First things First, THANKS ALL! Your comments, questions and guidance have been a huge help. My new start capacitor showed up yesterday as promised. Yes, I was surprised.
Before I plugged it in, I was wondering "how does the capacitor get energized that first time to start the motor since the motor is trying to start before the capacitor has had a chance to energize. Since I didn't find any online info with a quick search, my assumption was that it likely happens (literally) at the speed of light when the breaker is flipped.
I plugged the cap in, flipped the breaker, no start. Go out, position the compressor at the beginning of the easy spin point, flip breaker.....no start. I walk away.
My plan today was to pull the end of the motor and check the start circuit contact points. But First I measured the pulleys in order to determine the pump rpm with the 3450 rpm motor. The pump pulleys overall od is 14", deduct the .6 flange height x 2 (1.2") and it's a 12.8 od pulley (?). With the 4" drive pulley and same .6 flange height, it's a 2.8" pulley (?). If my logic is sound on how to determine pulley diameter, the drive ratio is 4.57 to 1. 3450/4.571=754 pump rpm. Now if I'm just goofy and you use the overall pulley diameters to calculate ratios, the pump rpm is 986 rpm. I'm constantly amazed at the things I don't know!
I think pump rpm is OK. I haven't found a spec for this exact Quincey pump though.
But the big news is......When I walked into the shop after measuring the pulleys I tripped the breaker just to see.....motor spun up instantly!!! Let pressure build to 50 psig, did the start test 3 more times. Started perfectly every time!
So, did the start cap charge due to stray voltage from the breaker box? Is this why it worked today and not yesterday immediately after installation?
RonR
