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Running capacitor

Took the cover off my Crosley air conditioner to find out why the compressor motor was tripping its thermal overload a few seconds after kicking on.

The dual section running capacitor had a strange, twisty, grayish glob coming out of its side. The stuff looked like one of those "snakes" that the kids light on July 4th, but is was very hard and stuck tightly to the capacitor body. Pried it off. Looked like a small hole where it came out.

I assumed that the capacitor had bought the farm and ordered a new one. Ouch! Best price on the Internet was about $70. Is what I described typically what's found when one of these capacitors fails?

Reply to
Silver Surfer
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Usually they just open or short, but leaking is possible.

Jeez, $70 is a lot, last time I needed one I picked it up for something like $6 from

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their inventory changes constantly though so you need some luck.

Reply to
James Sweet

Typically they just fail. I thought they were filled with oil though,

Reply to
Meat Plow

What's the value of the capacitor? Where do you live (City/State/Country)?

--
Dave M
MasonDG44 at comcast dot net  (Just substitute the appropriate characters in the 
address)

Experience: What you get when you don\'t get what you want
Reply to
DaveM

AAAACCCCKKKKK!! Invasion of the capacitor worms. :)

Yes, normally they just open or (more likely) short. Did you try testing it?

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Reply to
Sam Goldwasser

Mr. Goldwasser,

No, I did not test the capacitor. Just ASSumed it was bad.

Your worm analogy was excellent. That's exactly what this "creature" looks like.

Mr. DaveM,

Capacitor is 25 + 7.5 microfarads at 370V.

My humble abode is in Moundsville, West Virginia, US of A.

New capacitor is on the way from Appliance Parts Pro's warehouse in Kentucky.

My Master Card is taking a few days off to recover.

Reply to
Silver Surfer

Thanks for replying, I wasn't prying... I was just going to try to help find a source for the capacitor close to your location, but not so pricey. But, since you've already ordered, I won't go to that trouble.

Those multi-section caps can carry a hefty price tag, but in many cases, they can be replaced by two (significantly cheaper) single-section caps. Mounting style and space permitting, of course.

--
Dave M
MasonDG44 at comcast dot net  (Just substitute the appropriate characters in the 
address)

Experience: What you get when you don\'t get what you want
Reply to
DaveM

My new capacitor arrived on the front porch late today. Pretty quick delivery. That Kentucky place must be somewhere nearby.

The AC is humming again.

It was gratifying to see that the new capacitor was an Aerovox and made right here in the USA.

Reply to
Silver Surfer

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