Help! A/C Not Turning On

[xxsn0blindxx]

Got home this afternoon and noticed it was hot inside and the air coming from the vents wasn't cold. I looked outside and the A/C fan wasn't running. I thought the thermostat might be acting funny so I took it off (digital honeywell) and shorted the R terminal to the Y. That made the blower fan come back on, but the A/C condenser fan still wouldn't run. I checked the breaker panel in the basement and nothing was tripped, but I switched the A/C break off and on just in case. Any ideas what to check next?

[xxsn0blindxx]

Ok I went out side and noticed the fan motor was really hot. It had also been making noise for quite a while so no suprise there I guess. Anybody know if somewhere local would carry a replacement motor for a Carrier Model 38TUA030300?

[Holeshot]

Im sure Brad can help you out .

[xxsn0blindxx]

Yeah I was hoping he would see this thread. The failed motor part number is HC33GE232A.

[LIL EVO]

I used to have a fan that wouldnt spin unless you used a little stick to push the blades and jump start it

[xxsn0blindxx]

Yeah I actually tried that too, but the motor spins smoothly and freely it's just incredibly hot and not working. It has been noisy for the last year or so likely because it isn't level. I don't know how old the unit is, but the house is 24 years old.

[Lash]

Do you still hear the compressor kick on?

Grainger carries replacment fan motors, and most HVAC parts stores. It might be tough to find one on a Sunday. To get yourself through Sunday, if your compressor is still working you can just string out a cord and put a big box fan on top of it to get air through the coils just as the condenser fan would.
It'll get you by and is just a temporary fix.

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/wwg/search.shtml?searchQuery=Carrier+replacement+motor&op=search&Ntt=Carrier+replacement+motor&N=0&sst=subset

http://auersteel.com/

http://www.johnstonesupply.com/storefront/motors/motors/hvac/condenser-fan-motors/single-phase/open-air-over/c1027339-c1026802-c1026900-c1027969-c1027429-c1027178-p1.html

[xxsn0blindxx]

Damn, I'm pretty sure the comprssor isn't working either. I checked it yesterday and it made a noise when turned on so I assumed it was working. I tried turning it on today while running the box fans and it made that same noise as yesterday but just for a second and stopped. The heat exchanger isn't getting hot and the air temp coming out of the vents isn't cold. In retrospect I think I was just happy to hear the compressor makea noise when turned on, but it wasn't really a good sounding noise. It kind of sounded like that electrical noise when a motor wants to turn but can't, like when you barely pull the trigger on a drill and it makes that loud humming noise. Is it safe to say this thing is done for and I should go shop for a new A/C system or is this something an HVAC tech could fix without costing more than its worth?

[Lash]

It could just be a run cap, but thats just a guess, I'm not big on resi service. Most places will charge $100-200 for a new cap.

[awsomeears]

I'm calling you right now !

[xxsn0blindxx]

Is this bad? :goof Thanks all for the help. And a special thanks to Brad who gave me step by step instructions on how to get at and check the capacitor when I told him I was going to check that next. If this doesn't fix it I'm definitely calling him in and will definitely recommend him to others.

http://i335.photobucket.com/albums/m451/xxsn0blindxx/House/capacitor.jpg

[awsomeears]

Yep tel tale sign its bad....

Just remember what goes on what, I'm sure there are 2 yellows on C and a Blue on Herm and Brown on Fan....

Just to let you know dual capacitors do fail when the outside A/C unit is plugged/Freon is low/Filters are Plugged ....

[xxsn0blindxx]

Ok got the new cap installed, turned the thermostat to A/C and nothing. I then took the thermostat off and jumpered the A/C and it came on. I then took the jumper off for a few seconds and tried it again and only the furnace blower turned on, not the A/C compressor and fan. A few minutes later tried jumpering it again and it turned on, WTF? Just to be sure I measured the voltage on the thermostat wires and it reads a steady 27VAC. After waiting a few more minutes I put the thermostat back on, turned it to A/C and everything worked. I repeated it 3 more times with some time in between and it worked every time. Should I be concerned that it wasn't consistently coming on at first? Could this be indicative of a different problem?

[awsomeears]

Now in your 1st sentence u say nothing happened ? No blower inside and nothing out side ?

What style of thermostat is it ?

[xxsn0blindxx]

I can't recall if I noticed the furnace blower on the first attempt as I was outside by the compressor and my wife turned it on, but the compressor did not run. The thermostat is a Honeywell digital unit.

[awsomeears]

Hard to say without looking at it....