How to Replace a Trane Blower Motor – Part 1

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.

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

fig.5.1

fig.5.2

fig,5.3

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).

fig.5.5

fig.5.6

fig.5.7

fig.5.8

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

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• How to Replace a Trane Blower Motor – Part 1
• How to Replace a Trane Blower Motor – Part 2