Should I put a new inducer motor in my old furnace or start saving for a replacement?

I was in almost the same spot a few years back. Furnace from the early 90s, inducer started sounding like a garbage disposal, tech gave me the same 'could go anytime' speech. I replaced the motor, and that thing ran another four winters without a single issue. Sold the house with it still going. So yes, it can defintely buy you real time, not just a few months.

But before you hand over any money, have the tech actually check the heat exchanger, not just eyeball it. A proper inspection with a light and mirror, or a combustion test if they have the analyzer. That's the part that decides everything. If the exchanger is solid and the burners look decent, the inducer swap is a smart use of a few hundred bucks. If it's cracked or rusted, walk away and start shopping, beacuse no repair is worth it at that point.

Also worth asking what the actual motor costs versus labor. On a lot of older units the inducer is a fairly common part and you might be able to shave the bill down, expecially if the tech can source an aftermarket one instead of the factory piece. On a 30 year old furnace nobody needs the OEM badge on it.

One thing I'd push back on is the idea that it'll cascade into failures next week. These old furnaces are simple machines. Exchanger, blower, gas valve, board. If three of those four check out fine, the odds of everything letting go at once are low. The board on mine was still original and never gave me trouble.

My plan at the time was exactly what you're describing, fix it and bank money monthly toward a replacement. I figured if something big broke before I was ready, I'd be out the repair cost but at least I'd have the savings started. That's basially the bet you're making, and for me it paid off.

Kind of in the same boat here, our furnace whines for the first minute after it kicks on then quiets down. Never thought much of it til reading this. Is that the same part you guys are talking about, the little fan that pushes the burnt stuff out the pipe? If so I might be in for the same repair soon.

My dad ran his old furnace another six or seven years after swapping the inducer himself. He grabbed the part online using the model number off the sticker inside the cabinet, and the only special thing he needed was a socket driver for one bolt that sat in a tight spot. Watched a video on it first and did it over a weekend. Saved a bunch on labor that way. If you're even a little handy, ask the tech to quote you parts only and see how much of that bill is just the labor.

One thing I'd add: don't wait for it to actually die. Mine quit on a Sunday night in late January and the emergency call cost more than the repair woud've. If you're gonna do it, do it on your schedule while the weather's mild and the tech isn't slammed. Also ask if the new motor comes with any kind of warranty on the part. Ours did, and that made the gamble feel a lot easier. Sounds like your guy thinks it's fixable, so I'd lean toward doing it now rather than rolling the dice through another winter.

Before you sign off on the motor swap, I'd ask the tech to be specific about what he's hearing, because in my experience an inducer that 'sounds bad' isn't always a dying motor. On my old unit the rattle turned out to be a cracked mounting gasket letting the housing vibrate, and another time it was buildup on the blower wheel throwing it out of balance. Both were cheap fixes compared to a motor. If he can demonstrate the bearing play physically, wobble at the shaft, that's a real diagnosis, but 'it's loud' on its own always makes me want a second opinon before spending money.

Update: read thru everything twice now. The guy whose dad swapped it himself has me wondering if I could do the same thing. I found the model sticker inside the cabinet but the numbers on there don't obviously match anything I'm seeing when I search for parts online. Is there a trick to matching the right inducer to an old furnace, or should I just call the tech back and ask what part they'd order?