jamesgangnc wrote:
On May 3, 10:13 pm, brassplyer wrote:
Trane central air unit quit doing its thing (recently made another
post about it) and I finally cracked open the housing.

Here are some pics - front and rear of a capacitor and a pano of the
electronics. Am I mistaken or is the cap leaking stuff out that it's
not supposed to be leaking? If so, under what heading in the yellow
pages should I be looking for replacement pieces?

http://www.fileden.com/files/2010/3/.../cap_front.jpg

http://www.fileden.com/files/2010/3/...4/cap_rear.jpg

http://www.fileden.com/files/2010/3/...lectronics.jpg

Anything else you see that stands out as being obviously bad or
suspicious? I can take closeups of anything you want a better look at.

Thanks for all input.

Looks like a heat pump to me? Isn't that a defrost board?

Most hvac supply places won't give you much grief if you just show up
with a cap and ask for a new one. Don't start asking them
troubleshooting questions though. See if you have a johnstons, they
carry a lot of stuff.

Johnstones in Sioux Falls, SD, Appleton, Wisconsin, Fargo ND, and Sioux
City Iowa all have large commercial signs on the front entrance that
says Licensed and wholesale only. I assume those signs are nationwide
and are enforced. There is also a minimum purchase price and only to
account holders. Maybe your sister might be laying it out to a
counterman that can get it for you?

I think that's the fan cap though so while it might be leaking a bit
it's not your main problem. Use a vom to check and make sure you have
240 vac on the downside of that contactor. You could try replacing
the compressor cap since it won't cost you much. You need to observe
it to see if it even tries to start. You can do that either by having
a helper turn it on while you are there or push the contactor in
yourself with an insulated screwdriver. It's ok to run the unit for
short periods without the fan on top. You can tell when a compressor
is trying to start as it will make noise for a few seconds and then
quit. Compressors have thermal overload switches inside them so they
cutoff after a bit if they can't start. It's a lot easier to tell
what it's doing or not doing with the fan removed. With out gauges
and other test equipment it can be difficult to fix hvac systems. You
can try simply replacing the cap on the compressor but after that then
you need to check the charge and possibly the current draw if it's
trying to start. A hard start kit might help too.