Capacitor question - Dual Run vs Start - beyond my capacitor to understand?

I'm confused. I thought I had a very basic understanding of things until today. Obviously, there's some major gap in my understanding of things, so please bear with me.

My AC works fine at the moment (more on this later), it has two capacitors rather than a dual run, a 370/80 and a 370/5, rather than a 370 volt 80/5 dual run. (At least, that's what was inside the compressor unit when I acquired the house.)

Until today, I thought I understood things, that dual run means a Run and a Start capacitor. Except when I find the specifications of my exact compressor motor, aZR57K3e-PFV-830, it lists as expected the 370/80 run capacitor, and a 270 - 324 330 volt start capacitor. But that's not what's in my unit, what's there is 370/80 and 370/5. And of course, somewhere along the Fan gets involved.Then as I google things, I come across the concept of the start relay and capacitor, and hard start kits as an option/upgrade. So now I realize I know nothing. (Well, ok, I know to turn off power at the breaker box and also the outside breaker, to take pictures and diagram things really carefully before disconnecting anything, how to use a $12 multimeter, and yes, how to turn a screwdriver, but other than that, nothing.)

Q1. So what gives? Is the 370/80 and 370/5 combo the right mix? Where does the 270-324 330 volt start capacitor from the compressor motor specs fit into the mix?

Q2. Finally, my AC. It turns on and cools ok. The whole system is 20 years old, but the compressor motor motor is actually a new/replacement, installed professionally under a homeowners warranty by the warranty company's chosen contractor. Before it went out, I noticed the house lights would dim as it kicked on. My amateur level testing with the multimeter (I'm an amateur, but careful) indicated it was shorted to ground, and the fact that the warranty company covered it, I guess I should consider myself lucky, and that it really was gone. Now, there's no light dimming, but it does make a pretty decent heavy-metal sound (Imagine (not as loud) a steel girder falling to the ground, the metal vibrating sound, for maybe half a second as the motor gets going. (Which was what got me thinking to check the capacitors in the first place. I don't like the noise, and I'm willing to bet that the capacitor could use a hug and replacement, but first, I have my question 1 above.

Thanks in advance!

 

The 370/80 is for your compressor, the 370/5 is for the fan. You do not have a start kit on your unit.

 

i would add that both sections of a "dual" capacitor are run capacitors.
Most a\c units use a run capacitor across the run and start windings to assist in starting.
Start capacitors need a relay to remove them from the cct once the motor has started.

 

@Greg and @Tom, thanks for the reply. It does help clear things up, and relieve me that although I was ignorant, I wasn't as ignorant as I was fearing. It was seeing the motor specifications that listed a start capacitor (the kind sheathed in plastic with numbers like 270-324 330 that threw me.

So the specs are saying, "If you were to get a start capacitor kit, this is what you'd get", right?

It seems like the terms run/start is widely misused, and what most people change out are the Compressor's run capacitor and the Fan's run capacitor, as Tom said. Thanks again!