Condensor fan motor replacement

My fan motor makes an occasional grinding/squeak noise. From what i've seen online this is probably bearing noise from the fan motor. Oiling around the shaft silences the noise immediately for a couple of months, and fan speed still looks good but i want to be ready to replace it.
From what i've seen the procedure is (please correct me on anything):
Pull disconnect and shut off power to AC at the breakers
Remove bolts holding on the fan shroud and gently set it upside down on unit
Remove access panel to cabling, take picture of cables and disconnect
Pull cables out and the cable tubing to use to protect new connectors
Loosen bolt holding motor shaft to fan
Remove fan
Remove acorn nuts holding motor to shroud
Install new motor on shroud
Put fan back on and secure bolt but not too tightly
Feed cables through tubing and secure it properly
Feed cables into panel and reconnect going off photo taken

My unit is a carrier, OEM motor for model is 250. My only questions are that there's only 3 cables from motor, yellow, brown and black. Picture of OEM motor for my carrier model has 1 yellow, 2 brown, 1 black and 1 green/yellow with a bolt hole (looks like a ground). Do i just leave the extra brown disconnected or is it needed? The ground i could probably just use a bolt somewhere the chassis i'm assuming?

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  1. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    Picture of OEM motor.

    • 10 months ago
      Anonymous

      That's a picture of a blower motor for in a furnace not a condenser fan motor for an AC. A universal will have the same black, brown, purple, and ground as an OEM. I would replace your capacitor while you're at it as well. Did you try looking up the motor using the model/serial of the AC?

      • 10 months ago
        Anonymous

        I did, i entered my model number off the AC unit sticker in my house and the website calls it a condenser fan motor. The capacitor was replaced not that long ago, maybe 8-9 months ago? Would you still recommend replacing it?

        Thanks for mentioning that, the listing calls it a condenser fan motor but mentions replacing the blower wheel as well so it looks like they messed up the product name. I'll try and get the real condenser fan motor model number tomorrow.

        • 10 months ago
          Anonymous

          The condenser outside will have the Carrier model/serial you need to look up. Multiple ACs could be paired with multiple different furnaces. It's usually under the electrical section above the AC piping. If that's totally faded sometimes they had the foresight to put a smaller label inside the electrical section.

          I will warn you the blade is likely going to be a b***h to remove without a hub puller(even with one I've failed), an armed puller will bend the blades. Unless you want to buy a $50 puller for a single job after verifying the new motor is correct cut the shaft above and below the blade then hammer what's left out with a punch making sure to support the hub instead of letting the blades bear it.

          • 10 months ago
            Anonymous

            I didn't know that, i assumed they came in sets. I don't see the model on the outside unit itself, hopefully something when i take off the access panel since the motor has no sticker.

            I hear you on the fan, i've also been hitting the end of the fan shaft with plenty of penetrating oil to make the job as easy as possible.

  2. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    some of the universal motors have a few extra wires for different speeds and and option to run in reverse. after you swap it make sure its running the right way. should also change capacitor while youre in there.

    • 10 months ago
      Anonymous

      >My unit is a carrier, OEM motor for model is 250. My only questions are that there's only 3 cables from motor, yellow, brown and black. Picture of OEM motor for my carrier model has 1 yellow, 2 brown, 1 black and 1 green/yellow with a bolt hole (looks like a ground). Do i just leave the extra brown disconnected or is it needed? The ground i could probably just use a bolt somewhere the chassis i'm assuming?

      this is why you follow the WIRING DIAGRAM thats on the motor it tells you what wires do what. you got power, and capacitor wires. as long as they are hooked the same way as the old motor it should be fine. also some motors are REVERSIBLE and will have 2 extra leads to be able to do this. universal motors usually have reversing options because not all condenser motors operate in the same direction. if its a direct OEM replacement then most likely you wont need to reverse it. read the directions and wiring diagrams. and you wont have any problems.

      So from what i understand of the color convention yellow and brown go to capacitor and black connects to the circuit board? Since the motor in there is currently unmarked and doesnt have the ground wire and extra brown that the oem does that the one in there now is a universal one?

  3. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    also ive had the fan stuck on shaft so bad i had to replace it wit0sv28h new motor

    • 10 months ago
      Anonymous

      I would either use a torch to expand the fan hub or if no joy I'd slice off the blades with a cutting disk in an angle grinder then cut the hub in two places 180 degrees apart going close to but not touching the shaft, then split the hub with a cold chisel (do not hold the shaft in any way that risks bending it).

  4. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    >My unit is a carrier, OEM motor for model is 250. My only questions are that there's only 3 cables from motor, yellow, brown and black. Picture of OEM motor for my carrier model has 1 yellow, 2 brown, 1 black and 1 green/yellow with a bolt hole (looks like a ground). Do i just leave the extra brown disconnected or is it needed? The ground i could probably just use a bolt somewhere the chassis i'm assuming?

    this is why you follow the WIRING DIAGRAM thats on the motor it tells you what wires do what. you got power, and capacitor wires. as long as they are hooked the same way as the old motor it should be fine. also some motors are REVERSIBLE and will have 2 extra leads to be able to do this. universal motors usually have reversing options because not all condenser motors operate in the same direction. if its a direct OEM replacement then most likely you wont need to reverse it. read the directions and wiring diagrams. and you wont have any problems.

  5. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    As those other anons already covered the differences in wiring, the only other issue that you're likely to run into is that the fan blade assembly can get rusted and completely fused to the motor shaft. If you don't have a puller, you may be able to use penetrating oil and improvise some kind of tool or rig to pull it off, or you might get lucky and be able to hammer it off.

    But worse case scenario, price out a new fan blade too before you start the job

  6. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    > Oiling around the shaft silences the noise immediately
    LMFAO, a commercial carrier motor uses babbitt bearings??? There’s the problem. Rip that whole thing out and replace it with a fan that uses sealed ball bearings (which are replaceable, and last longer).
    Your device is a home-grade, planned obsolescence, buy new every time kind of device anyway. Enjoy your squeaking.

    • 10 months ago
      Anonymous

      Bushings aren't Babbitt (which is an ancient bearing material melted then poured around a mandrel or the shaft) in any such motor. If it lacks bearings it will have bronze bushings but bushings don't make grinding noises. By the pic it's pretty old but there is little to die on such motors except bearings.

      I'd open the motor and replace the bearings after ordering them based on the motor. If you replace the motor for convenience I'd still carefully disassemble the original, swap bearings then set it aside as a spare (after powering it om the bench to test).

      If you have a local electric motor shop you could ask them what they get to swap bearings as it may be dirt cheap.

      If the motor shafts are rusty I spin those with a drill to sand them smooth with a strip of sand paper or emery cloth. (I use duct or strapping tape on the back of any grit sand paper to stop it tearing when polishing round stock.)

      I use anti-seize when I reinstall fan blade set screws which I replace if the head is not perfect (cheap at any hardware store). If you have to drill out a set screw you can tap the hole oversize.

      When tapping a shaft I install the nut or a sacrificial nut to protect threads.

      Small motor but this covers the process:

      • 10 months ago
        Anonymous

        lol that motor you linked to is a shitty plastic crappy window AC motor. thats not a real motor! get out of here with that shit!

        • 10 months ago
          Anonymous

          That's an example for shape and bearing removal, idiot, not an example to buy.

      • 10 months ago
        Anonymous

        Unfortunately the motor has no sticker at all on it so i can't find the model, and going off what the OEM motor looks like for my unit whatever is in there is probably some universal aftermarket.

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