Went to an estate sale of an incredible packrat. Saw some really
amazing crap like a lot of flat belt drive (like in old factories)
mills, grinders etc. All in bad shape from years of neglect and
sitting in an unheated barn.

I picked up a gearmotor, with a GE motor, 115v, weight maybe 10 lbs.

It would not start when connected to 115v. It hums and does not start
spinning. However, if I give the output low speed shaft a turn with
pliers, it starts spinning and keeps spinning.

The motor does not have a visible hump for a capacitor.

So, my thinking goes, either there is a cap inside the motor that is
bad, or , perhaps, the motor is of the kind that does not require a
capacitor and has only minimum torque at stall, and somehow there is
some stuckage in the motor bearings or gears. Possibly the weather is
cold and the gear lubricant is too thick.

any ideas, thanks, i

i