ECM Motor Replacement & Troubleshooting
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- Опубликовано: 1 авг 2024
- Some basic troubleshooting techniques for ECM variable speed motors, and how to replace a variable speed motor with 16 pin wiring harnesses'.
If you watch this video from start to finish it will teach you how to fix and diagnose a variable speed motor.
Thanks for watching!
- David
David@DavidJonesAC.com
Follow me on Facebook: / david-jones-ac-1010702...
MR. JONES, YOUR VIDEO WAS INFORMATIVE TO HOME OWNERS AND NOVICE DIY AC TECHS, HOWEVER IT APPEARS THAT THIS WAS THE FIRST MOTOR YOU EVER CHANGED. EXAMPLE; NEVER USE A HAMMER WHEN REMOVING A BLOWER WHEEL, IT WILL BREAK. A PULLER WORKS FINE, BELIEVE ME , I HAVE BEEN USING ONE FOR OVER FORTY YEARS.
Thanks a lot for this video, I followed it step-by-step and replaced the motor on my carrier unit that looks exactly like the one in the video. I replaced it with an evergreen EM x13 motor that was about $230. I hit the end of the rusty shaft with the hammer the mushrooms the tip so I had to file it down a bit to completely remove it.
I haven't diagnosed the bad motor yet but from what I've read it is almost always the module that goes bad but I couldn't find anywhere that sells just the module you have to buy the complete motor
Great video! Thank you sir!
Ran into this issue today
Thanks David for posting this video! If you come across ECM can you please post it up you have no idea how much this has help me!
excellent instructional video, thank you!
Great video thanks for sharing!
Thanks -- my fan motor is doing something very similar. I ordered a replacement and I hope it solves the problem.
great video. Thanks
Great job
Thanks for the tip Rob
nice vid. and explanation, the best.
Thanks for the idea.
My Trane system ECM failed also, but I investigated further and found that usually it IS the module that is faulty, but not completely, often times it is a thermistor that has gone bad. Sure enough, I took the head off and examined it carefully and found one fried thermistor and replaced it, it cost me time and effort to take the fan out and do the electrical testing first, but the thermistor was under $2, but it did the trick, saving me lots of money, 2 years ago. However, most of the module components cannot be replaced as they are imbedded into epoxy, ensuring you have to mostly get a new assembly, even if the motor itself is OK.
Your are exactly right, air flow are issues the most misunderstood part of the HVAC industry. Thanks for the comment.
E C M stand for electronically commutator motor for the lady that was asking. its a variable speed dc motor. it has a module that takes ac current and rectifies it to dc current.
Thanks for that clarification Chris, I appreciate that. God bless
Great vid David always can learn something on ECM motors would like to see a vid on how to trouble shoot ECM electrically high voltage low voltage.thanks great job. Big D
Useful video
An ECM Motor it's NOT "actually " a variable speed motor , It's an Electronically Commutated Motor , it basically does changes the RPM's on the motor but in a different way . The thinks that I would add to your great video , is that you use the emery cloth before using any lubricant, and if you sand it good enough , you almost never need lubricant , after sanding use your wrench on the shaft and turn the blower wheel and it will free it up quickly and without the mess , and you should measure from the front of the motor (shaft end) to the belly band , because sometimes the replacement motors are not the same length size . Great video thanks for sharing .
Thank you for this video. I like how you used the flash light to inspect blower faulty rotations; where you buy that kind of flex-flash light? Also, can you go over how to Ohm check the bad variable speed motor terminals. God bless u
The biggest reason I see variable speed motor failures is air flow issues. Incorrect duct size, dirty filters, all contribute to the failure. Nice job on the change out.
We have a universal ECM replacement board that makes ECM to PSC conversion much easier
Dave, I have a "squirrel cage" blower. It works fine but after a short time, the motor gets hot (smell the wires) and than stops. After a few minutes, it starts again. What do you think is wrong. Thank you for allowing us to ask questions.
I'm looking at a X-13 Genteq 1/3hp.208/230v 1phase, that locked up. The rotor amatures came unglued. The AHU is made by Grandaire (ICP). M/N WAHM244A2. This unit was blowing the 3.2 amp control fuse at random and I suspect the motor module was grounding prior to the lock up. Which broke the module cover (end bell). I'm thinking of replacing it with a 1/2 hp psc 3 speed motor with 2 relays after looking at the motor construction. the X-13 has a drop replacement, but both are around $300. ECM motors are nice for SEER ratings, but not long lasting.. Nate certified since 1978 thanks
Our QwikSwap makes converting to a PSC motor much simpler and more efficient. Let me know what you think. www.qwik.com/products/qwik-swap
You know, your videos are so useful to the homeowners, that you are and all the others doing this kind of clips are ruining the business for the rest of us.
That is a problem bigger than what you can apparently understand given your comments. You are leading to one core ethical issue with capitalism: that the machine has to be constantly running for the system to work. It does not matter if running the machine means treating the symptoms of cancer in millions of patients rather than finding the cure; the first one makes more sense because the machine keeps running. I understand that is the way we got here, but I believe that things need to change somehow. And they will change, consider what would happen when all of our jobs get replaced by robots, when Artificial Intelligence reaches its full potential. Then your business, my business, and their business will be ruined. Okay, let us see what happens. The singularity is coming, that is for sure.
No he is not, electricity is not big on 2nd chances and unless you know exactly what you are doing you better not mess around with power, it; just not worth it. If one knows theory and wants to do it then why not have this type of help?
***** I don't know, I don't have a crystal ball to see the future. I'm just saying that things are moving in that direction. I'm not a scholar, I hope the brightest economics minds of thew world are thinking on a solution.
Is that an X13 motor? You can't just change the module? Good video demonstration.
Looks like ECM 3.0 or EON
If you have plenty of money then replacing it with the original motor is not a bad idea. But if money is an issue it's a lot cheaper to install a Quik Swap circuit board and a PSC motor.
how do you troubleshoot the voltage for my high voltage im getting 115 for the low voltage im only getting 12?
That will happen, you would be surprised at what I have seen.
Thanks for your comment.
how would you test or ohm out one of those? Could you make a video on that?
Think he forgot that part. Short story is you take the ECM off, and there should be a 3 pin connector, you want to check across all those 3 pins to make sure you have under 20 ohms resistance and whatever the resistance is on one pin it needs to be less than 10% variance between them. also check from each pin to ground to make sure there is no open shorts.
that looks like a x13 blower motor and not an ecm blower. Ecm motors typically have 16 wire on the molex connector that controls the low voltage ac\dc but please correct me if I'm wrong.
This guy is a handy as a cub bear with an arm full of shell corn
You didn't show the troubleshooting portion that you referred to in the beginning of the video
I miss the days of PSC motors when I go to the truck and match up the voltage ,rpm and horsepower and get the customer up and running again in 20 minutes.
i have a carrier AC the fan sometimes doesn't want to start, it start doing that couple day ago! the motor want to start sometimes start and sometimes doesn't, the AC is 2 years and 3 months old, any suggestions?
CHECK THE CAPICTOR
Yes I will, I only want to help my friend.
I even had one that kicked in fine all the time but when satisfied dam thing would bounce back and forth, cust complained of a bouncing noise when a/c was off, go figure.
great video thank you for posting. just a sugestion, avoid calling things MY. my this my that. try calling them THE. the wrench.
WHY is the motor bad and not just the Control Module???
My unit was doing the exact same thing but the motor was fine. I just needed to replace the control module on the end of the motor.
Hi Dave. I know someone asked this earlier but I don't see an answer. Couldn't the module just been changed out on this? Thanks for the video...very helpful :)
Did he say hammer? Beware of the hvac tech with a hammer.
Had one like this today but it was constantly spinning very slowly
It was going bad sometimes they run slow for a while but they’ll stop
Thanks for watching
@@jonesacnaples thank you Mr. Jones's
I found the problem on my ecm condenser fan motor when it was behaving like that to be burnt varnish insulation on one of the coils of the motor causing a short. The coil overheated because someone laid floormats over the top of my heat pump and the motor got too hot.
Did I miss something? Anybody can use a wrench that you specifically said you were going to troubleshoot, with voltage and ohms testing.
Think he forgot that part. Short story is you take the ECM off, and there should be a 3 pin connector, you want to check across all those 3 pins to make sure you have under 20 ohms resistance and whatever the resistance is on one pin it needs to be less than 10% variance between them. also check from each pin to ground to make sure there is no open shorts.
that additional plug is a power surge protector!!!
I ohm out my motor read 3.9ohm, 3.9ohm and 2.4ohm is that mean my motor bad?
Yeah there is something up there, you should be within no more than + - 10% difference across the 3 pins, and make sure none of the 3 are shorted to ground
I change out at least 2 a wk, I usually just get whole pkg instead of the module itself.
Why
@@oafyvonskidmark316 very expensive.....the module can be had from HVAC distributor for $200......the package with both module and motor is around $650-700. The only positive thing about this type of repair, in this video, is that sometimes the older motor has a shortened life with the new module. If both are new, it will probably last the remaining life of the air handler.
Where is the Troubleshooting? Where is the part where you said you would show the testing later?
Think he forgot that part. Short story is you take the ECM off, and there should be a 3 pin connector, you want to check across all those 3 pins to make sure you have under 20 ohms resistance and whatever the resistance is on one pin it needs to be less than 10% variance between them. also check from each pin to ground to make sure there is no open shorts.
All you needed to do was change the control module..@ 220.00 instead of changing the whole motor @ 500.00 to 600.00.....I have a Universal license
So you diagnosed correctly that it was the module which was good. Then you decided to replace the entire motor instead of just the end module! Would have saved your time and the customers money if you had just replaced the module.
Replacing the motor module more often ends up in the replacement of the motor as well, which means extra expense for customer. I replaced modules and 4 out of 10 i have returned within weeks to diagnose a bad motor with a new module. New motors come with mew modules, which means the previously replaced module is useless (ok for future quick diagnostic tool). Service call fee, motor cost, plus install fee, all adds up higher than replacing the whole motor & module first.
If the motor is two piece with a removable module and the motor was still working, why did you replace it. From what I've learned about these motors is that if the three motor leads ohm out to the same numbers and do not ground out then the motor should be re-used.
95% of the time just the end bell is bad, not the motor.
Your absolutely correct...
Pros do this so they don't get an angry call on a now failed motor after the module replacement. An older motor with a new module can strain the motor and it fails.....the customer is then super pissed, having just shelled out $500 and now faced with a $800 motor with install.
The truth is, you are better off using a properly sized generic motor and converting to a relay and standard capacitor setup. This will probably last the rest of the life of the air handler without further issues.....but with a slightly higher electro bill.
its not the motor. its the module. Why would you want to charge for the whole motor when you could simple replace the module and save your customer the money. Not to mention is faster to replace the mod.
Why would you replace the whole motor? I'm no Hvac guy but I know motors. If it's spinning then the motor would be fine, surly u can replace that module.. without even pulling the motor looks like..
That's is strange??
Nice job Dave. Have you ever had any smell complaints from using PB blaster? We used it once on a commercial unit and all the people said the smell was terrible. I don't use it anymore on blowers.
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To save your customer money, the best practice is to throw away that variable speed motor, and set a standard PSC motor. Then the customer will actually have a reliable fan blower motor. Secondly, why would any HVAC tech be wearing tennis shoes and shorts? Professionals look like professionals.
It's Florida, you do Hvac work here you wear shorts.
I work in Arizona and often wear flip-flops. Never had anyone complain.
excuse me my friend what is ECM motor...... is the blower motor . ho .. whats .this means ? E - C- M. PLEASE.
E =Electroncally C =Commutated M = Motor Basically they converting from AC voltage to DC voltage ,then after converting DC voltage back to 3 Phase AC voltage. Speed change is through pulse width modulation Thats why they calling that motor brush less DC motor