Quote:I could take a look at it but you'd have to buy me beer, and that get's expensive. I just repaired a friends unit which was running all the time but not cooling. The condensing unit contactor failed ( a $25 part) and lucky for him I had a spare in my spare parts bin or otherwise he'd have been without A/C all weekend until he could get a repairmen in, which probably would have been $250.

 

At first thought, your compressor might be shutting off for thermal overload, in which case it's probably shot. If the compressor runs for a few minutes then shuts off that's what I would suspect. However, if the compressor just "hums" but never kicks in, then I would suspect the compressor capacitor. A capacitor is only about $8.

 

Take the cover off the control circuit panel and see if you see anything obviously burnt up. Some units carry a soft start thermistor (I have a Carrier which does) and those are notoriously weak. If you see anything obviously burnt up get the nameplate data off of it and order a replacement online. Take a picture of the wiring before disassembling the component so you know where to attach the wires when you get the replacement part.

 

Regards......................the Chiefjag