Carrier Model FX4CN8060 and Model FX4CNF024 Air handlers

[Walrus]

We just moved in to our new house back in December of last year.  We had a thunderstorm a couple of weeks ago and several items in my house got fried.  Most importantly to us living here in Texas with summer coming is of course both air handlers upstairs seem to have been damaged.  Both units outside seem to be working fine.  When I turn on the T-Stat they kick in and if I go upstairs I can hear the hissing sound that tells me that they are doing their thing.  The problem is that the fans in the air handlers do not kick on.  I of course called to try and get warrenty work on the units, but when they came out and looked at them they said it was an "act of nature" and is not covered by the warranty.  The told me at the time that the issue was the "fan control board".  Being somewhat competent I thought "hey I can fix that rather than pay out $375.00".  I ordered the board the part number for it was HK61EA010 and it came in.  I replaced the board, of course after turning of the master switches for the unit.  Then I attempted to turn the unit back on.  I got nothing.  :X I can hear power going into the unit, which is to say a humming sound when the power is on, but it is still not starting the fan with a brand new board installed.  I have only attempted this on th 8060 unit and have not touched the other yet.  Oh yea, I also replace all the Buss fuses in the unit.  Can anyone help give me some advice on what else I can replace or what to check?  It is starting to warm into the 90's here and my wife is going to kill me if I don't get at least our downstairs cooled off soon!!:poison:  If someone wants pictures or something let me know I will do whatever I can to get this fixed, but I am hoping to do it myself rather than pay $100.00 an hour for someone else.

[dkpd1581]

Start with the basics.  Get your meter out and verify that you have your supply voltage (either 120 or 208/230 VAC) to the unit.

Verify that you have 24VAC out of the transformer.

Verify that you have no grounded wiring on any of the motor leads and that there is at least continuity between the common and other speed taps for the motor.

Verify that the capacitor is within 10% of the listed value.

Once the basics are covered, then got to the T-stat put FAN to "ON" and then verify 24 VAC from the T-stat to the control board terminal on the G (or fan) terminal and then verify that the high volts are coming out of the board to the motor lead terminals.

Doing this will clear the breaker, fuses, transformer, board, T-stat, and motor.

Even if you dont own a meter or know how to use one, go to the T-stat and turn the FAN to ON and HEAT/COOL to OFF and see if the blower motor at least spins up.  See if there is at least a light or display on the board telling you that you are getting power to it. 

Write back and let us know and we will go from there.

[Cactus Bob]

what control board did you replace ? you have two   , one in in the air handler(never goes bad) and the one on the blower motor (allways goes bad ) ?

[Walrus]

First of all thanks for responding.  Here is where I am at.

I have not hooked up a voltmeter to anything yet, but I have checked from the T-Stat as you recommended.  With the T-stat set to "off" and the fan only, set to "on", the fan does not spin at all.  I also hear the "humming" inside the air handler during this, which a I am taking for power getting to the air handler.

When I do turn the T-Stat to cool and the fan to on I have the unit outside turning on and the fan starting as well as a hissing sound, that I take for the cool air coming in at the air handler.  I also hear an electric type humming when the power is turned on to the air handler in this fashion.  I am pretty sure that the voltage is getting to the air handler.  I am also feeling pretty confident that it is not the 24 VAC stuff since my outside unit is running well and the T-stat seems to be doing it's thing just fine.

Next issue, I took a good look last night and can't seem to locate a capacitor for the motor.  Is it inside the drum in this unit with the motor?  Do I have to take the motor out to get at the capacitor?

Thanks for your help.

[Walrus]

Thanks for responding.

I replaced the one in the air handler, which did not appear to be burned or anything, but that is what the tech, I thought, told me was bad.  The board you are referring to is with the motor?  So do I have to pull the motor out of the unit to get at it?  I also cannot locate a capacitor on this unit visually right now.  I am thinking I have to take the motor out of its protective "cage" in order to check for the capacitor. 

[Cactus Bob]

OK . FIRST i hate to do this but the tech here that told you to do tests is wrong with the system you have . you have no cap you cant check 24 volts ect , ect  ,  what you have is GE varable speed motor  and theres no way to check them  . there is a test box we have but you buying one just for one repair  NO!  ,BIG $$$$$   the board thats bad is part or is bolted to the back of the blower motor  on the older ones it is replaceable on the new ones its not and you will need a motor  depending on the motor it costs 300.00 to 900.00  so if you dont know what you are doing dont mess with is you can ruin it . the repair guy that came to your house was wrong ( i made this mistake once years ago , i learned fast . it was a costly mistake for ME )   i think you should step back and call carrier , or use a phone book and get factory service . you have a lot of money to loose and without the proper test equipment your gessing and so is your old repair guy ... so do no more tests , you cant see anything anyway the signals are digatal . the motor is DC  !   bite the bullet and GET it fixed .....   good luck

[Walrus]

 NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!  Man, that really blows!  I am going to go back and keep complaining to the company and see if I can get this done under warranty.  I just moved into this house and nobody ever told me that I should disconnect everything when there is a storm in the area.  For that matter how can they say conclusively that the lightning caused the damage to the air handlers.  I am going to become a pain in their asses until I get this fixed!!  If anyone has advice on that point feel free to give it.  I am not about to pay all that money for a system that I already paid thousands for just four months ago!!

[Pegi]

Lightning causes damage to anything if it gets a hit, everyone should know this.  Damage like this is not ever covered under warranty.  This goes under your homeowners insurance, have you contacted them yet???

[Cactus Bob]

did YOU tell them you had lightning  ? nobody tells ME   i have these motor going bad all the time , i cant tell what killed them .  a call comes in . we go out fix it . take the motor back to our supplyr fax a labor form , get paid ... done..... nobody asks anything more  .. .. so think about what your doing  and saying  . ... it might be to late allready carrier might have FLAGED your unit  .... but thay might not have also      

[Walrus]

The problem is they are located not far from us and they knew about the lightning storm, then I have two units, one for upstairs and one for down.  Both are out.  I guess to them that was pretty conclusive evidence that the storm caused the problem.  So is it not possible for me to replace this motor?  I looked at the bottom of it and it seems to just have one connector that attaches the power to the bottom and then there is a four legged bracket that seems to hold it in place.  If I pulled it and ordered the motor what is to keep me from replacing it myself.

I did call a Carrier representative and he said that they would probably be willing to replace the fans, but I would have to deal with the service company about the hours.

As far as insurance goes, my homeowners policy, like most has a deductible that is 1% of the cost of my house.  That is my deductible is $3,700.00 so my insurance is not a lot of help in this situation.

[Cactus Bob]

whats to keep you from reparing it your self ? NOTHING  but .........what if i am wrong ?  I HAVE BEEN WRONG BEFORE :shock: what if the bad motor allready ruined the new board you put in ? what if its not the motor or the board but a bad connector somewhere that the lighting blew out  ?  you have a state of the art hvac unit . that I THINK is made very well and will give you years of trouble free service . WHEN YOU GET PAST THIS PROBLEM  ...  YOU do dont have the tools you need to test it out CORRECTLY so WE are just GUESSING  .....  GOOD LUCK 

[Walrus]

Thanks Cactus, I believe I am going to pull this motor and see what the model number is and go from there.  I wish I had someone who I could trust to come out and look at the system for a reasonable rate and I could feel sure they would not try and gouge me on parts and labor, but these days people will replace a fuse and charge you for a motor.  That is why I try and do everything myself as much as possible.  I am sure there will be more to follow.

[RegUS_PatOff]

SearsParts Direct shows the motor model part number as HD42AE231 in the CABINET PARTS section,

and Sears says "Contact Customer Support for Availability" 800-252-1698,  

and I can't find anything else on the web.

 

[Walrus]

RegUS,

  I called the number and they could not find the part.  They said that the system did not give them any information on the part like price.  Man, this is really a pain.  Thanks for your assistance though!

[Walrus]

Thought I would update.  I found the part at this website.

 

http://www.expertappliance.com/carrier-heating.html

 

I bought the first one and installed it and now I have A/C downstairs!!  I will buy the other one next payday and install it then hopefullly I will be back in business.  Thanks to everyone for the help and advice.

[Cactus Bob]