Thanks for the help. I changed the fan motor and the condenser fan powers up now. The only problem is that the condenser unit shakes now. I may have the fan rotating in the wrong direction? Also, how far from the motor should the fan blade be? Thanks, Mike

It was indeed stolen. The property was bank owned and they had to get it to a habitable state to sell to regular homebuyers so installed a new one. The problem is the contractor installed a brand new air handler, thermostat and condenser onto an existing drain line and lineset. The AC apparently worked while being tested and was then left as a completed job. I bought the house and started the rehab. Straight away it kept cutting out or blowing warm air. It turns out the drain line was clogged which stopped condensation draining so a float switch kept cutting out (this took a couple of visits and a new float switchto figure out). But there also seems to have been a second problem with the line set, as whatever work is done (so far a new float switch, new second condenser, a new second compressor, a new evaporation coil...) it hasn't fixed the problem of the ac running and running and blowing warm air. My question is, am I expected to pay for a new lineset if he installs one as another attempt to fix this 4 month problem? So far it has all been under warranty.

First the Background, then the Questions: Background: I have an old Carrier 38EN030300, manuf in '87. The compressor is still strong, but the blower fan motor has been replaced at least 3 times, including the most recent a few weeks back. This most recent time, due to a parts shortage, my local parts store had to provide a motor (Broad-Ocean Motor model Y7S623B548L) and blade (also new capacitor) that run counter-clockwise, which is the OPPOSITE of the clockwise direction of the replacement motor+blade that was already in it that was installed by a licensed tech a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, I no longer possess the original manufacturer motor that came with the condenser, and this is the cause for a couple of my questions. According to the Carrier 38EN manual, the CFM for the 38EN-30 model is 2,800, and the recommended RPM is 1,100. The new motor is rated at 1,100 RPM, so that matches. The new 4-blade fan (LAU Univ Parts # 60760601) pitch is 33º, while the original fan was 40º. It does have with a blade depth of 3.75" and a diameter of 16", so I get a CFM calculation of 3,200 when using the calculator supplied at the bottom of the page https://bestindustrialfans.com/fan-c...cfm-calculator. While the replaced motor was rated at 1/4 HorsePower, this new one is rated lower at 1/10 HP. Distance from the top of new fan blade to the unit's top grill is 2", just as manual says it should be, so that's ok. An interesting fact about this unit is that it has a directionally louvered casing around it with slots (that look like fish scales) that are open on the left and closed on the right, such that surrounding air enters from the left -- effectively counter-clockwise. I will try to attach a photo for clarification. Air indoors is blowing nice and cool with a good temp differential of about 21degrees F on the 2nd floor of our home on an 83º sunny day in central KY..... but could it be better? QUESTIONS: 1) With this current new motor and fan, am I truly getting adequate CFM? I am concerned that if the HP of the motor is not adequate (1/10 as opposed to 1/4), it will not be able to actually spin at 1,100 rpm with a 33º 16" 4-blade fan. And especially not if I replace the blade with one that is 40º like the original. Is there a way to measure the actual rpm spins? 2) Does anyone know if the CFM calculator at https://bestindustrialfans.com/fan-c...cfm-calculator is accurate? I am concerned that, even if the motor is indeed spinning at 1,100 rpm, the current 33º blade pitch may not be adequate to give me the manual's recommended 2,800 CFM. 3) I'm currently getting decent cooling, but could it be better with a 40º blade and stronger motor going in the same direction as my casing louvres? 4) Does anything about this setup threatening to shorten the lifespan of this new fan motor? Am I overworking it? 5) Same question about the compressor. 6) These darn louvres...I can't find an answer to this unusual situation on any other forums..... I do not know whether it's *necessary* or *better* for the fan to run in the same, or opposite, direction as the louvre entries. I do not know which direction the original motor+fan setup went. Two coincidences have me concerned about this: a) the motor+fan we took out was a clockwise-running set, and b) the recommended replacement parts for a Carrier 38EN unit at repair clinic.com (such as https://www.repairclinic.com/PartDet...1EW017/2384152 and https://www.repairclinic.com/PartDet...9SL711/2378901 ) are *clockwise*. DOES REPAIR CLINIC have it right, and the previous tech had it wrong? Or is it the other way around? Both websites and humans are fallible. ....SO... If the parts and setup I have now are inadequate or incorrect, I'll happily replace them with the recommended ones from Repairclinic.com and see if I can get yet another 30 years out of this Carrier compressor. But if what we just installed is adequate, them I'll save $250 and stick with what I have. UPDATE: NEW INFO to anyone reading this. I just found this YouTube video of a tech called "The HVAC HACKER" working on an old mid-80's "Brown Round" Carrier with directional louvres similar to mine. https://youtu.be/kWP0UVKDkdI The interesting thing is, you'll see the blade turns CCW, same direction as the louvres, BUT the motor is a Clockwise motor **because the motor and blade are mounted upside down**. On my Carrier, the motor is mounted right side up, shaft upwards, sitting in a tripod-saddle kind of rig. Perhaps the RepairClinic.com suggested motor and blade are clockwise because the site's database thinks a 38EN mounts upside down? Perhaps the previous tech who put a clockwise motor+fan in my 38EN followed a similar erroneous set of recommendations? HMMMM.... the mystery deepens. And here's and '87 that runs clockwise: https://youtu.be/yACm4WIHaJM And this video is very informative about the old Carriers, and has a clockwise-oriented blade, but at the end of the video it turns COUNTER clockwise???? https://youtu.be/nHE5YSqB3BU

Ok, finally concluded (hopefully) this painful process: - New contractor came out yesterday. Diagnosed the problem as just the fan motor not working. Fortunately, I had pushed for them to pick up that part before coming so they could do it same day, so he had it with him and replaced it. 2 hours total, ~$250 with tax. Pretty happy with final outcome, and I'll plan on using this contractor in future if needed, even though they didn't install my unit. - Disappointed with the first contractor that had come and had said it was the high pressure switch. He bypassed that and said I can continue to operate the system in the meantime, even though it became clear the fan still wasn't working. I tried to use it less, but I still put unnecessary wear & tear / risked damage to the system based on the first contractor saying I can run it without essentially a working fan. And then he came back and quoted $800 for high pressure switch and swapping fan motor too (but optional, even though he didn't mention that onsite). The original contractor was fixed price diagnostic fee and then fixed priced project fee. Fortunately, I had gotten them to waive the diagnostic fee prior to visiting. But you can see why I now don't like fixed price. If I have to sink money into a company diagnosing, I'm going to feel tied to stick with them, otherwise I have to waste time & money for another diagnosis, which is a major downside without a properly functioning a/c where time matters. And then I'm at the mercy of an arbitrary fixed price (with no comparison), where it seems a hourly contractor can only pad their hours so much. A better system would be bringing the HVAC contractor industry into the 21st century with an online marketplace or tools that allows for easy scheduling, transparent pricing, and accountability (reviews and protection from incorrect diagnosis). I'm sure that will come, if it's not already available in some areas, to solve this pain point for consumers. Too stressful and time consuming navigating this. Thanks everyone for chiming in, though, throughout...