# replaced capacitor and fan motor...still not working



## heyred (Feb 19, 2017)

My Carrier AC stopped working several days ago. I could hear a light humming from the outside unite, but would not kick on. By the way, the last few years I have had to use a screwdriver to spin the blades to "kick start the season". That no longer works. So I replaced the capacitor and fan motor. Now, I do not hear any humming OR spinning. Whats my next troubleshoot? or any thoughts on wiring I may have botched? This is my first time trying to fix AC on my own.


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## Wilbits (Mar 11, 2017)

Does the compressor start running?


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## heyred (Feb 19, 2017)

I could feel some cool air and could hear some humming before. But not since I replaced the capacitor and fan motor.


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## Wilbits (Mar 11, 2017)

Take a look at the contactor and see if it is engaged. Do you have a voltmeter?


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## heyred (Feb 19, 2017)

I think my husband has one. I will look in the shop. Can you tell me what it should read? or where to check it?


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## Wilbits (Mar 11, 2017)

Yes no problem.


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## supers05 (May 23, 2015)

Some pictures of your wiring, especially around the cap will help. 

Cheers!


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## heyred (Feb 19, 2017)

I added pics to "album" on this site. Don't know if that's the right spot or not. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks


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## Tizzer (Jul 24, 2010)

The guys here will need to know where each of these wires go to in order to see if the cap was wired correct. There is a C. , Herm and Fan marking on top of that cap.
Any information about the fan motor wiring will help also.


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## Mikel7829 (Jul 19, 2017)

Can you post a pic of the wiring schematics located on the service panel?


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## Keiv (Jul 23, 2016)

**Whatever you do, PLEASE be careful. Always verify power is off before messing around in the electrical cabinet. Capacitors will also hold a charge as well. Make sure you discharge them [with power off] by placing an insulated screw driver across the terminals to be safe**

It's a little hard to trace the wires based on the pic but, with a dual cap, you should have 3 wires coming from the motor (typically). From the motor:

- One wire should be for the capacitor (labeled Fan on the terminal of the capacitor and the wire is *usually* brown, not always).

- The other wire should be will be the hot wire going to one side of the contactor

- A third wire goes to the common side of the capacitor (labeled C at the terminal)

Some motors have more than three wires where you can hook up 2 brown wires to a single capacitor as well or even have speed taps on them. A picture of the motor nameplate would be good because they usually have a diagram drawn on them (see below for an example)


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## Keiv (Jul 23, 2016)

Also see attached image for another example. If the motor and capacitor are hooked up right, check that the contactor coil is being energized upon a call for cooling from the thermostat. Possible a safety is keeping it off. Even if you wired the motor and cap wrong, the compressor should operate unless the wiring for that got moved around (although you shouldn't let it run for too long without the fan).


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