Mike wrote:
Last evening, my A/C unit stopped working. I'd like to try to figure
out what died, how much it will cost to fix, and if I can do the
repairs myself.

We heard a sort of buzzing sound a few times, and when I looked out
the window, I noticed that the fan blades seemed to be turning slower
than usual. I went to the thermostat and turned off the A/C for a few
minutes. When I turned it back on, I could hear a short buzz sound at
the A/C unit, but the fan blades didn't move. The buzz sound would
repeat every 10 seconds or so, but the fan never moved.

I then turned off the A/C and flipped the breaker. I tried to spin the
fan blades with a screwdriver, and they turn freely. I checked the
service disconnect box outside the house, and all looks fine.

I'm thinking that either the fan motor died, or the compressor is
dead, or both. Any thoughts?

Someone has already mentioned blown capacitors.
Whenever severe weather comes through the area,
all the HVAC and refrigeration repair techs are
running around like ants to replace all the blown
Chinese made start and run capacitors. If repair
techs could find American made capacitors they
would be snapping them up. The problem is that
the American manufactured capacitors are usually
two to three time the price of the Chinese made
capacitors and people shop for low price.

TDD