I have a 12,500 btu Whirlpool 220 1 ph window AC unit that has a problem. The unit is about 11 yrs old and has had a longstanding problem (several years) with the compressor start delay after 2-3 times from the thermal cut out. After a couple of tries (lights dimming) it will finally start. This does not happen the first time it is turned on but will usually happen most of the time afterward. When it runs it cools very well. Power to the AC unit is nominally 228 VAC. THE PROBLEM: Yesterday the compressor would not start at all. I pulled the ac unit out from the enclosure and noted that the compressor was warm to the touch even though it had not been running. I cut all the power and discharged (there was no sign of a spark) the motor start/run capacitor. The cap has no markings on it. I installed a hard start cap/relay and the unit still would not start. I cleaned all of the terminals on the cap as they were badly corroded before I installed the hard start kit. QUESTION: I believe I have the hard start kit /cap installed properly. ?? There are 3 large separate & insulated clusters of terminals coming from the cap. I assume that the other side may be used for the fan. After installing the hard start kit, the fan motor (not compressor) seems to start slow for about 8 seconds before coming up to speed. Didn't happen before. If there was a schematic on the unit it is now worn off. Does anyone have info on typical values for the original motor start/run cap in case it might be bad. How likely is it that the compressor has given up and needs to be replaced (pitched)? Thanks, Bill

I read the follwing post, and share the same issue. [url]http://forum.doityourself.com/showthread.php?threadid=101276[/url] Can you please clarify the coils you speak of - are they the coils inside the FA unit, or the AC unit? I would think you spoke of the FA coils, since turning on the fan would in fact, defrost them. I believe my freezing was caused by dirty filters (we have three big dogs), which I cleaned this morning, finding they were restricted fairly well. I didnt think to look at the lines when I cleaned the filters, I probably would have seen they were iced up. I have followed the advice in the previous post, and the lines are defrosting, and the condensation line is draining well to the outside. Once it stops, I will crank it up and see what happens. BTW - great forum! I had a feeling what was wrong and what I needed to do to stop it, but these forums made it much easier! Thank You!