AC fan/compressor not turning on
#1
09-04-08, 04:44 AM
AC fan/compressor not turning on
To start, I apologize if I use the wrong terminology. Yesterday afternoon my A/C stopped working. The outside unit was getting power, but the fan wasn't turning. I opened the unit, spun the fan blades, and they started working. Still no cool air. I ran out of daylight, but after spending most of the night reading about A/C repair, and checking everything inside my house, I checked the outside unit again. The fan will work if I spin the blades, but won't start on its own. I also noticed this morning that I wasn't hearing anything "moving" in the compressor (might be called the condensor--been a long night!). I traced the wiring, and the only common link between the 2 is the capacitor. Could this be the problem? Is there a way to test the capacitor? As the fan motor is $180 to replace, and the cap about $10, I'm crossing my fingers that this is it. I was laid off 2 months ago, and really can't afford to hire a service technician.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
#2
09-04-08, 05:09 AM
If you can spin the fan by hand and it will start, then it's the cap that's your problem. Since the same cap is usually used by both the compressor and the fan, most likely your cap is fried. Try a new one, hopefully that should take care of it.
#5
09-06-08, 10:18 PM
Hi there NavySnipe,
I have a question regarding my A/C unit. I have a lennox central air unit. The heater part of the system is gas. last year I replaced my cap and fan motor because it fit into the above problem and things worked great until recently. I came home to find my thermostat blank and my forced air unit breaker tripped. I flipped the breaker and my thermostat came back on. The next day the same thing happened, so I repeated my actions but flipping the breaker did nothing. Through research I found that it could be my fuse or battery on my tstat. I couldn't locate the battery, but did change the fuse. Nothing changed, so I replaced the tstat with a new one. I couldn't find the same model, but went with the same manufacturer. I wired it according to the directions, but my system won't start. The tstat comes on and I hear it trying to trigger my system, but nothing turns on. Is there something that I may be missing? Is there a way that I can test my compressor or fan? The fan does not turn on if switched from auto to manual. I am open to suggestions! I am in Southern CA and it is still toasty here!!
Thanks,
Renee Smith
I have a question regarding my A/C unit. I have a lennox central air unit. The heater part of the system is gas. last year I replaced my cap and fan motor because it fit into the above problem and things worked great until recently. I came home to find my thermostat blank and my forced air unit breaker tripped. I flipped the breaker and my thermostat came back on. The next day the same thing happened, so I repeated my actions but flipping the breaker did nothing. Through research I found that it could be my fuse or battery on my tstat. I couldn't locate the battery, but did change the fuse. Nothing changed, so I replaced the tstat with a new one. I couldn't find the same model, but went with the same manufacturer. I wired it according to the directions, but my system won't start. The tstat comes on and I hear it trying to trigger my system, but nothing turns on. Is there something that I may be missing? Is there a way that I can test my compressor or fan? The fan does not turn on if switched from auto to manual. I am open to suggestions! I am in Southern CA and it is still toasty here!!
Thanks,
Renee Smith
