Ac Fan Motor

Signs And Symptoms Of A Bad AC Fan Motor

The air conditioner fan is located in the condenser unit (the portion of the AC that is parked outside your home). Therefore, to determine whether or not this part is working, you’ll have to walk outside and look at the fan through the vents of the condenser unit.

Signs that your fan is having issues include the following:

• The fan won’t start even though the AC is on
• The fan won’t stop, even when you shut the AC off
• The fan turns on, yet the blades are rotating very slowly
• There’s a rattling noise coming from the condenser unit when the fan is turned on

That being said, it could be tricky to figure out whether the issue is the fan or the capacitor since the capacitor is the part that provides the energy for the fan motor to operate.

One way to know for sure is to unscrew the side panel of the condenser unit (make sure you turn off the power breaker that provides electricity to your air conditioner before you do this). The capacitor looks like a large, cylindrical battery, with cables connected to it. Its top should be flat. If it looks swollen, the issue is with the capacitor. If it’s flat, you could narrow down the malfunction to the fan.

Fixing this issue as soon as possible is crucial, since having a faulty fan can shorten the lifespan of your AC compressor, resulting in the need to replace both parts. Purchasing a new compressor is substantially more expensive than replacing the fan.