Outside fan does not spin and a loud screeching sound coming from

The bearings are bad in the motor and after the fan runs enough it eventually gets hot, making the bearing screech and the fan locks up. Need to replace motor again. See if it has a warranty. The reason it gets hot is because the fan is what removes the heat from the coil and if the fan isn't running there is nothing to cool it off so to speak.

Either a very bad Capacitor, or the fan belt came loose and the motor is just spinning

No, The only thing you may loose replacing the thermostat battery's would be the time/date. All default pre-programming will not be lost. The thermostat controls the unit. If the unit is coming on then the t-stat is working. Confirm the unit is coming on when the T-stat tells it to.Turn the t-stat to the off position, have someone go outside to the condenser unit. Turn the unit on and listen for the fan and the compressor (2) different sounds from the unit. Feel the lines that connect to the house, the larger line should feel cool to cold and the smaller line should feel warm to hot. If you do not hear the compressor, or suspect it is not coming on with the fan, then you may have some other issue. In the heat we have been having one good suspect is a bad compressor start capacitor. The fan comes on but not the compressor,,this is a good indication the cap. is bad.. On the wall by your outside unit is a power disconnect. Open the box and pull the disconnect or flip the breaker to the off position. Now have someone turn the T-stat on and wait a minute then off and wait a minute, on and off ... you should hear a relay clicking on/off or in/out inside the control box of the A/C unit. When in the on position you should hear a slight buzzing sound also once the relay pulls in, this will tell you the t-stat is telling the unit what it should be doing. If all this is good then your unit is just is not cooling right and needs further troubleshooting. Hope this helps FixYa up.

Could be the fan motor's bearings. Try turning the fan by hand to see if spins freely or is tight. If it's tight you can try oiling it but that may not work for long.

Generally, in my experience, the loud screeching is caused by one of the fan motors or fan blades. There is a fan inside the cabinet (possiblle two, one on the freezer and one on the refrigerator side). Also, there is a fan underneath the unit near the compressor (probably in the back).

If the screeching is coming from underneath then pull the unit out from the wall and remove the cardboard cover at the bottom back. Now turn the unit on and check for where the screeching is coming from.

If it is the fan blade (hitting something) or the motor, you can remove these and replace them easily. UNPLUG THE REFRIGERATOR BEFORE TOUCHING ANYTHING UNDERNEATH THE BACK OF THE REFRIGERATOR.)

Good Luck!

If you turn down the thermostat to the air conditioner and the unit outside does not come on, you could have a few different issues. The usual suspect is a start capcitor. When you adjust your thermostat you should hear a click from the outside unit. If you hear a click but nothing happens, check the power disconnect out there by the unit. I recently had to replace mine because it finally just wore out. It can also be the contactor, the fan itself or the actual compressor.

Check the start capacitor. You may be able to see visual deformaty, otherwise, use a meter. The buzzing is most likely the contactors closing which uses a seperate 24v supply..

It sounds like the fan motor needs lubricating. Do you need help with this?

Chances are it is the outdoor fan motor. Does it squal when you run the A/C? If not it could be the reversing valve solonoid.

Sounds like a bad fan motor. Inside fan runs, compressor runs. Outside fan. Are your contactors pulled in when thermostat set on cool? If not might be a contactor. If contactor not pulled in touch the top of it with the end of a screwdriver. If fan spins turn unit off a buy a contactor...

Tip: Always make sure power at disconnect is off