Basement AC

[Roxane]

I have a 2003 adventure with a basement AC, I have a problem with the condenser fan not starting up, but if I go under it and use a screwdriver to spin it then it works great but if it reaches the temperature and turns off then when it try’s to turn back on it won’t and I need to go under and start it again. My question is if I keep doing this will I set it free and it might start working on its own or do I need to replace it. It also been sitting for a few years.

[imnprsd]

Hopefully someone will give you a better suggestion than this, but it maybe your only option as opposed to removing the basement AC.

* I'm guessing your condenser fan bushing (with the 8.75" shaft) is drying up. These things are oil soaked and over time need to either be replaced with a sealed bearing or you can re-soak the packing material.

* To get inside your basement AC you need to pull the lid off and to do that you need to remove the basement AC from the frame rails. (See Dunner's notes on this subject and others if you go this route.)

* From the out side you can service your start and run capacitors and 2 AC relays, which I would recommend after this much time too.

You did not complain about fan noise so you might be okay just running it for a while, but this probably will be a reoccurring problem if you don't lube that bearing. So I have another idea...

==> Buy a can of "Superzilla" and give that shaft and bearing a squirt:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...77MPZ30I&psc=1

==> The problem is access to the fan shaft and bushing on the end, so to solve that...

A) You can remove the basement AC, but if you go that route you should just replace bushing with a bearing.

B) You drill one hole through the bottom of the AC box so you can squirt some of that Superzilla inside... at an angle to the bushing since the bushing-housing sits on top of a support beam.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...77MPZ30I&psc=1

Then see if this solves your problem and when you are done just cover the hole with Flex Tape or Eternabond Tape.

* I suppose the hole can be large enough for you to insert a camera scope ass well. Of course, none of this has be tried before.

I just bought this camera scope on Amazon for $21 and it works great!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

* Other forum members have torn their AC apart and may give you suggestions on where they would drill an access hole, and how large the hole can be, or they may tell you it is impossible. IDK. But if I were faced with a simple fix or a complete removal of my basement AC, I would be thinking about this option as described above.

[rgvtexan]

Replace the start capacitor.

[Greatscot]

When I had my basement a/c serviced a couple of years ago, he (AZ Expert) installed a new electronic control card. There is a video on YT. Apparently, Coleman has issued new control cards over the years. If your 2003 has never had updates, you may want to consider it.

[imnprsd]

Thanks for reminding me... your fan capacitors are also accessible from the outside so you might watch a YT video on how to check your micro-farad (uF) ratings and check for visual leaks. ...I.e., maybe you don't have a dried oil bushing problem?

...And definitely check all your capacitors while you are at it! No one, including me, puts their basement AC on a service check, but they should every 5-7 years. It's not hard and it's not expensive and when you replace weak or bad capacitors your AC will run smoother.

These diagrams should be added to your library for future use.