# York G8C Furnace



## G8CHelp (Jan 16, 2010)

Hello, I have a question regarding the York G8C Furnace Unit. I have had a york specialist come out to my home twice and it has cost me a fortune each time. My question to you is that when I turn the thermostat on for heat it use to just pop on. No problems. Now when I turn it on it stalls and from there I can hear the heat blower going then it stops. From there all I hear is the fan blowing. So when I called the specialist it took him like 2 hours just to diagnose the problems and he stated that I need a switch because the light on the board was blinking 4 times which means that there was an auxillary spill. So he brought the new switch which my understanding cost them like $9 but I end paying a little over $200 in labor and cost, thats another story. He put the new switch in and the unit worked until like the very next night. Once again it stopped and we were back to square one. What could possibly be the issue with my unit? Within in the past few weeks I have had the coil replaced as well as the fan motor and a new thermostat.

The first time they came out they replace the fan motor and some other coil because that the AC unit had a block of ice around the compressor unit.

I am grateful for any help...Attached are images of my unit.


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## G8CHelp (Jan 16, 2010)

By the way, another note is when the heat was on it stayed on and it did not turn off. So normally it would turn off and then turn right back on which was strange. Even when we shut it off the unit seems like something is running.


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## marchvac (Nov 29, 2009)

Need to know gas pressure and temp rise. How long have you had the furnace with no problems. Did you install an expensive 3M filter. Are all the supply registers open.


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## G8CHelp (Jan 16, 2010)

Hello marchvac,

The house was built in 2005 and the unit stopped working a week ago. I installed a regular filter on 2 outgoing vents. Generic filters I bought at Lowes Home Improvement. Actually these are the same filters that I buy for the unit every 3 months. Not sure about the gas pressure and temp rising. Explain to me what I need to do to get that information for you. Buy the way, at one point when I tried to turn the unit on there was a crazy smell that came out the vents. Does my unit have a filter on the inside of it that I might need to clean or change?


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

Part of the problem might be the crappy way they connected that flex duct directly to the bottom of the furnace.
Its also kinking, so its restricting air flow.
What do you mean air filters in the outlets? Air filters belong on the return only. 
If you have no air filter on your return. You probably have a dirty A/C coil. And that will cause it to trip the high limit.



PS: Please post pics in an upright manor. Makes it much easier.


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## G8CHelp (Jan 16, 2010)

beenthere said:


> Part of the problem might be the crappy way they connected that flex duct directly to the bottom of the furnace.
> Its also kinking, so its restricting air flow.
> What do you mean air filters in the outlets? Air filters belong on the return only.
> If you have no air filter on your return. You probably have a dirty A/C coil. And that will cause it to trip the high limit.
> ...



Hello beenthere,

I am not an expert when it comes to HVAC, but Tech User marchvac asked me about the filters and I responded by stated that I replaced the filter on the "outgoing vents" (I have one located downstairs and another upstairs). Now I assume that the tech name is return. But I needed to know if my unit has a filter inside of it that might need replacement or cleaning. Looking at other postings that other people wrote, they stated that the filter might be dirty. Also on your comment about the upright manor, I was standing up the hold time. The unit is actually positioned on its side. Hope this helps...Any thoughts or comments?


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

That unit is not designed to have an air filter inside of it. So there should not be any air filter in the furnace.

Your return connection is crappy, and too restrictive. Doesn't matter who installed it. It is not a proper connection. It has been leading to a problem since it was installed. And may be the cause of your problem. You may have a cracked heat exchanger because of that.

Or, you could be lucky at the moment, and it be a restricted flue pipe/chimney.


And yes. Outgoing vents would be supplies(air going out to house), not returns(air going into furnace).

Check your flue pipe and chimney.
Also have your heat exchanger checked for cracks.
I would call that company back. And talk to the service manager, or owner. And tell them their guy did not fix the furnace. And you either want the money back for the service call(minus part and some labor), or then to come out and find out whats really wrong. For no service sharge.

But will pay for repair, when they find the real problem.


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## G8CHelp (Jan 16, 2010)

*I really need help!*

Here are more pictures of the unit..


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## G8CHelp (Jan 16, 2010)

G8CHelp said:


> Here are more pictures of the unit / flue pipe/chimney..



The unit starts up and runs for about 2 minutes blowing heat out of the heads (last image). The unit does not have any filters and also a musky smell came out of the vents. We have been in the house for 2 years and we have never smelled anything like that. Any options or thoughts...I really need to fix this..


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

After the burners ignite.
Watch it. And when the blower comes on. See if the flames move a lot.

Is it giving any more codes.


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## G8CHelp (Jan 16, 2010)

The blower comes on first for about 5 sec then the burners ignite. They stay on for about 2 to 3 minutes then they shut off and the blower continues to run until I turn the thermostat off. There are no more codes except for the blinking 4 times which means that there was an auxillary spill.


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## kennzz05 (Nov 11, 2008)

i think you need to call another co. dosent have to be a york "specilist" that install is truly crappy as beenthere said. they put as little effort into the ducting of that unit as possible im sure there was no permit pulled or you live in an area where codes are lax


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

G8CHelp said:


> The blower comes on first for about 5 sec then the burners ignite. They stay on for about 2 to 3 minutes then they shut off and the blower continues to run until I turn the thermostat off. There are no more codes except for the blinking 4 times which means that there was an auxillary spill.


Its the inducer that comes on first, not the blower.
The blower is what "blows" air through the furnace and into your house.


So are you calling the inducer, the "blower". 
Does the "blower" come on and blow air into the house.


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## G8CHelp (Jan 16, 2010)

The installation manual states that it is a vent blower on page 10. (I have no problem with this so far since that seems to be the only thing working.) The burners are not staying on which produce the heat that I need. 

York G8C Manual (http://www.yorkupg.com/NewInfo.asp?id=38&t=r&PID=5)

The flue pipe/chimney looks clean, no problem there.
A new coil and a switch has been put on.
I even bought a new thermostat.

I am all out of options and I really want to try to repair this myself before calling another York technician to charge me to diagnose the unit and find out something that the last technician told me.

Attached is a picture of page 10 in the manual, any other options that I need to check?


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

Its an inducer. Calling it that, helps us know what your talking about.

Do you have a temp probe that you can check the discharge air temp.

Has anyone checked the blowers(blows air through the house) capacitor. A weak capacitor can cause teh blower to spin slow and allow the furnace to get too hot. And trip limits.


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## G8CHelp (Jan 16, 2010)

I think I might have a temp probe of when the housebuilder originally installed the unit. They left equipment next to the unit itself. the blower does not seem to blow slow. It sounds really fast to me. A capacitor was also one of the things that was replaced as well. So it can't be that. Any other options?


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

Are you sure the blower isn't spinning in the wrong direction.


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## G8CHelp (Jan 16, 2010)

The blower is not blowing the wrong way to my knowledge. Like I stated before, we have never had any trouble with the unit since last summer and the unit is only 5 years old. What would cause the blower to spin in the opposite direction anyway? Any other options?


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## Marty S. (Oct 31, 2009)

How long do the burners stay on before there's an error? What does the error code say right when the burners go out? 
Old coil was probably for a 10 SEER system and the new one is for a 13 SEER. The way your duct is configured wont allow enouh air through the denser coil and the furnace is over heating. Checking the temp rise as suggested will tell you. A thermometer is less then $10. A meter so you can check voltages,amp draws, micro amps and temperature is about $130. You're going to need at least a few tools to do diagnostic and the meter is a must if you really want to find the problem.


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

Weak capacitor.


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## Marty S. (Oct 31, 2009)

beenthere said:


> Weak capacitor.


 LOL . Once I went to a no cool call and the condensor fan motor was spinning backwards . First and only time I saw a weak capacitor do that but it does happen.


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

Marty S. said:


> LOL . Once I went to a no cool call and the condensor fan motor was spinning backwards . First and only time I saw a weak capacitor do that but it does happen.



Until someone see's it for the first time. They usually don't believe it can happen.


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## G8CHelp (Jan 16, 2010)

So is it possible that the technician bought a brand new capacitor and it was weak? If so, how could I avoid from buying another faulty/weak capacitor? Is there anything I should look for? Which way should the blower spin, clockwise or counter-clockwise?


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

Counter clock wise at the bell end.

Its possible the one he put in went bad. Could be your motor is having a problem. And damaged the new capacitor.


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## G8CHelp (Jan 16, 2010)

So I decided to turn the unit on and it sounds like it trying to start up and then after 2 - 3 minutes the only thing I can hear is the fan blowing after the heat exchangers stop. So I turned the thermostat off. I waste a little time doing some things around the house and I notice that it sounds like it is still trying to run. I hear it turning on and then off. Wait another 20 seconds, it does it again. But the thermostat is set to off. Every hear of that?


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

What thermostat do you have. brand and model number.


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## Marty S. (Oct 31, 2009)

You'll have to take the panel off of the blower compartment and look at the blower wheel to determine CW or CCW. It will have a concave side on every fin and a convex side. The concanve side should lead the rotation so it catches the air and throws it. Carefull not to get zapped while you have the cover off and are checking rotation since the circuits will have to be hot for the motor to run. 
Capacitor will get checked using the mfd function of the above multimeter.


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## G8CHelp (Jan 16, 2010)

beenthere: The model is a Carrier (http://www.commercial.carrier.com/c...scription/0,,CLI1_DIV12_ETI434_PRD757,00.html) I have another upstairs as well. I even tried to switch them to see if I had a faulty thermostat and they both work on my unit upstairs. This was right after I was told by the technician that I needed a new thermostat, so I bought one. (Touch-screen) Then I took it off and put the Carrier one back on. Now I have 3 working thermostats.

MartyS.: The blower is spinning counter-clockwise. On the first page is a second set of images that I took. It should be the first row, second image. You can see the grooves on the spinner.


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

G8CHelp said:


> beenthere:
> 
> MartyS.: The blower is spinning counter-clockwise. On the first page is a second set of images that I took. It should be the first row, second image. You can see the grooves on the spinner.



Thats the inducer. Not the blower.
Not the blower.

The BLOWER is what "blows" air through the furnace and into your house.

The INDUCER that is in the pic. Only creates an draft through the furnace.

Do you have air blowing out your registers in the house.


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## Marty S. (Oct 31, 2009)

The blower is behind that panel the circuit board is mounted on.


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## G8CHelp (Jan 16, 2010)

I will open the panel up and take a couple of pictures to show you guys whats going on behind that panel. I will also see which way the blower is running as well.


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## G8CHelp (Jan 16, 2010)

Here are the latest pics that I took. So this is what I found. I stated the unit up and the inducer comes on first then the heat exchangers light up but no blower. I looked at the bottom and notice that the blower does not even turn. Then the light on the on the panel starts to blink 4 time (Auxillary spill) and I am back to square one. Any thought?


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

Turn the fan switch on the stat to on. And see if the fan runs then.

You'll need a meter to determine what is wrong as far as if its the board or the blower motor that is not working right.


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## G8CHelp (Jan 16, 2010)

I started by turning the unit on because I was not sure if the fan was set to "on" or not on the t-stat. So I let it run and it did what it normally does in the which the inducer starts and then the heat exchangers, then it turns off and the light on the board blinks 4 times (Auxillary Spill). So when I opened the panel, there was a small amount of heat that came out but I noticed that the fan was still in the same place. So the next time I tried it again and I let it run for about 3 to 4 minutes and then check and sure enough the fan was not spinning and sitting in the same spot. Now before this issue occurred, I spelled a musky spell coming through the vents and before that was an electrical smell. Any thoughts?


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## Marty S. (Oct 31, 2009)

First turn the power off and try to spin the blower wheel by hand. If it's rubbing on the housing you'll need to reposition the wheel on the shaft and tighten the set screw.
If it spins freely follow the wires back from the blower in the last picture to the circuit board that was mounted on the panel covering it. One wire will be hooked up to a cooling speed, one to a heating speed, at least one unused and a white going to common. Take the heating speed wire off of the board and connect it to the line voltage coming into the board. Turn the power back on for a second. If the motor spins then the problem is the control board. If it doesn't spin then the capacitor or motor is bad. Buy both and replace the capacitor first. If the motor runs with the new capacitor take the unopened motor back for a refund. If the cap doesn't do the trick replace the motor, still use the new capacitor.


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## G8CHelp (Jan 16, 2010)

I spinned the wheel and it does not seem to rub. Is it suppose to spin freely (Like spinning a tire on a bicycle) because it does not spin that way but it spins? I am confused on the instructions so I shot another photo to show you the connections. Should I just go and buy both the motor and capacitor since we have narrowed it down? Or should I wait because there might be an issue with the board? Any places in Frisco or Plano Texas that I should be calling for to see if the parts are available? What do I need to give them since the unit is under warranty?

I found this place which is not that far from my house:
http://www.johnsonsupply.com/default.aspx?menuitemid=910&menugroup=__newHome2


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## G8CHelp (Jan 16, 2010)

Hey guys, I am not a happy person right now. So I went ahead and called the York Technician out and the company sent their Sr. Technician and he got my heat going in no time. He stated that I have a 3 speed motor and that the medium speed went out. So he stated in order to heat my house that he set my motor on the highest speed and that I would need a new motor as soon as possible because he had to unhook my fan terminal in order to give me the highest speed.

So the motor has 3 speeds:
1. Low Speed - No Draft and if you just want it warm
2. Medium Speed - What normal homes have set
3. High Speed - Normally set for a home with a lot of rooms.

After the Sr. Technician looked at it and brought the invoice bill, it was for $294 for about 45 minutes to a hour worth of looking and diagnosing. So I called the General Manager and he explained to me that since this was not existing job that they did, they charged me a service charge, weekend fee, and I had to pay for the Sr. Technician's Labor. So at this time I am furious because of the money I had to pay for such little time so I called him and asked him to come out and he did. He explained to me what the issues I was having with the Blower and that it is set to high and my fan is working. He actually pulled the panel off and walked me though all the steps and he stated that at the moment that I would not need a blower motor but he recommended that I go ahead and purchase it since I am under warranty. He even offered to go ahead and purchase the blower motor and store it if I did not but right at the moment, but just in case the warranty expires on the unit and I wanted it in the future.

In all, my unit is working at the moment and I will need a new blower motor since the medium speed is out. He stated that my electric bill might spike a little, but nothing out of the ordinary. I asked him about the fan terminal being unhooked and he showed me that it was not unhooked and if I wanted to turn the fan on that it should work.

Marty S. and beenthere - Any thoughts on the situation??


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

I'd of had him put a new motor in while he was there. Its under warranty.

Now. If you have them come out again to change it out. You end up paying for another service call.

It happens that a speed winding ends up going out.

But. If this is the same company you had ouot before that just changed the motors run cap. The motor is what took out the run cap and should have been checked for trouble during that service call. 
It was probably drawing a high amp then already.


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## G8CHelp (Jan 16, 2010)

Do you think it would be wise to go ahead and change it myself or call the technician? He stated that he would have to order the part and to see first it was in warranty first before he could do anything.


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

If its in warranty, change it.

that furnace has a 5 year part warranty. is it less then 5 years old.


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## G8CHelp (Jan 16, 2010)

Yes, house was built in 2005. So I should change the part out and save myself money by let a technician do it?


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## Marty S. (Oct 31, 2009)

I think you should let a tech do it. Should have called on a weekday and had him fix it while there.


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

Should have had him do it while he was there.

N o way to tell how long the motor will last.

Despite what he said. If it fails after the warranty period. Doesn't matter what he said. You'll probably end up paying for a new motor.

Don't be insulted. But, you may not be technically inclined for changing the motor yourself.

Your call.


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## G8CHelp (Jan 16, 2010)

Thanks Marty S. and beenthere, I will keep you posted on the outcome. He stated that he would call me tomorrow to tell me if the part is under warranty of not. As soon as I find out more information I will let you know.


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