Problem:
Turn on a/c and it whines but won't start. Last year it did the same thing. I cleaned up and lubed the shaft on the fan motor and it worked perfectly for the entire summer. The camper has been sitting since Oct. Today I cleaned the shaft and lubed it. It will turn by hand but not freely.

I think the motor is shot and needs to be replaced. It's an A.O. Smith 3 speed 1/4hp. It has a shaft that sticks out either end. On the rearward side it turns a standard fan that cools the condenser. On the forward side the shaft goes inside a sheetmetal shroud that contains the "rat wheel" fan that blows across the evaporator. I can't find a seam to take apart the shroud so that I can remove the wheel fan that will allow me to remove the motor.

Question:
Does anybody know how to do this or will I have to cut the sheetmetal to remove the motor and then re-seal after installing the new motor?

the squirrel cage fan wheel should have an allen key in it, lots of time you have to work the motor out best you can leaving squirrel cage fan in place, dont cut the sheet metal, there is way out for the motor, make sure you take note of motor direction & wiring also. hope this helps a little.

I'll look again for a set screw or something. Problem is that there is very little room to get to the cage. Especially when you have big paws like me. I'll check it again this evening. Thanks.

pm me some picture of what your looking at and maybe over the phone i can walk you through it ill help you get the part cheapest too i do hvac for a living and am very in tune with what you doing let me know

Thanks Jeff, but I decided to install and entirely new unit. Sold the old one for $100 to offset the costs.

make a dollar to spend a dollar