How to Replace a Trane Blower Motor – Part 1

allthumbsdiy-images-how-to-replace-trane-blower-motor-a10-header2-fl

How to Replace a Trane Blower Motor is a multi-part series article, broken into Part 1 and Part 2.

 

ABSTRACT

Part I of the article series contains information on identifying the blower motor problem, purchasing a replacement part, gathering necessary tools and finally disassembling the Trane Air Handler / Furnace for removal of the blower motor.

BACKGROUND

My Trane Air Conditioning / Central Heat has been solid since the installation date (back in 1997 I believe). Of course with any mechanical setup, components wear out over a period of time and that is exactly what happened when I started to hear high pitched sound (sort of like metal-on-metal grinding noise) whenever the cooling / heat fan kicked in.

I researched it online after looking inside my furnace / air handler and finding metal shavings near the blower. I knew the motor was sealed (meaning I could not periodically add oil to the bearing) and had been wondering about when it would fail on me.

So I called my trusty HVAC place and asked a salesperson about a solution and he suggested that I replace the blower motor. The replacement motor made by Dayton was only $140 or so but the installation fee was fairly high at $340 so I decided to tackle the job myself.

This particular salesperson was very professional and even gave me some tips (like making sure to salvage the motor mounting bracket as it was very expensive to find one). He also recommended that I replace the capacitor at the same time as capacitors lose their efficiencies over time. The cost for Dayton replacement capacitor was only $8 extra so I bought one as recommended.

Item Old New
Blower Motor GE MotorsP01
924883007504 1400
1/3 HP, MOD 5KCP39JG P752 S
Cp 5.00 / 370, RPM 1075/4SPD 		Dayton 4M098G
1/3 HP
Cp 5.00 MFD / 370 VAC, RPM 1075 / 3SPD
Capacitor GE
Z97F9239
5uF, 370 VAC 50/60 Hz
A10000AFC 92-43Z572
D137452P03 		Dayton
5uF 370VAC 50/60 Hz
MPP2505370J 4506W
E236128

 

REQUIRED TOOLS AND MATERIALS

  • Replacement blower motor
  • New capacitor
  • Hammer
  • Wire cutter / stripper
  • Wire nuts
  • Electrical tape
  • Mechanics Ratchet + sockets + extender
  • Work glove
  • Heavy duty rubber gloves
  • Digital camera

STEP-BY-STEP REPLACEMENT GUIDE

  1. Turn off air conditioning / heat from the thermostat.
  2. Remove battery from the thermostat (or disconnect thermostat altogether).
  3. Turn off power at the main electric panel.
  4. Turn off the emergency HVAC shutoff switch
  5. Remove top and bottom cover panels on the air handler / furnace unit (fig.5.1).
  6. Take detail pictures of where everything is located, including wiring setup from the motor, capacitor and controller (fig.5.2).
  7. WARNING – CAPACITOR WILL BE HIGHLY CHARGED EVEN WHEN THE POWER IS TURNED OFF. DO NOT CROSS CONNECT OR TOUCH TERMINALS
  8. Remove top 2 metal screws holding the door switch with 5/16” hex wrench (fig.5.3, fig.5.4).
  9. Remove bottom 2 metal screws holding the controller with 5/16” hex wrench
    10. allthumbsdiy-images-how-to-replace-trane-blower-motor-a12-cover-panels-fl
    fig.5.1
    allthumbsdiy-images-how-to-replace-trane-blower-motor-a20-inside-layout2-fl
    fig.5.2
    allthumbsdiy-images-how-to-replace-trane-blower-motor-a30-remove-wiring-fl
    fig,5.3
    allthumbsdiy-images-how-to-replace-trane-blower-motor-a50-remove-door-safety-switch-2-fl
    fig.5.4
  10. Slide out the controller. Attached wires may be short so you may need to rest it on a box of some sort next to the air handler / furnace (fig.5.5).
  11. Take another set of pictures, taking special note on how capacitor wires are attached (fig.5.6).
  12. Wear a heavy duty rubber glove to remove the capacitor by first sliding off the rubber boot the disconnecting the wires (fig.5.7). Set aside the old capacitor – you can either manually discharge it or let it sit around for awhile.
  13. Remove two screws holding the fan shroud using a 3/8” socket (fig.5.8).
allthumbsdiy-images-how-to-replace-trane-blower-motor-a55-remove-controller-fl
fig.5.5
allthumbsdiy-images-how-to-replace-trane-blower-motor-a60-motor-shroud-exposed-fl
fig.5.6
allthumbsdiy-images-how-to-replace-trane-blower-motor-a65-remove-capacitor-fl
fig.5.7
allthumbsdiy-images-how-to-replace-trane-blower-motor-a70-remove-motor-shroud-fl
fig.5.8

 
NEXT >> How to Replace a Trane Blower Motor – Part 2
 

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25 thoughts on “How to Replace a Trane Blower Motor – Part 1”

  1. Pingback: How to Replace a Trane Blower Motor – Part 2

  2. As I type this, I am drinking a beer next to my perfectly functioning furnace. Last night it was 47 degrees (F) in my house. I just completed the blower motor (and capacitor) replacement and can’t thank you enough for taking the time to write this up. It’s people like you that keep people like me enthusiastic about DIY!

  3. @Nick-

    Thanks for letting me know and I am glad your furnace is up and running.

    Great job and enjoy your well-deserved beer!

    Kevin

  4. Thanks for the information. Without it I might not have had the confidence to do the job. Thank You.

  6. By chance is your Trane XL80 from the early 1990’s with model number TUD120R954A1? It looks exactly the same as mine so I’m wondering if I should get the same motor. Thanks.

  8. Also, my capacitor says it is 15.0 MFD instead of 5.0. I believe my capacitor was changed in 2010 so it’s not original to the furnace. Does yours say 15.0 or 5.0?

  9. I think I found my answer. The capacitor should be 5.0 because it should always match the specifications of the motor you are replacing. The Grainger website indicates that 2MDV4 is the correct capacitor for the Dayton 4M098G motor.

  10. @k
    The original GE capacitor that came with my unit is Part No. Z97F9239. According to that label, it has 5 MicroFarads.

    The replacement Dayton one has 5uf but with +-5% variance.

    Here is a picture of both (https://allthumbsdiy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/allthumbsdiy-images-hvac-capacitor-fl.jpg).

    For this instance, I would not purchase it online. Instead, visit some local HVAC companies to buy them (and ask why someone would replace 5uf with 15uf capacitor).

    Has your unit been running okay?

  11. Yes, I’m planning to stop by the Grainger’s close by to get more information.

    My blower motor or cage makes a loud clanging sound when it starts up.

    youtube.com/watch?v=lbDuHVw9ko0

    Your post is a great asset for others and your write-up and pictures are impeccable. Thank you!

  12. Hi again. I’m about to tackle the job tomorrow. Did you have to balance the fan to avoid hitting the shroud? If so, how did you do it?

    I’m thinking that’s my problem rather than a new motor…. based on the sound it makes at start up. See previous youtube video.

  13. Hi, just wanted to say I completed the job last week to swap out the motor and old blower fan wheel (Model # WHL03116 or WHL3116).

    The motor and capacitor I replaced seemed fairly new as I believe they were just replaced in 2010. After putting the new motor on the old fan wheel, there was still a noise coming from the wheel. So I decided to replace the fan wheel as well. I suspect that the fan wheel may have been off-balance or the blades loose in some way so as to cause the premature failure of the 5-year old motor.

    I had significant trouble getting the old blower wheel off the old motor. I used oil on the shaft and tried to use a hammer but I only got so far. I had to buy a blower fan removal tool.

    That was the only obstacle I encountered.

    Thank you for your guidance and this write-up.

  15. Very good article. I have the same Trane furnace with GE motor, and it started getting erratic on starting after 10 years. When it did start, it was very slow to pick up speed. The capacitor checked for continuity and the ohm meter showed that it was not an open circuit. I put in new run cap and it worked for two more days. The fan seemed a little stiff but no grating sounds or metal filings, felt very smooth. I did not have enough corrosion to unbalance the wheel. There was nothing left to do but replace the motor, which I did, with the exact motor you suggested (except frame is now 48YZ. I used the Granger Dayton 4M098.

    The only thing missing from the article was which way the motor runs. The GE just has an arrow so I did not know if it was CW or CCW. The way it leaves the factory, white to white on the reversing connector, is the right way.

  16. hi gary

    it’s been awhile so I do not remember exactly, but I basically laid out the motors and swapped wires one by one with matching connectors.

    is your running ok now? if not, i can try to dig up some pictures

  17. I just want to thank you Kevin for the excellent write-up. Labels, pictures- you’re an OCD DIYer’s dream. Especially glad for the part about discharging the capacitor. I’m sure I would’ve shocked myself otherwise. You’ve saved me at least $150-200 today with a quick run to Grainger’s. And yes- 2MDV4 is the correct current item# for the Dayton capacitor with 5 MicroFarads. $7,93 and my house that’s been a sweat house for 2 days is finally cooling down.

  18. of course the cooling only lasted a half hour and now I’m waiting for the repair guy. Grrrr.

  19. Well, service guy was impressed w/the capacitor change, but my motor was done after all. Knew I should’ve grabbed one from Grainger while I was there. Since my 8 mo old’s room was 82 & my dogs were cooking, I ate the repair cost- $425 for the call & motor repair. New capacitor included & since the new motor is more energy efficient-it required a 7.5 MicroFarad capacitor for the new motor. Doh! At least I can return the Grainger capacitor for the $8 spent. Must say- new motor is nice. Can’t tell if it works better because it’s better or because the old one was on the way out.

  22. @ John-

    Sorry to hear about the $425 but taking care of an 8 month old infant takes priority so good job there.

    Just out of curiosity, may I ask you some questions?

    1. were you able to hear your motor making high-pitched screeching sounds at all?
    2. What was the reason for replacing only the capacitor in the beginning?
    3. Can you share make/model/part numbers for your new motor and capacitor?

    Hopefully our HVAC system will last for a long time!

    Kevin

  23. Thanks Kevin. You saved me hundreds of dollars. I’m issue ended up being just the capacitor.

  24. I have a Trane air handler also and I need to replace the motor and capacitor, but my motor is 230 volts. it is Trane model # TWV030B140A1 SERIAL # G09317481 1/3 HP 2.1 AMPS 200-230 VOLTS.
    1 QUESTION IS SHOULD I REPLACE WITH 230 VOLT MOTOR OR PUT IN A 115 VOLT MOTOR.

    2 , SECOND QUESTION IS ( CAN I ASK A QUESTION ABOUT THE ( TWO ) HEATING COILS IN THE AIR HANDLER ?

    FINALLY , GREAT PICTURES AND EXPLINATION ! THANK YOU

  25. @ Rich-
    I am not familiar with that particular model but if I was in your situation I would replace the faulty device with a new one that is identical/very similar in specs.

    Thanks!
    Kevin

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