Need AC help

[Aerovette]

My upstairs AC quit. It will kick on, but the fan outside didn't want to start. It was off all night and today I took a look at it. If I push in the relay, the compressor starts but the fan runs BACKWARDS. If I start it turning the right way and push in the contact, it continues the right way.

I ordered a new cap because it didn't start at all before, but I learned this unit shares the cap with the compressor and the compressor starts fine.

Any ideas?

[04 commemorative]

nope

[Stevedore]

Sounds like a dual capacitor, so maybe just the fan part is bad?

[Aerovette]

Originally Posted by Stevedore

Sounds like a dual capacitor, so maybe just the fan part is bad?

Is that possible? I thought caps were all or nothing.

This is it...

[Stevedore]

Originally Posted by aerovette

Is that possible? I thought caps were all or nothing.

This is it...

If it has 2 different mfd values on it (looks like it does..), it's 2 capacitors in one can. Should be 3 terminals on it?

[snide]

Keep the Great Stuff away from your AC unit.

[Bill]

Since there's already a thread going, I need help too. Came home to downstairs hot...like 85 hot. I had bumped it up this morning because I woke up cold. OK, no problem, bumped it down, noticed no cool air, outside, the condensor is throwing off cool air, not hot air like the upstairs unit. Damn.



I have the old, canister style capacitor, and it has apparently leaked some kind of super sticky stuff out of it. Looks like it got hot and burned a wire off. What is the sticky stuff? It took a scouring pad to get it off my fingers? Am I gonna die?

Would this let my fan run but not the condenser?

[Bill]

capacitor that must have gotten hot

[Aerovette]

Originally Posted by bill_daniels

Since there's already a thread going, I need help too. Came home to downstairs hot...like 85 hot. I had bumped it up this morning because I woke up cold. OK, no problem, bumped it down, noticed no cool air, outside, the condensor is throwing off cool air, not hot air like the upstairs unit. Damn.



I have the old, canister style capacitor, and it has apparently leaked some kind of super sticky stuff out of it. Looks like it got hot and burned a wire off. What is the sticky stuff? It took a scouring pad to get it off my fingers? Am I gonna die?

Would this let my fan run but not the condenser?

The sticky suff is the dialectric inside. Definitely you need a new cap.

I have a similar issue. Even with mine temporarily running by starting the fan manually, the air blowing out of the outside unit doesn't seem very hot. It's not exchanging much heat.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by aerovette

The sticky stuff is the dialectric inside. Definitely you need a new cap.

I have a similar issue. Even with mine temporarily running by starting the fan manually, the air blowing out of the outside unit doesn't seem very hot. It's not exchanging much heat.

You're kicking the compressor on manually and still not getting cold air? Did it quit all the sudden, or have you noticed it not blowing quite as cold as it normally would?

Perhaps you're low on freon, too? I'm hoping that's not the case for me, because my unit is original and has the old freon (read: super expensive).

Keep us posted.

[Aerovette]

Originally Posted by bill_daniels

You're kicking the compressor on manually and still not getting cold air? Did it quit all the sudden, or have you noticed it not blowing quite as cold as it normally would?

Perhaps you're low on freon, too? I'm hoping that's not the case for me, because my unit is original and has the old freon (read: super expensive).

Keep us posted.

It is blowing cool air in the house, BUT it has taken HOURS to go from 80 to 74. I walked outside and felt the air coming from the outside unit and compared it to the unit sitting next to it for downstairs, and one is blowing very hot air, the other is blowing moderately warm air. The faulty one is blowing warmish air from the outside unit.

[mrvette]

Originally Posted by aerovette

It is blowing cool air in the house, BUT it has taken HOURS to go from 80 to 74. I walked outside and felt the air coming from the outside unit and compared it to the unit sitting next to it for downstairs, and one is blowing very hot air, the other is blowing moderately warm air. The faulty one is blowing warmish air from the outside unit.

The pix above of that burnt cap, it's the terminal that pushes on that got corroded and so it got very hot and wiped out the cap and of course the wire/terminal....I had the same thing on the fuel pump in back of my vette, and it gave me troubles, I was too lazy to get out the soldering iron and do it right though.....you need to do that, with the new cap.....if you can't solder, just do what the stock setup was with new parts....cut/splice wire with wire nut....

the compressor is not running because the start cap is no good/not in circuit, same thing as the fan motor.....

[Aerovette]

Originally Posted by mrvette

the compressor is not running because the start cap is no good/not in circuit, same thing as the fan motor.....

You are confusing two issues. You quoted me and address Bill's picture.

[Cybercowboy]

There are two values for the capacitor in your picture aerovette. 35 uF and 5 uF. That's two different caps. Probably the 5 uF is blown and that's messing up your fan. The 35 uF cap isn't blown, assuming that's the one the compressor uses.

[Aerovette]

Originally Posted by Cybercowboy

There are two values for the capacitor in your picture aerovette. 35 uF and 5 uF. That's two different caps. Probably the 5 uF is blown and that's messing up your fan. The 35 uF cap isn't blown, assuming that's the one the compressor uses.

This is the first time I've seen one cap for two motors. Interesting idea until it goes bad.

The good news:

Amazon Prime delivered my $10.00 cap and I am up and running...in the right direction. Kicks on quickly and quietly.

[StaticCling]

Originally Posted by bill_daniels

flux capacitor that must have gotten hot

interesting.

[Aerovette]

May have spoken too soon. It took it from 79 to 76 pretty quick but it doesn't want to get below 76 with the t-stat set on 71.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by aerovette

This is the first time I've seen one cap for two motors. Interesting idea until it goes bad.

The good news:

Amazon Prime delivered my $10.00 cap and I am up and running...in the right direction. Kicks on quickly and quietly.

My a/c guy never called me back, so I went to the local parts house and bought one, 45 5 370v. $ 24 drive out with a bag of connectors, and my cap is made in USA. Seems to be working fine.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by aerovette

May have spoken too soon. It took it from 79 to 76 pretty quick but it doesn't want to get below 76 with the t-stat set on 71.

71? Are you hanging meat in there? I keep mine about 78, but now that I have Mom with me she likes it warmer, so it's 80-81 during the day when I'm gone.

[Aerovette]

Originally Posted by bill_daniels

71? Are you hanging meat in there? I keep mine about 78, but now that I have Mom with me she likes it warmer, so it's 80-81 during the day when I'm gone.

It was a test.

If I set it on 74 it holds all day. No problem.

If I turn it down to 73, it actually goes UP to 75.