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				HVAC - almost made it through the summer
			 
			Still hot in St. Lou 102 today - summer is not over yet. AC crapped out last night Compressor was humming and condensor fan would not spin and motor was very hot. So I changed out the motor and capacitor. Here is the result when I flipped on the thermostat. New capacitor appears to have blown instantly.  Wiring at compressor looks good. Unit is 6 years old.  Old capacitor was dead and had similar discoloration near the compressor post like the defect in the new one.  Would a locked up compressor burn out a new capacitor like that or did I wire the replacement motor wrong. Wires from motor (AO Smith) Black wire to left side of contact switch, yellow wire to right side (the side with the pull), brown to 'fan' on capacitor and brown/white to to 'common' on capacitor. I checked that the capacitors are similar. 
				__________________ Randy '87 911 Targa '17 Macan GTS | ||
|  09-01-2011, 01:03 PM | 
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| Unconstitutional Patriot Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: volunteer state 
					Posts: 5,620
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			Use a multimeter to check if you compressor is grounded.  Remove the black, red, and orange, and check each to ground.  If any shows less than 10 ohms, your compressor is toast.   However, you say the compressor was humming, so it sounds like it may be working. Did you get the right cap to match the new condenser fan motor? You're shorting out somewhere, but the condition of the compressor terminals suggest the problem is not the compressor itself. | ||
|  09-01-2011, 01:27 PM | 
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			I will check in the morning concerning the match between the new motor and new cap. The new cap matches the old one and the Johnstone rep had my new motor info when he picked my new cap. Will double check. I am heading out to check the compressor leads. 
				__________________ Randy '87 911 Targa '17 Macan GTS | ||
|  09-01-2011, 01:47 PM | 
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			On compressor C to R = .001 C to S = .002 S to R = .003 Looks good Found a good ground and received no readings on any contact via my cheapo multimeter. I assume thats a good sign? 
				__________________ Randy '87 911 Targa '17 Macan GTS | ||
|  09-01-2011, 03:16 PM | 
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| Registered Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Lawrenceville GA 30045 
					Posts: 7,384
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It means it wasn't shorted out by a lightning strike like the compressor on my basement unit's heat pump was last spring!
		 
				__________________ Mark '83 SC Targa - since 5/5/2001 '06 911 S Aerokit - from 5/2/2016 to 11/14/2018 '11 911 S w/PDK - from 7/2/2021 to ??? | ||
|  09-01-2011, 04:07 PM | 
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| UnRegistered User | 
			Good sign no shorts to ground but if your measurements are accurate and represents ohm value from winding to winding, you have a bit of a problem.   Interesting enough, they do add up. Run to common + Start to common should equal Run to Start. Did you take these readings with all the wires off the terminals at the compressor? 
				__________________ Bill K. "I started out with nothin and I still got most of it left...." 83 911 SC Guards Red (now gone) And I sold a bunch of parts I hadn't installed yet. | ||
|  09-01-2011, 04:41 PM | 
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			Yes wires were off compressor. Multimeter is very cheap - probably not very accurate. Will test in the morning with a better unit. Anything else to test?
		 Last edited by gr8fl4porsche; 09-01-2011 at 04:50 PM.. | ||
|  09-01-2011, 04:48 PM | 
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			No not yet.  Just recheck the compressor motor and the condenser fan motor. I never liked those capacitors that do both condenser fan and compressor. 
				__________________ Bill K. "I started out with nothin and I still got most of it left...." 83 911 SC Guards Red (now gone) And I sold a bunch of parts I hadn't installed yet. | ||
|  09-01-2011, 05:23 PM | 
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| Unconstitutional Patriot Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: volunteer state 
					Posts: 5,620
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			Those readings, if in ohms, seem really low.  My low-end Fluke doesn't read ohms to three decimal places.  It's been a while since I read ohms across the terminals.  I recall numbers around 3 to 5 ohms, though??? If the terminals aren't grounded, I think you are safe. Check the wiring to ensure there is nothing shorted. | ||
|  09-02-2011, 04:17 AM | 
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| Registered Join Date: May 2002 Location: St Louis 
					Posts: 4,211
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			He is probably reading 0.001 kilo ohms or 1 ohm and probably not very accurately.
		 
				__________________ Rick 88 Cab | ||
|  09-02-2011, 06:05 AM | 
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			Thanks for the help gentlemen! House is cooling nicely. I ended up installing separate caps. The new motor did not like the dual cap. 
				__________________ Randy '87 911 Targa '17 Macan GTS | ||
|  09-02-2011, 07:33 AM | 
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