Another basement air fan blower quit!

[folivier]

Well it's my turn now. The basement air compressor blower fan just quit. This is the top one in the front basement with 2 units. The compressor starts and the coils get hot real quick but the fan doesn't come on.
My question is how to access the fan to replace it?
If I pull off the top cover there isn't enough room to see the fan. Do I have to pull the unit out? And is the tubing flexible enough to do this?
Need some advice here, feel like I can do this if I can gain access to it.
Also at what point should I just give up and go with roof airs? The last a/c repair was $450 just to solder the tubing and replace the R-22. Geez that stuff's expensive!

[fulltiming]

Forest, you should be able to open the bay door, remove the screws around the side and slide the two units out. Check to see if the fan will spin freely, if so, you may have an electric issue in with the connectors that several others have discovered. After checking and repairing any loose connections or burned wires, try the AC unit again and see if the fan runs. If not, try replacing the start capacitor first (about $10-15). If the fan will not turn easily, you are looking at a new fan.

[folivier]

Thanks, I've been reading the recent threads about these same problems. I just wanted to make sure that the tubing would have enough slack for the units to slide out. Guess I know what I'll be doing this weekend.

[fulltiming]

Slide it open carefully to make sure it isn't binding BUT it should slide out without affecting the tubing.

[zcasa]

Hey Forest, I watched a guy slide out the top one next to my driver's side one time, and he had one of those plastic crates on the ground and a five gallon bucket on top of that. The a/c slid right on top of the five gallon bucket and he was able to take the top off of it that way without having to lift the thing. Seemed like he had done it before. Didn't look too stable to me, but if it doesn't get bumped, it does the job. They are pretty darn heavy and awkward. Should you have to remove the motor, mine requires a very long allen wrench to loosen the squirrel cage from the motor. Tuga posted the exact motor # and supply chain on an earlier posting. Make sure electricity is off and I always leave my invertor off. I just hate those now I remember moments.

David

[folivier]

OK got the fan motor out (thanks for the encouragement). Motor will not run with 120v hooked direct, hums loudly and gets hot. Here are the specs: Emerson model K33HXCDK-929
HP 1/6
volt 115 hz 60 amp 2.9 PH 1
rpm 1650 thermally protected
cust pt no 3103626.002 mfg
no. J91 8
ins cl b 40deg air over
cont frame
7.5 MFD 370 vac capacitor

I'll go by my local electric motor rebuilder tomorrow and see if he can rebuild it. I'll try and order a new one also that way I'll have one spare.

[fulltiming]

Good job Forest. If shouldn't be hard to find someone to rebuild your motor. I presume you tried to give it a spin (don't use you finger unless you have a spare one sitting in your toolbox) to get it started. A bad start capacitor is used on those and sometimes a faulty capacitor will cause it to stall and get hot.

[tuga]

Forest,

If you can, buy a couple of fan motors; one as a spare. A service tech @ Newell told me that the reason the motors burn up is because they need oil and it is a pain to oil the motors annually. As long as they are oiled they won't fail.

It was funny; the same 2 AC units would burn condensor fan motors (the front & the middle) the bedroom AC ran for 8 years with no trouble! Go figure! That kind of shoots the "oil every year theroy" to pot! Who knows! I'm just repeating what I was told.

[folivier]

Hey Tuga, I guess it's because the bedroom AC is easier to get to, so no point in that one failing!
Congrats on your sale, are you looking again or just gonna wait a while?

[tuga]

I think that I am going to wait about 3 years (if I can hold out that long). Maybe by then the prices on the 04 & 05 will be down in my price range.

[folivier]

Just ordered a motor from Newell, should be here early next week. Also ordered a spare from Dave Holmes (he doesn't take credit cards so have to mail him a check, that'll be my spare). I'll post on how it goes next week. Dave did say that he has found a compressor that will work and other parts are still available.

[GORDON HUMMEL]

Forest
Glad you have got things under control. I would have posted sooner, but I've been out of town & didn't have internet access. Be thankful it was not the lower unit, which is about 5 times harder to work on.
I would suggest you check the wiring on the lower unit & make sure the wire nuts are tight; rear unit also.