# Question about replacement parts for a Bryant furnace.



## sparkey (Feb 25, 2009)

I have a Bryant 90i 355MAV and the inducer motor has gotten loud. Is there a place to buy just a replacement motor and not the complete assembly? I called the dealer and they want about $1000 to fix it. Ouch! The motor is a GE ECM motor part number 5SME44 JG2001A and another number on the motor is HC23E116.

Thanks,
Sparkey


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## yuri (Nov 29, 2008)

That unit is a specially balanced and assembled unit with no replacement motor. Those suckers spin at over 3000 rpm and the impeller has to be specially attached at the factory. That unit is very expensive (my cost) and takes up to 2 hrs to replace. My co. would sell it for approx that price.


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## chard (Feb 3, 2009)

Sorry, Sparkey. No one will be able to get that part for you. The MFR. of that motor specifically made it for Bryant, sold only to Bryant and Bryant suppliers/dealers, and you won't find it anywhere else.:no:


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

This is why customers should get the 10 year parts and labor warranty.


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## yuri (Nov 29, 2008)

Why the heck did they put an ECM ventor motor in it in the first place? 2 stage furnace so a regular motor who have worked fine and I checked the amps draw and it was the same. Overkill.


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## gsistore (Sep 25, 2008)

Hi Sparkey, maybe we can help you, contact us at gsistore and see if the sales can give you a quote.


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## sparkey (Feb 25, 2009)

gsistore,
I did get a price so thank you for that. 

Before I order one of these can someone tell me if it is hard to change? I did see a post in this forum where someone replaced theirs but they had to modify it. See link below post #2.

http://www.diychatroom.com/f17/bryant-inducer-motor-12147/

Thanks,
Sparkey


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## yuri (Nov 29, 2008)

Post a pic of it. If it is the one I am thinking of it is difficult and a real pain in the azz to change. Has a tiny gasket at the back which CANNOT be damaged and needs sealing with RTV silicone. Also very easy to damage the vacuum lines etc. An experienced Bryant guy may be the best choice.


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## sparkey (Feb 25, 2009)

This may be a better picture than I can take because it shows all sides.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Bryant-355MAV-9...ptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

If it would still help, I can take and post a picture.

Thanks,
Sparkey


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## yuri (Nov 29, 2008)

I have replaced several of them and they are quite difficult and I am not exaggerating. I do this for a living and that is one of the more difficult ones. This particular one is used/damaged/patched with white silicone and is junk!! Unless you are a very good auto mechanic who is used to working with delicate items and has good logic skills I would get a Pro to do it. If it then leaks etc a good co. will warranty their work. Not everything is DIY friendly. I can talk you thru it but you may regret tackling that unit.


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## yuri (Nov 29, 2008)

How old is the furnace? Post the serial # and I can tell you. Carrier/Bryant/Payne are all the same co. Where I am most of those units had a 10 yr warranty. Check the owners manual or phone Bryant. You might get it replaced by a dealer and pay the labor.


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## sparkey (Feb 25, 2009)

It's about 7 years old. The SN is 3501A12557 if I have the right number. I found that number on a sticker on the inside left of the furnice. 

Thanks
Sparkey


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## yuri (Nov 29, 2008)

01A = 2001 January. Different areas sold them with different warranties, you need to find that info.

Good Luck


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## Yoyizit (Jul 11, 2008)

If you can get the CFM specs on the motor, you might be able to find a mechanically equivalent assembly at 10% or 1% of the manuf. cost, but you may have to pay attention to safety in this application.

I'd come up with candidate replacements/ideas and have this forum critique them.

CFM should correlate well to the amp. draw of the motor (supply voltage being equal). Measure the amps and volts while it still works.

You also might want to check pressure/vacuum afterwards to make sure the installed assembly meets system specs. For that kind of bucks you can buy some HVAC test instruments and still make out.

And a starter motor costs $50 but a Harley-Davidson starter motor costs $500.


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## yuri (Nov 29, 2008)

Impossible. That is an ECM, electronically commutated motor which is voltage/speed controlled by the computer/circuit board. Nice idea but gas furnaces are not DIY chemistry projects, and those explode.


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## sparkey (Feb 25, 2009)

It is my understanding that I did not get the 10 year warranty.


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## yuri (Nov 29, 2008)

:huh:Bummer. How bad is the noise. I have had them be noisy because the metal plate above the motor rattles. Some of those units are prone to vibration from day one. If not too bad you may want to let it go for awhile so you get more use/$$ worth from it. It is a bugger to replace so beware.


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## sparkey (Feb 25, 2009)

It has been a problem for a couple of years and it started just out of the 3 year warranty. I had the person who installed it and does our yearly service (authorized dealer) check it out when it first started and I thought it was OK for a while. I did notice what sounded like a distant jet plane sound in the bedroom when the furnace was running and it took me a while to figure it out because it was quiet by the furnace. Anyway, I found the problem to be the vibration of the motor vibrating the gas pipe running in the floors and making noise between the gas pipe and the metal clips that support the pipe in the floor. I did some things to reduce the vibration but ended up coupling the pipe to the floor so it couldn’t rattle but it would some times vibrate things like light pots and pans on the stove which is directly about where I coupled the pipe to the floor. Just a month ago for the yearly checkup, I had a piece of flexible pipe installed to the furnace to break the vibration in the gas pipe. 

With the above story, it probably sounds worse than it is… I did turn the motor with my finger and can feel something there in the motor that is not smooth and is not right. It does make some noise and it bothers me because I know something is wrong and running a motor with a bad bearing or something out of balance is only going to get worse and fail some day. Right now I like the $1000 more than fixing the noise but if it fails I’ll like the heat more than the $1000. 

That’s why I’m here to see if I can get something cheaper and fix it myself because right now it’s working and the problem has been going on for a while and it may go for a couple of more years.

Sparky


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## yuri (Nov 29, 2008)

Like I said, it is difficult to change because of all the hoses attached to it and the difficult way it has to attach at the back etc. Sometimes the hoses to the trap crack and you have an even bigger job. Such is life.


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## Yoyizit (Jul 11, 2008)

yuri said:


> Impossible. That is an ECM, electronically commutated motor which is voltage/speed controlled by the computer/circuit board. Nice idea but gas furnaces are not DIY chemistry projects, and those explode.


No DIY


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## fiat1200 (Mar 15, 2011)

*dan*

Check the 4 small, rubber grommets that hold the motor to the inducer. They deteriorate with time and caused the motor to be uneven and run noisely. I bought some rubber washers and installed them and then adjusted the screws until the motor was balanced which running. Has worked for 3 years and saved $750.00


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## heatycooly (Mar 11, 2011)

A 355 bryant furnace that is 10 years old most likely has a cracked heat exchanger I would look at replacing the furnace before putting all that money into it I sell the replacement motor for $400 installed it only takes about 20 minutes to change but you have to be careful to make sure the drains and pressure switch hoses are connected properly. to check the heat exchanger pull the high limit switch and look at the first dimple with a flashlight that's where it usually cracks on both sides


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