Am I correct in identifying what the problem is with my central A/C unit?

Question

The blower unit fan will not turn freely. Also, it is VERY obvious that the fan is not centered in the housing portion, as the gap between the two is noticeably different at the top and bottom. The motor (1/4 hp) is trying to turn the fan. It will kick on and start to turn it before the whole unit kicks off (after the fan sticks). The repairman said I needed a new motor. Feedback please.

Answer 1

Yes the squirrel cage can be removed with the motor, realigned ,and reinstalled.This is all that needs to be done many times to fix the problem.Then again, other times the entire squirrel cage sometimes needs to be replaced to put the problem asleep.This repair only takes 10 minutes but with the cost and markup of the parts will be around 500$ for replacement.Good luck.

Answer 2

Sounds right, let him repair it.

Answer 3

you don't say how old the unit is etc but my experience of the same problem i sprayed the shaft with 40 ,spun it with my finger until it moved VERY easy,and it worked a long time.

   another time the fan was not as free and i couldn't free it so i replaced the motor.make sure the power is off when working on it.if the unit is old a motor is probably the prob. I took the motor off and hooked 120 to it on the bench .