Bad Capacitor?

Fedders air conditioners and other brands all have capacitors, which help the unit's compressor, blower, and fan to work properly. If your unit's capacitor goes bad, it can lead to failure of one or all of these air conditioner parts. If you aren't sure what is the source of the trouble with any or all of these elements, test the capacitor with an Ohmmeter. The Ohmmeter is a device that supplies a small current to an electrical part. This allows you to see whether it is able to properly receive the current; if not, the unit is bad and must be replaced.

A capacitor is built to store electrical energy and release it at a steady rate. You MUST disconnect the unit from the wall socket and disconnect the capacitor from the wires. You must also discharge the remaining electricity from the capacitor.

Failure to do this WILL result in a potentially serious or fatal electrical shock.

Fortunately, you may not need to test the capacitor; if it is visibly swollen or leaking fluid, the capacitor has gone bad and will need replacement. Replace it with an equal or higher rated model. Do not replace with a capacitor with a lower voltage rating! Air Conditioner parts require specific voltages and you must always use "equal or greater" parts.