Condenser Fan not working in Carrier AC

[Nandy]

Carrier model 38CKC036350 220v
My Carrier AC/Heather is not cooling off properly. The condenser fan is not running. I can hear the relay click but the fan wont move. The fan motor is very hot to the touch. I think it can be the starting capacitor but I guess I did not pay real attention in my Electronic Technician classes and I cant remember how to test this capacitor to work without an specific tester. I know you can put your voltmeter in ohms and see a chance in resistance but that is not a real good test.
Can anyone that is familiar with these ac units give me an advice? Even if you are not familiar with this unit but you work with ac fans and know how to test this capacitor with a regular voltmeter you can help. As far as the fan all I need to do is check for resistance in the fan coils but I dont know what number should I be looking for. Just the fact the motor is hot tells me the fan is not open, but it could be shorted.
I remember that most of the times when the capacitor dies the fan does heat up quite a bit so I have faith it is the condenser...
Anyone knows where to buy parts for this unit? online or anywhere around charlotte. I will drive ways, I need to fix this before the heat really kicks in. After all the money spend in the cat surgery and irs i would not be able to afford to pay a technician until like a month from now....

Thanks!

 

[Nandy]

Re: Condenser Fan not working in Carrier AC

I put a volmeter in the ohms settings (tried all of them) and will not show any charging capabilities and of course, it has no voltage across the leads. The part number is 97f9895. It is a ge 5/45 uf capacitor at 370 vac max. Looking in the net to see if I find a local supplier.

 

[eurolarva]

Re: Condenser Fan not working in Carrier AC

99 percent of the time it is the motor not the cap. Replace both. Motor is probably around 100 and the Cap probably around 10 bucks Ohm meter will still not show if the cap is leaking. You want to hook the ohm meter one way and it should count to infinity. Then reverse the leads and it should count to zero.

Try www.sears.com and go to the parts locator then type in your model number. Or try this Click Here

 

[eurolarva]

Re: Condenser Fan not working in Carrier AC

Ouch Motor is 250 and cap is 25. I would copy down the part number from sears then find a local parts dealer. We have one here called Dey and their pricing is always cheaper then Sears. I bet it is still the motor but maybe if you have time you can try the cap first. You might get lucky.

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Condenser Fan not working in Carrier AC

Keep in mind not just any ole cap will do. It needs to be the value matched to the motor. Does the blades spin freely? Sometimes the bushings wear out and will kick the motor out on thermal protection. Some units will be manufacture specific OEM. If you have Grainger nerarby, they can cross it over. To accurately check the cap, you do need the right tester. Grainger may even do that for you. BTW, yes, if the cap is bad, the motor will heat up and somethimes will not start. Try to get them to cross it to a motor that has ball bearings vs bushings. The bearing type motor will last substantally longer.

 

[Benny1963]

Re: Condenser Fan not working in Carrier AC

ao smith makes crossovers and most parts houses can match it up
some of the older models were oilable but most are sealed if its getting hot
its bad,the main things you need to look out for are motor horsepower /rpm
and amperage as they said you match cap to motor ,most of the new ones are reversible /shaft size also matters ,
any good ac supply house can match it up for you
some old carrier oem stuff is very high also as they said graingers can usually
fit you with one make sure you can get blade off before you get your motor
may have to use blade puller ,
good luck bennyb

 

[JB]

Re: Condenser Fan not working in Carrier AC

Replace the start capacitor before you start thinking about the motor.

I disagree with the above. I think 90% of the time it is the capacitor.

Back in the 60s I made fishing bux by buying "broke" window units for scrap prices and replacing the capacitors. I only threw out about 1 of 10. The other 9 I sold for a tidy profit.

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: Condenser Fan not working in Carrier AC

I had a simular problem this winter with my trane outside unit. My guess is it is the fan motor. This motor is very easy to replace if you can find one. Dealer wanted 500 bucks to come and replace the motor. I checked around and found a local parts place that got me one in 2 days for a price of 164 bucks. If you can do the job yourself and just make sure all connections are secure and the power is OFF before you start.

 

[Nandy]

Re: Condenser Fan not working in Carrier AC

Eurolarva, it is funny that I called sears and they could not find what you did... Oh well... I will be doing the job myself. I will try the cap before. The worst price I have seen so far is 35 dollars. The motor turns freely. If that is not it I guess i will be looking at the motor.
Fairlaneman, will you share the name of the local part place? I am going to 2 different places tomorrow. I will pm you my email and you can send it there or you can call. Either way.

Thanks

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: Condenser Fan not working in Carrier AC

Nandy, there's a Grainger at 1401 S. Mint St., Charlotte. Google Grainger if you're not in Charlotte and there's a branch locator for other locations.

 

[Nandy]

Re: Condenser Fan not working in Carrier AC

The only grainger I was able to locate was the one in Gaston county. They did not have the capacitor. Anyway, I called carrier and they gave me their local parts place. They had a substitute capacitor, total was like $8.00 with taxes. Put it in, flip the breaker, push the relay manual acitvator and there goes smokes.... Nah, just kidding, it work perfectly. I have to tie wrap it to the old bracket as it is too large for it, but is secure and safe. Been right twice in the same week, that is not usual... Thanks everyone!

 

[Nandy]

Re: Condenser Fan not working in Carrier AC

Wel, the ac is not working again. This time the fan is working, but I cannot feel the compressor do anything but a quick click and vibration like it try to start but it wont. It will also get hot. I switched the dual capacitor and put the fan where the compressor should be and vice versa and the fan still started but the compressor did not. There are 2 copper lines coming off the evaporator/compressor housing. The thin one which I believe is the return from the condenser is not hot to the touch. The larger one, almost twice the size of the first one, was more in the hot side than cool. Obviously this line is the one taking the cold freon to the condenser/fan upstairs and should be cold to the touch and have some condensation on it. I will go to carrier and get a new capacitor just in case ($7.00) but it sounds like it will either need freon or the compressor died.

So the facts as I know them.
Fan works
compressor don't seems to work
swapped the dual capacitor fan connection to the compressor connection and the trouble did not follow.
Lines in and out copper lines are not overly hot or cold.
My kids are sweating their #$@# off


Is there a place I can rent a gauge to check for freon? To which line do I hook it up? both copper lines has a connector.
Is there a place I can get the freon? I think I can handle calling someone to put freon in it and pay but if I can do it myself I will. I always been a do it myself type of person.

Hope is not the compressor...

Oh, forgot to mention, there was a mower close to the unit the evening before it stopped working so I think someone might have hit the unit lines. I inspect the lines and it looked ok.

I have a coworker that does ac in the side. I will have a talk to him tomorrow as he is off today.

 

[Pierutrus]

Re: Condenser Fan not working in Carrier AC

Not anymore when it comes to the freon. You need a license to buy the stuff.
I got one.

The only thing is.....IF you need freon, you have a leak that needs to be fixed.
SOOOOOO just adding some will get you by for some time until it leaks out again.

You can buy the gauges down at the auto store......But now you need to know what is the high and what is the low side, just like in auto's.

My best guess is........you need a new compressor.
That's because it won't even try to start (froze up).
If you were out of freon......it would start and go out on high head.

Either case.....You need a seasoned professional.
Good luck.

just my 2 cents...

 

[Nandy]

Re: Condenser Fan not working in Carrier AC

I have a gauge for my vehicle but it dont seems to fit. Do you mean they also sell those gauges for the residential units at the autoshop stores or do I need to ask for an specific connector? The max pressure in that residential unit is 300. Do automotive gauges go that high?

 

[Xcusme]

Re: Condenser Fan not working in Carrier AC

You'd need an older gauge set for R-12 , R-22.....you probably have the set for R-134a...which won't fit.

You'd want to connect to the Low side or Suction side to add freon. The Suction line is the larger of the 2 lines. The smaller line is the High side.

No insult implied, but you do need a professional.

 

[Nandy]

Re: Condenser Fan not working in Carrier AC

Why will I be insulted? I heard that too when it was just a bad capacitor. I wont push my luck, but I dont want to have someone sell me a compressor when all i need is freon. I know some compressor will not work at all if the freon is low. I will imagine that the mower bumping the pipes could have caused a leak. Still, it looks like the compressor...

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Condenser Fan not working in Carrier AC

First check to make sure your condenser coil is not covered with grass or dirt. If the air flow thru the coil is partially blocked, it CAN cause the problem your having. If the head pressure is too high, the compressor cannot kick on. Sorta like trying to kick a 500cc one cylinder dirt bike without a compression relief.

You mentioned someone mowed grass, this is the clue to me that your coil needs to be cleaned out. If the compressor had a short internally, your breaker/fuse will blow. The compressor at this time is kicking out on the thermal protection within the compressor. This is a common thing and accounts for a large percentage of compressor failures. Don't get taken by a tech that automatically says you need a compressor. The tech should use a hemetic checker to verify the proper voltages/amperage draw during start up and run. It is also possible for a contactor that engages the power for the compressor to have a bad contact limiting the amp draw to get to the compressor. Contactors are cheap and shouldn't cost over $25. Good luck and hope you can get it going by yourself. BTW, I agree that when it comes to the freon part,,,,,,Let a trained tech do it. I've worked on many DIY jobs to only find out that the system is usually over charged which is worse than a low charge. Then the tech has no idea if someone mixed the two gasses. A mixed recovery will cost the tech more due to the mixture of different gasses. That is why it is so important not to mix different freons together.

 

[Nandy]

Re: Condenser Fan not working in Carrier AC

At the least I want to make sure If I have freon in it or not. I was hoping I could rent that gauges instead of buying them. The guy that work with me is in vacation this week, go figure.... Still will check if there is a place I can rent the gauges from.

 

[hazwild]

Re: Condenser Fan not working in Carrier AC

Check the contactor to see if it pulls in when you lower your t-stat.If it does turn off the power and remove the cap on the side of the compressor and make sure one of the wires have not burned or come off.You do need R22 gauges for that,but if the compreesor does not run the gas would be a mute point.

Bob

 

[Nandy]

Re: Condenser Fan not working in Carrier AC

Is back to work, it was the capacitor again. Obviously the cap was able to get the fan running but not strong enough to get the compressor running. I wonder what is killing these caps, is the second since april....