How to install a universal fan motor and make it look OEM and clean

Here is my method to install a universal motor cleanly and like OEM:
*Wire back to 3 wire.
*Cut back the "reversing wires" so that they are neither hanging into the fan blade or sticking out the fan grill (common rookie mistakes).
*Install capacitor back where it belongs.
I ran out of the small diameter "dead end" wire connectors otherwise I would have demonstrated how I like to insert the reversing wires up into the wire conduit for an even cleaner install than demonstrated in this video.

[@allhoursmaintenance3022]

I have enjoyed you run cap bandit videos for years. Your work has made me a better technician, I hate caps that fall out when you remove the service cover.

[@hackfreehvac]

Thanks.When I worked for DNC over 10 years ago it was every day that a cap would come falling out at me when I removed the service panel.

[@jollyscaria1922]

Condensar fan motor fixing time 220 v fan shafit length tomuch ok marking cutting removing comtssor ruing time tuchimg selit good afyer fixing lif up gaped fixing sefit yis good poperly giximg good way ok

[@phoenixhvac-r828]

I think you give these hacks to much credit, they pull the directional leads up because they can't read a simple wiring schematic.that way they just switch them when it spins the wrong way, and they'll never take the time to watch videos like yours that would educate them because their hacks, great video.

[@NorCal-refrigeration]

I like when you pointed out the crappy Goodman 👍👍😂😂😂😂😂

[@bababooey7576]

That's what I wait for in each of his videos, lol!

[@vacuumboy6.0]

how rare is it to have a very quite goodman... because i have one?

[@hackfreehvac]

Is it running when you listen to it? LOL Of course most of my noisy Goodman jokes are about the earlier ones.

[@bababooey7576]

They should come with built in silencers (rocks). I went with my brother the other night while he walked his dog around the neighbourhood, and we rounded the corner to hear a slightly rattly, not very well-placed air conditioner at the side of someon'es house, put right in the way and not neatly tucked out of the way....A dark grey turd goodman...I looked at my brother and said, if you guys ever put an air conditioner in a house you own in the future, don't get goodman...they are almost everywhere now here in southern Ontario. I see good old air conditioners being torn out and cheap goodmans in their place.......I see some that look similar but they say "distinctions" on the side...is that like the Acura of Honda sort of thing, where it's their "executive" line of air conditioners? lol

[@williamfuentes7419]

Dax Marshall I got one too

[@utubepro7742]

That wiring trick is the best 👍🏻

[@JohnnyJr396]

I just found your videos. Man I’ve been doing this a long time and learn something new on all your videos. Thanks for doing them , learning from you has helped with the burnout I’ve been feeling.

[@hackfreehvac]

Thanks man.

[@ninocodina897]

Nice video learned something new today. This Christmas i get my hvac certification from south Texas college 😀

[@AmericanLocomotive1]

It's amazing how hard it is to find a competent HVAC/R company/person. We probably went through 3 different companies at work before we found one that actually knew what they were doing. We had one clown who was brazing up two brand new 15 ton Trane split systems without any nitrogen. We reported that to Trane, and they made him come out and do it again with some oversized filters on the suction and liquid lines while purging with nitrogen. The worst part is, you talk about these guys on the industry forums, and everyone there just attacks you.

[@PMC662]

Excellant work as always....

[@juliochavez4028]

Good video bro, I’m glad it was spinning in the right direction lol

[@haz_jun2442]

Great tips, thanks

[@1keykneedeep]

Makes a video on wire hacks - then hacks reverse leads with wrong connectors. Lol. Still did a quality job bruh. 👍👍😄

[@hackfreehvac]

Actually, using the dead end connectors is deliberate so that the reverse wires don't fall into the fan or are not poking up through the fan blade like many techs leave them around here. 😁

[@Stevehevessy]

Great tip

[@LuisPerez-vy6bz]

Awesome video and thank you for sharing that insight. Replacing my fan motor asap too. Much appreciated Sir! 🫡

[@proffitt72]

Been following your posts for years. Thanks for posting and explaining the correct way to use and install a universal motor. You should see some of the hack jobs here in Tennessee. I'm sure Chainsaw Charlie and all his techs will take notes and immediately see the light and change their ways. Not!!!!

[@jeffgrant6914]

nice repair

[@Jack-Surreal_Panes]

anyway... no sparks, yet. fired right up but may need new blade. The blade was a bugger to get off the old shaft. Trying to bend here and there but still a tad vibration so may order a new blade. Those extra wires, well the connectors were to big to fit in the pvc piping so I upped the pvc size to a thin wall. used a zip and clamp to secure because the hole that held it was smaller too. Now the orange and yellow will fit up into the pic pipe so no up out of screen or no need to snip and crimp. I may cut the remaining shaft, like 4". It may help the blade balance better. I measured my old blades. comes out to 21 so guessing I need a 20" 27 pitch 3 blade CCW? Thanks for the tips.

[@RamYRN]

Where do you connect the green wire

[@chevyman7021]

I have a cheap ass rheem, not many in my area, priced oem, 648.00 , so i did the "right" thing and bought the 99.00 universal and wired it like you did. Looks clean, only complaint is its louder than the oem. Strangely the cheapo universal makes the head pressure lower. Go figure.

[@GotchaplumberGotchahvac]

Good info.

[@abrahammiron8319]

Good shit bro

[@bababooey7576]

I'm the kind of person that would want oem for whatever im doing (if it's better, feasible, of course), and I know you like to usually use oem, why the universals for this video? Great video as per, and the goodman bashing as always!

[@hackfreehvac]

Emergency repairs. The second one was after hours. The first one was an odd-ball brand for this area and a customer with universal in everything already.

[@bababooey7576]

Bingo. that's what I figured..thanks!

[@speckulator7516]

I just did one that nobody in town could get me an oem in less than a week and I would have had to pay expedited shipping to get that. So I had no choice but use the universal. The unit was about 15 years old so saving $150 plus whatever all that extra shipping would have been. I like to always stay oem but I can’t wait a week and spend what probably would have ended up an extra $200. It’s hard to believe we still have such supply channel problems on a nothing special ICP fan motor. People want A/C now not next week.

[@bababooey7576]

@@speckulator7516 Oof, well then there's that...get the unit up.and running and I'd be using universal too. I was a bit hard assed with that comment 3 years ago. Lol

[@potatoman147]

what would happen if I plug a motor like this i found laying on the street into my 110 wall outlet?

[@timcastilo6962]

I have that same unit it’s really quiet and it blows ice cold air

[@jarez3781]

So the white wire takes the place of the purple?

[@crazydan2327]

Cut the shaft with a grinder and cutting wheel no struggle if u have to change that motor again

[@markg6860]

My old condenser fan motor is 1100rpm, 1/4HP and 1.3amps The only replacement I'm finding is 1075rpm, 1/4HP and 1.6 amps. Is this likely to work without any problems? Thanks.

[@supersam300]

Yes

[@jollyscaria1922]

2 ameberok

[@Jack-Surreal_Panes]

ok, think I figured it out. Havent seen a video on this so feel free to chime in. Since the new universal motor is 10mfd, OLD was 5 so a 10 was included. New wiring should be L1 black to contactor like before. On the 50+5 Run capacitor yellow to herm, connect the red jumper back to where was before on a common terminal, connect the white L2 from motor as well on another. Common will have motorL2 and L2 jumper to connector.also the L2 wire. Now the funky brown purple goes to one terminal of the new 10mfd run capacitor and the other terminal gets the brown white wire. Basically bypassing the 5mfd run on the original dual capacitor and adding in a new 10mfd for just the fan motor. SHOOT! white and black bare! Now I gotta go get some stupid female terminal ends and end caps because the orange and yellow wires off motor are way to long so snip cap crimp close to motor housing. So close too...15 min job actually takes 2 hours. BTW, do I need to cut off the few inches of shaft once the blades are set?

[@speckulator7516]

Jack, I always change the dual run capacitor while I’m in there and would just buy the size I need to work with the new motor. It makes for a cleaner install and customers don’t under if the compressor cap goes out next month. So I just change it.

[@Jack-Surreal_Panes]

@@speckulator7516 I did the 2, figured how to wire it. Lasted a year until 2 geckos fried it. Had to get the AC guy. He put a single bigger one on it ,not a cheap china one. Man, that sucker made some noise on start up but eventually went away and so far so good.

[@justinberrett7479]

I want to see a video of you cutting the condenser fan shaft please

[@hackfreehvac]

Hacksaw or sawzall is what we generally use. When I was young and crazy I have ran the motor with no blade attached and held a hacksaw blade against the rotating shift to cut it! Ha ha 😂

[@FeoOrozco]

But what did you do with the green wire? Did you just take it off??? I dont see where it goes too a d im confused on mine

[@hackfreehvac]

The green wire is ground. It's there IF you have an application where the motor doesn't ground through the mounting bolts and fan grill like most do.

[@Jack-Surreal_Panes]

So my new universal has white black brown with white stripe and a brownish purple.. Purple and brown white have end connectors, white black do not. . old wires were connected to cap the yellow herm, red and purple were on common. Brown to fan,. I remembered B1 Y3 RP4. what is confusing is which new motor wires are what now.? White is L2 and Black L1 so black to black and is the white the new Brown?. diagram on motor shows dark brown and brown white stripe to 10mfd cap. Ok, I have a dual run 50+5 capacitor ( old motor used this) but this motor comes with and a 10mfd run cap too and was told this needs it to run. How do I add thks into the mix? wish you could call me.

[@hackfreehvac]

There are some oddball wiring colors out there. I'd guess that the two wires with the connectors are made to go to the capacitor and the two bare ones meant to be adapted to go to L1 and L2 One of the wires with the connector is likely wired to L2 internally and could be left out to wire back as a 3 wire.

[@Jack-Surreal_Panes]

@@hackfreehvac Yes. The 2 did go to the 10mfd which will bypass the dual's 5mfd. The other 2 are the L1 and L2.2 ended up on the common of the dual.

[@coloradobeekeeper-bobbeatt5341]

How do I use a new Motor with 5 wire and my old motor has only 3 wires? Old has Brown orange and black and my new has a black yellow orange purple and brown?

[@bigtom6746]

I’ve got the same set up with my recently purchased fan motor. Condenser wires are yellow black and dark brown? I’ve got three on the fan motor and three on the AC condenser not sure how to hook it up because every time I do it throws my Circuit breaker in a minute or two, I’m both confused and perplexed i’m not sure what going on? Any help out there would be great!!!

[@rhettmason4899]

@@bigtom6746 did you figure this out? I have 2 whites, black, red and a brown.

[@sayayindog.3696]

Will it matter if u put 1/4 hp to upgrade 1/5 hp motor???

[@hackfreehvac]

Well, the universal motors essentially do that but putting in a larger motor causes a mismatch and can actually cause the motor to operate hotter. I thing that's why the universal motors have gone to higher thermal ratings now They can run really hot.

[@Conald_isAfalseProphet]

I understand drain holes at the bottom but why are there open holes on the top of fan motors?

[@hackfreehvac]

Are you talking about the one hold at the opposite side with a plug? Some motors mount in a belly band mount with the shaft facing up rather than hanging on the fan grill. That was popular on some older units.

[@Conald_isAfalseProphet]

@@hackfreehvac I'm an electrician working on my own unit and recently found some have holes on the top like what came in my Trane XR15 model but now noticed they are mounting holes that don't go all the way through. I had to get a 1875 EZ-Fit U.S. Motor and found 4 mounting holes on the sides (like for a Rheem model) and then 2 additional holes on the sides not tapped and no screws or plugs in them with a clear view to the motor.. I used a tap and ground screws to fill them and hopefully avoid water intrusion. I guess that's what we get with some of the aftermarket universal type motors.

[@hackfreehvac]

@@Conald_isAfalseProphet Oh, those newer Trane units have very specific holes that have machine screws that mount them. I don't know if there are many universal motors for those. On the sides I often see the old Rheem holes but haven't seen any others on the side than those.

[@ike2167]

You pointed out the Goodman by but you really did not bash it

[@nicolasrodriguez8061]

Were d you put the withe wire and the blck

[@hackfreehvac]

I cut it off close to the motor. It is not needed when wired as 3 wire like an OEM It is the same connection internal to the motor as yellow. (or white depending on motor brand) It is just there for the times you mount the capacitor in a separate spot. Then the brown wire is on one side of the capacitor and the brown/white wire goes to the other side.

[@ultrafaga1947]

Long shaft will cause premature failure of the bearings, no???

[@hackfreehvac]

Some OEM units have the fan hanging quite far from the motor. Which must be why the universal motors have the long shaft. I'm sure an out of balance blade might have more of an effect being further away but other than that I doubt it changes much. I generally like to cut off the excess for the cleaner look

[@Smurdle450]

*oem I think you meant? Yo hacked the title like a Goodman dealer! Jk you’re awesome keep the Goodman bashing/awesome have content up!

[@Smurdle450]

Oh crap I meant you not yo.

[@geniusliu143]

hi, what does means 70c label on the motor ?

[@hackfreehvac]

The operating temp rating

[@geniusliu143]

@@hackfreehvac thank u so much

[@JeepUnit69]

What does the green go to?

[@hackfreehvac]

Ground. In case you use a belly band mound and the paint prevents a ground to the unit chassis.

[@IsThatGeneral]

What about the green ground wire?

[@hackfreehvac]

Not needed if the motor grounds thru the fan grill. Which is how most modern ODM's ground. The universal motors just have them in case you mount the motor in an insulated cradle and need to run a ground wire

[@IsThatGeneral]

@@hackfreehvac thank you

[@Straycurrent]

One of these days you'll figure out a good use for that extra wire that gets cut off. After a long, hot summer, you'll have a fortune in wire from all the replacements.

[@hackfreehvac]

I save one or two in the back of the truck. They come in handy when I need to extend the capacitor wire, etc.

[@ThePete2432]

You forgot to mention when they put in a fan motor that has a larger depth, fan no longer in the shroud and the unit trippes on high head

[@hackfreehvac]

Sometimes I've seen them hang the fan blade way down on the long shaft when there was no excuse because the motor wasn't even any deeper. Just wow

[@garagetalk]

Where would the ground wire go

[@hackfreehvac]

Most motors ground through the grill which then grounds to the unit chassis. The ground wire on the universal motor is there for old units or where the motor might be on rubber isolators and needs to be grounded through the wire to the chassis

[@garagetalk]

@@hackfreehvac thanks 👍

[@vonksummer9099]

If you use oem for everything than you like wasting the customers money. Instead of using universal CFM for everyone seems like someone is lazy lol. Plus Goodman is a good brand had it for 8 years and running perfect

[@hackfreehvac]

OEM performs better in most cases. The load is matched closer to the fan and airflow etc. Universal motors are just in the ball park and you often see higher amp draw when used AND less lifespan. A motor with the load rating too low will get hot and die and a motor with the load rating too high has a bad power factor and also can get hot and not last as long. It is a roll of the dice. We generally use the universal motors when an OEM is not available or for a quick onsite repair. Goodman still sucks. Just not as bas as the brown panel ones of the 90's and 2000's. They still don't make a good commercial unit. They are still pathetic like Hyundai and KIA were in their early days. HA HA HA

[@jamesharris4432]

Thanks for showing how you ran wires on capacitor waste our time

[@wannis100]

I hate to say you point out other technician bad work. I thought you are trying to educate others how to install condenser fan motor not how others how they do their job. I believe you videos could be informative and interesting if you keep subject matter.

[@hackfreehvac]

You have to point out the problems with the lazy hack work in order to demonstrate a more proper way. Technicians pulling the wires up through the fan grill (sheer hackery) is an epidemic in my area. Work like that needs to be shamed. That's how we did things in our once great country before people became snowflakes and the SJW's started to control the media.

[@lukec58397]

@@hackfreehvac it doesnt matter as long as it's wired correctly and has the right ratings. This isn't a landscaping or painting industry. We're not here to do aesthetic work, but logical. If it's quicker to connect the polarity wires outside, then that's more logical.

[@crackerjackgo6415]

overall, you don't give very good explanations about what you're doing. just complaints and complain. lots of jump cuts ✂️ 😳 need some more explanation about why the brown-white wire is to be cut even though new fan motor label says connect both brown and brown-white wire to the capacitor fan position. like, explain more about the illustration on that piece of paper, but just jumped to oh,, wires are cut. nice video quality though.

[@hackfreehvac]

This video is made for experienced peers. Not DIY or anything like that. Just a discussion on using a universal in a manner to be clean. I am pretty sure, however, that I did mentioned that the brown/white stripe wire is simply tied to the yellow (or white, depending on brand) internally. (Maybe, it has been some years now) The only reason they ever added the 4th wire was for older units where the capacitor might be mounted near the motor and only two longer wires would be ran to the main control section.

[@kevinshin5848]

Bla bla bla 😂, no explanation at all