Central Air Water Leak HELP!!!

Hey guys, sorry in advance for such a long post.... __________________________________________________ _______________ I have a 8 year old 4 ton Carrier 38EZA048300 condenser outside the home. It has a GE K5CP39EGS070S fan motor (this is the new part number. 1/4 HP 1100RPM) 2 days ago the A/C temperature started to hit 85-87 degrees. When I went out to the condenser unit, I realized a periodic clicking sound. Fan was not moving. It sounded like the compressor was trying to kick in? I don't know what that sound is. I open up access to the capacitor area, and find a gecko fried dead by one of a yellow wire going to the capacitor. I didn't realize the breaker was on and attempted to move the dead gecko when i heard a BIG SNAP!. My screwdriver is demented and the breaker tripped (no big deal?). I must have shorted voltage to ground? (This particular yellow wire goes from the capacitor to a black box looking thing. relay contactor????) Next morning I go and turn on the A/C unit again. The condenser kicks in along with the fan (yay!). but after 30 minutes, I noticed no more cold air. I go back to the condenser to find the fan not turning anymore. I also notice the whole condenser unit GETS REAL HOT I called a service tech out, and he advised that the fan motor needs to be replaced. He said I was putting a lot of STRAIN on the condenser because the motor isn't running. That's why the condenser was getting HOTT. I almost think something more is wrong. What are your thoughts? 1. Did the gecko screw something up? 2. Did I fry the unit by that big SNAP? 3. Can a "bad" fan motor really cause this type of problem where the whole unit HEATS UP? (feels really hot when you touch the unit). 4. is the circuit board gone? I can't even find it on the unit.... Before I have him do a $500 repair to replace a GE condenser fan motor + dual capacitor, I want to make sure this is actually the problem. Sure there's the "pay and see" scenario, but I'd really like all of your advice. $500 is a lot for me and I want to make sure he's not trying to make a quick buck. He spent all of 30 seconds diagnosing the problem without even opening the access to the capacitor area (I didn't tell him about the removed gecko). I don't think it's the fan because a quick google search shows that a bad fan will have blades that are difficult to turn. This one is fairly easy to turn. I don't notice much difference in the effort between this one the identical unit next to it I don't think it's the capacitor because it's not "bloated" up when a cap goes bad. Some have suggested the cap is getting weak and that scenario does not necessarily bloat the cap

I have a small cottage (about 500 sq. ft.). About 2/3 of the floor space is the original cabin, with the other 1/3 being a newer addition on the side that's now the living room. There's a 32" open doorway between. This divider makes it hard to get good air circulation and I'm concerned a single large window AC unit might not reach far from where it's mounted. The cottage is heated by thru-wall space heaters so there's no central system to add on to. Other options I'm considering are: 2 window units, 1 in each space. Cheap for sure but hate to give up 2 windows. Split system with 2 zones. Pricey for a summer cottage but may be worth it for the control and the quiet operation. Also the heat option is attractive. Attic-mounted ductless. I haven't found much info on these & don't know if there's a DIY version available, or the price. Are there any other systems I maybe don't know about? A co-worker suggested a ceiling-mounted unit like in a camper but I don't know... What y'all think? Should I just stick in window units? This does seem price and frequency-of-use appropriate for a summer get-away. There is ONE spot on the outside wall where I could install a window unit in a hole and it would directly face the inside doorway. If I could find a big-BTU unit (220V is OK) that would fit between the studs this might be the best solution. I'd hate to cut a big hole in the wall only to be disappointed in performance.