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Wed, Nov 9, 11 at 9:51
| I've had my Trane system for a little over 5 yrs. and have always had it maintained 2 times a yr. Now, I'm told that the fan motor [outside] is leaking oil and needs to be replaced. Of course, the full warranty is up so I have to pay for the labor.
Is this a common thing? I paid $5000.00 for the unit and can't understand why a motor would go bad in less than 10 years! The old system I had previously seemed to last much longer than that. The only excuse I get is..."well, this happens sometimes". Hope to hear from somebody on this. Thanks, |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by tigerdunes (My Page) on Wed, Nov 9, 11 at 10:07
| Rainey Just to be clear, you are speaking of the top condenser fan motor? You have seen the leak? Motor is covered by warranty? How much to install new motor? Post back. IMO |
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- Posted by raineygirl (My Page) on Wed, Nov 9, 11 at 10:35
| I believe it's the fan motor and no, I haven't seen the leak but will check it out. Originally, he said it would cost me $643.00 because he thought that nothing was still under warranty. After I called my sales rep., it was determined that I would only pay for labor...$160.00. But, is this normal for the fan motor to leak oil? He said it was like a seal or gasket leak but the whole thing [fan motor] has to be replaced and can't be fixed. He said the leak is all around the outside of the motor. I'll check that out today. |
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- Posted by tigerdunes (My Page) on Wed, Nov 9, 11 at 11:01
| Normal no, but it does happen. While no homeowner likes an unexpected repair, anything mechanical and motor driven is subject to be problematic. That is a fact. If the condenser fan is still operating, I would ask why the seal/ gasket can not be replaced. The fact is that if the motor is covered by warranty, then it would be more economical to just replace it. But first I would want to see the leak with my own eyes. 160 is probably in line for the labor. IMO |
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- Posted by raineygirl (My Page) on Wed, Nov 9, 11 at 11:13
| IMO I did ask that question...Why couldn't they just replace the gasket and was told that they can't open up the motor and it has to be replaced. Anyway I look at it, the $160.00 sounds much better than $643.00. However, I'm very annoyed that this happened and it makes me think differently about TRANE. I thought they were top of the line. |
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- Posted by tigerdunes (My Page) on Wed, Nov 9, 11 at 11:34
| Rainey I would want to see the leak. You are being too hard on Trane. And a once a year PM on your HVAC is more than adequate. IMO |
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- Posted by raineygirl (My Page) on Wed, Nov 9, 11 at 12:58
| Okay, I looked for the leak [oil anywhere] and didn't see any. However, maybe I'm not looking in the right area? Where do I look? I looked around the bottom. I took some pics as well. I didn't see anything other than dirt, some debris from twigs, grass but that's all I saw. Shouldn't the leak be on the outside of the unit? |
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- Posted by heatseeker (My Page) on Wed, Nov 9, 11 at 14:34
| For one thing I replace motors all the time, they make them much lighter these days due to the need to save energy. In the old days motors were heavy and designed to last. Trane dose have good equipment. It sounds like it is under warranty. Consider yourself lucky. Next question- does the motor run or is it totally stopped? Also these motors are sealed and can't be oiled It sounds suspicious if he says it needs replacing and there is no oil on the motor. |
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- Posted by harlemhvacguy (My Page) on Wed, Nov 9, 11 at 19:25
| I agree with heatseeker. These motors don't last as well as they used to in ANYBODYS units anymore. they do not have oil ports anymore and the seals can't be replaced. But I have seen these motors start to seep oil in as little as 2 years, it is really common. Most will last even seeping oil for many years but if this one is seeping oil and is still under warranty then i would replace it. The labor price is not to bad but if this is the company that installed the unit and is the one that you have been paying to service it they could probably cut you a better break than that.....I would. |
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- Posted by raineygirl (My Page) on Wed, Nov 9, 11 at 20:00
| Thanks for all the input. Now, I looked at my unit outside and DO NOT see any oil anywhere?? Where would the oil be if it's leaking? On the ground below the unit? It sits on little legs and I've looked and don't see any oil. The tech told me that it's leaking all around the motor. Is this on the inside? I'll have it replaced and pay the $160 for labor but I wasn't going to pay the full amount of $643.00 that he quoted for the new motor and labor. Yes, this is the company that installed it and has been maintaining it for me. I told them that it's funny that just back in April/May, nobody noticed any leakage. I have a contract for summer and winter service calls for maintenance. I guess they just don't make anything as good as they used to:) |
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- Posted by harlemhvacguy (My Page) on Thu, Nov 10, 11 at 10:38
| No the oil would be on the outside of the motor where the shaft of the motor comes out of the motor. Its not going to be a quart of oil or anything. these motors only hold a few ounces of oil. If you don't feel comfortable about it I would tell them to come replace the motor after they show you the oil leak. They shouldn't have a problem with this if they aren't trying to pull something... sounds like you have spent alot of money with them. Its the least they could do |
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- Posted by raineygirl (My Page) on Sat, Nov 12, 11 at 8:47
| When I think back, the techician went around back to service the heat pump and instead of coming back inside the house, he went directly to his truck and I remember he was in there a while. Apparently, checking my account to see if the motor was under warranty and getting a price. Well, he should have come in and told me "first" what was going on. He thought that it wasn't under warranty. It wasn't until after I called my sales rep. that it was discovered to be under warranty. So, not sure if there's any deception going on or not. Do these guys get a commission on work performed? They were supposedly going to order the motor. Haven't heard anything so far. Been over a week. |
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- Posted by harlemhvacguy (My Page) on Sat, Nov 12, 11 at 18:50
| not real sure what was going on there but as far a techs working on commission it depends on the company. Where I live it is about 50-50. We don't because it is not a program that promotes honesty....... |
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