Our downstairs area has a Carrier heat pump system. As of yesterday, when the thermostat calls for cooling, the outside unit (fan and compressor) just buzzes. The fan does not spin, and the fan motor gets really hot. If I spin the blade with my hand, it starts running but not at full speed.
It seems to me that the starting capacitor has failed. I took the cover off to see what I could see, and the capacitor is clearly bubbled on the top. Hopefully I can find one on a Sunday to replace it.
Even with the fan running, the air is not cool. Here is the magic question. Could the fan running at lower-than-normal speed cause the unit not to cool?
This problem occurred after a thunderstorm. There were some extremely close strikes, but as far as I know, nothing else got hit, which leads me to believe that the failure was coincidental. Even if lightning got the capacitor, it's no big deal. Hopefully the compressor and controller board are still working. (I don't know how to tell if the compressor is running.)