Heat pump fan buzzes for short time but does not start..
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Heat pump fan buzzes for short time but does not start..
Hi all,
Temps in Texas got real hot over the last two weeks and recently at the hottest part of the day (4-5pm) the outside heat pump fan stops working. It turns on by itself all other times of the day except those times. It is a Rheem RARL-048JEZ SN 7232 from 2009. I took off the maintenance panel and the LCD error code is blinking L23, which means the fan is not turning on (duh). I disconnected/reconnected the power from the unit at the breaker and hit the 'Test' button to reset it. Initially the unit buzzed and the fan began turning in test mode before turning off. I turned the thermostat back on and it turned on. Now, however, after the fan stops working and I open the panel to press the 'test' button and the unit only buzzes for a few seconds before stopping and the fan doesn't move. If I turn the fan manually while its buzzing it was start and cool the house (blows nice and cold). I've been doing that for days.
I read numerous forums and inspected the capacitors, but none were bulging (there are three: a small black Start Capacitor, a oval shaped Run Capacitor and a cylindrical capacitor). The black one had some crusties on the inside edge so I ordered another one online and replaced it. No fix.
My father-in-law had a spare cylindrical capacitor (same specs) that was good and I replaced that one as well. The only difference is now the fan starts to turn a little before stopping. I don't know if it was because by the time I had replaced the last capacitor, the sun had gone down and was cooling off or if the new capacitor made it move.
My wife is telling me to submit and call a professional, but I will not be defeated. Any other suggestions? The indoor unit just had the coil replaced last year and the outdoor fan motor was replaced about 5-6 years ago. The fan blade when off only spins 4-5 revolutions when pushed. Should it spin more freely? Why would the outside temp effect whether it starts on its own or not? Lots of questions and not enough experience.
Andy
Temps in Texas got real hot over the last two weeks and recently at the hottest part of the day (4-5pm) the outside heat pump fan stops working. It turns on by itself all other times of the day except those times. It is a Rheem RARL-048JEZ SN 7232 from 2009. I took off the maintenance panel and the LCD error code is blinking L23, which means the fan is not turning on (duh). I disconnected/reconnected the power from the unit at the breaker and hit the 'Test' button to reset it. Initially the unit buzzed and the fan began turning in test mode before turning off. I turned the thermostat back on and it turned on. Now, however, after the fan stops working and I open the panel to press the 'test' button and the unit only buzzes for a few seconds before stopping and the fan doesn't move. If I turn the fan manually while its buzzing it was start and cool the house (blows nice and cold). I've been doing that for days.
I read numerous forums and inspected the capacitors, but none were bulging (there are three: a small black Start Capacitor, a oval shaped Run Capacitor and a cylindrical capacitor). The black one had some crusties on the inside edge so I ordered another one online and replaced it. No fix.
My father-in-law had a spare cylindrical capacitor (same specs) that was good and I replaced that one as well. The only difference is now the fan starts to turn a little before stopping. I don't know if it was because by the time I had replaced the last capacitor, the sun had gone down and was cooling off or if the new capacitor made it move.
My wife is telling me to submit and call a professional, but I will not be defeated. Any other suggestions? The indoor unit just had the coil replaced last year and the outdoor fan motor was replaced about 5-6 years ago. The fan blade when off only spins 4-5 revolutions when pushed. Should it spin more freely? Why would the outside temp effect whether it starts on its own or not? Lots of questions and not enough experience.
Andy
#2
Welcome to the forums.
Since replacing the cap didn't solve the problem it leaves a defective fan motor. As the motor heats up the bearings start to seize. This problem is accentuated when the ambient air is hot.
Since replacing the cap didn't solve the problem it leaves a defective fan motor. As the motor heats up the bearings start to seize. This problem is accentuated when the ambient air is hot.
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I've got a new motor on order. I tried to see if there was any way to lubricate the bearings in the motor, but could not get the fan blade off. I unscrewed the locking bolt and got the fan to move a little, but it would not slide off of the post. I didn't want to damage the blades so I didn't use a lot of force. Any tricks to get it to budge without warping the blades?
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Motor came on Saturday and A/C is purring like a panther. Torch didn’t work for me, but with a crescent wrench on the shaft and spinning the fan around the shaft for about 5 mins loosened it enough. Thanks all for the suggestions.