out ,and a manual bump of the fan blade will start the fan motor.In short you likely don't need to replace the fan motor but just the duel capacitor.Ohming out the fan motor will confirm .

 

[crab bait]

Re: Central Air Conditioner Broken

it takes an old analog ( needle ) type meter.. <br /><br />disconnect capacitor an short out bettween the terminals to'empty' to charge.. <br /><br />take ohm meter,, hold to the two terms.. for a 30 seconds.. then reverse the 2 meter leads..<br /><br />if cap is good the needle will jump ...

 

[eurolarva]

Re: Central Air Conditioner Broken

Ob when I ohm out the fan motor what kind of a reading am I looking for. A short, an open or very low resistance around one ohm? I tested the cap with a digital ohm meter and reversed the leads and the ohm meter when from zero to infinate. Looks like the cap still charges with the volt meter however that is not much of a voltage. When I check the fan I am assuming I am testing the purple and black wire. Looks like brown and purple both go to cap and black is one side of the 220V.

 

[ob]

Re: Central Air Conditioner Broken

We'll assume that the black wire is common from the fan motor.Trace which one of the other leads(purple or brown) is connected to the "F" or fan terminal of the duel capacitor.This is the start winding lead.Ohm between common(black) and the start winding lead in the Rx1 scale and look for a reading of around 15 ohms.If the meter pegs out to 0 ,you have an internal short.If the meter reads infinity ,you have an open citcuit.If you get a 12-15 ohm value ,the motor is probably fine and the capacitor is the culprit.<br /><br />Also ohm from each motor lead to the case or endbell of the motor in the R X 10,000 scale and insure that you get an infinity reading.

 

[eurolarva]

Re: Central Air Conditioner Broken

Thanks everyone for the replies. Tested new motor with ohm meter today. Brown to black 90 ohms, Purple to black 45 ohm. Old motor Purple to black 45 ohm and brown to black open. Connected new motor and it fired up five times I tried it. I dont understand capacitor start motors but something must have burned open.<br /><br />Sunday it got to 88 degrees and in 1988 we had 30 consectutive days with temps above 90 and humidity over 85 percent. It is a myth that it dont get hot up here.

 

[ob]

Re: Central Air Conditioner Broken

eurolarva,Higher Ohm readings than I guessed but from the ones you posted ,sounds like the brown lead is the start winding as higher ohms between it and common would indicate, and the purple lead is the run winding .The open reading you got on the brown to black on the old motor confirms that the start winding within the motor was open.Glad you got your new motor up and going.