Jeff Osvold

Motors and Motor Controls

Bryon Rassier

3/22/17

Unit 20: Troubleshooting Electric Motors

1. True or false: if a sleeve bearing fails in a small, fractional horsepower motor, the motor

is generally replaced. True, if the motor is small enough, the cost of the bearing will be as

much or greater than a new motor.

2. An open winding in an electric motor means that there is a break in the winding, causing

the resistance between that winding and common to be infinity.

3. There is a short circuit in an electric motor winding when the conductors in the winding

touch each other where the insulation is worn or in some way defective.
4. An open winding or a shorted winding can be determined with which of the following

instruments? Ohmmeter.
5. A decrease in resistance will cause the amperage to increase.
6. A megohmmeter can be used to detect resistance in the millions of ohms.
7. What size of a resistor is recommended for shorting across an electrical motor capacitor

before checking with an ohmmeter? 20,000 ohm, 5-W bleed resistor should be used.
8. To determine the capacitance of a capacitor, a VOM should be used.
9. State the physical differences between a run and a start capacitor. Run capacitors are

housed in a metal can that is oil-filled. Run capacitors are housed in a hard, black plastic

container.
10. In a three phase motor in good operating condition, the resistance will be the same for

each of the three windings.

11. Describe what may happen to an electric motor if the drive belt is too tight. It will put too

much of a load on the motor, causing it to draw a high amperage. It will always put
 additional strain on the motors bearings, causing them to wear faster than they were

designed to.
12. How are the electrical components checked on a hermetic compressor? With the

terminals located on the outside of the compressors shell.

13. A loose connection may result in lower voltage and higher current at the motor. Loose

connections cause oxidation of the copper wire, which acts as an electrical resistance.
14. The amperage can be checked with a clamp on ammeter.
15. Electric motor roller and ball bearings failure often can be determined by the sound they

make or by a lack of rotation of the shaft and any equipment that is attached to it.