Help! - I have a 35 year old York 4 ton split ac that came with th...

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posted: September 8th, 2008 - 2:04pm

QUESTION:
I have a 35 year old York 4 ton split ac that came with the house when I bought it. About a year into owning the house, the condenser fan motor died from shot bearings. I put a new motor in with a new fan because I had records showing the system had chewed up the last fan motor, now this year the fan motor died again.
What could be causing these motors to fail so often?
I've taken an amp reading 3.6 and the new motor I put on is rated at 3.7.

ANSWER: You are running at peak amp load so as you can see through your little field test this will shorten the life of your motor. many motors get replaced undersized in the real world, that was probably the heaviest motor the last service guy had on his truck because he did not want to run to the parts house and get the right one.
Now you are working off of bad information. If you can't find out what the factory recommended motor is you need to pair up a fan motor and blade and this will protect your fan motor. It will not however guarantee you have the right fan blade and speed for your refrigeration circuit.
I don't know what your financial situation is but you might want to consider a new unit, it has lived 35 years it belongs in a museum.
It will never die on it's own you will have to put it down, that unit probably rolled out of the factory at a 4 seer rating that has decreased over time so if you would consider a new unit your payback will probably be in the 7 year range not to mention the tax credits you can get.