The compressor on my air conditioner was still running, but the fan was not running causing the temperature to climb in the house. I re-started the main power and the fan worked with the compressor wants again. Any reason why this would happen?

There are lots of possibilities. Are you perhaps just running just the fan? Is the inside air below the thermostat setting? Is the compressor engaging? If the compressor is running, what is the current draw on the common line going to the compressor? A white tag on the housing should show the RLA for the unit. RLA: Acronym for "rated load amps". The maximum current a compressor should draw under any operating conditions. Often mistakenly called running load amps which leads people to believe, incorrectly, that the compressor should always pull these amps. You should never use the listed RLA to determine if the compressor is running properly or to condemn a compressor. The running amps of a compressor are determined by the evaporator temperature, condensing temperature and the line voltage.

If it is at the published specs for current draw then perhaps the just cleaning the evaporator and condenser will restore the unit if you can feel that the output of the compressor is nice and cold. Also a broken cover can make the unit not channel air properly through the condenser and evaporator. A missing baffle or large seams in the ducts portion that separate the intake from the outflow will cause the unit to recycle the cold air and not distribute the cooled air to the duct system.

If the compressor is not running, it could be a bad start capacitor or the temperature cutoff switch. It could also be a defective control board or thermostat. A test light on the output plug of the control board will help isolate the problem.

Bad run capacitor or bad compressor. If you hear an occasional click from the compressor try a new run cap and then a hard start kit. Otherwise it's more economical to purchase a new unit.

http://www.appliancepartspros.com/partsearch/frame_diagram.aspx?diagram_id=28700000&pkw_=basket&model_id=5520000&NewWindow=1

Download this illustration and then using a good multimeter start basic troubleshooting.


All residential window air conditioners have a cooling system made up of four primary components, a compressor, an evaporator fan, a control or switch, capacitor.When the thermostat is calling for a colder room temperature the compressor is energized. It is normally very quiet. The evaporator is always located on the front of the air conditioner. It also has silver fins. Be sure it is clean. Use a foaming type cleaner and rinse with plain water. Because the evaporator is absorbing heat, it is very cold to the touch. The temperature drop causes any humidity in the air to collect on the evaporator - sometimes called sweat. There is a fan inside the air conditioner that circulates the air for the evaporator and condenser coils. The circulating fan and compressor are running simultaneously. The fan motor has two fan blades attached to it on either end. The fan blade on the inside part of the unit continually draws room air over the evaporator coils, which are cold. The fan blade on the outside part of the unit continually draws fresh outside air over the condenser coils, which are warm. Because the evaporator coils are cold, they cause moisture in the room to collect on them, much like a cup of ice water on a warm, humid day. When the amount of moisture increases, it begins to drip down off of the coils into the bottom pan of the air conditioner.
If the compressor fails to start or the fan you may need to replace the capacitor.
You may need a hard start kit.



Thermostat control The thermostat on a window air conditioner works by sensing the air temperature entering the air conditioner. As the air entering the unit reaches the set temperature it will cause the compressor to turn off. The blower may continue to run depending on the selection chosen on the control panel. Digital thermostats work on a similar principle but display a more precise temperature.
Test for continuity with the multimeter between the two terminals . Warm you should read continuity (contacts closed). If not change it.
Selector switches The air conditioner selector switches allow the user to choose the fan speed. The compressor always runs at the same speed regardless of the settings. If low cool is chosen, for example, the fan runs at a slower speed but the compressor still offers the same cooling capacity. There are other switches to control louver operation and other features on some units.

Sounds like the compressor is cutting out on high pressure. Make sure that the radiator fan /s working when ac running. Also check for anything blocking the air flow across radiator /condenser

if the compressor is starting there will be a very small dimming in the house lights,if you go outside to the unit and start it from the outside disconnect when the compressor starts you will hear a whine type noise coming from the outside condenser unit that is the hermetic compressor motor operating,no cold air can be a number of issues,low on refrigerant(not likely on the new sealed systems) a bad motor start/run capacitor(quite likely) a bad contactor on the outside unit that supplies power to the compressor,one leg of the 240volts that supplies the compressor power,the fan will run on 120 volts,but the compressor needs 240 volts check the fuses.breaker in the power panel

Sounds like control voltage problem. Tsat mat be bad. It is hard to say without looking. Next time this happens. Have someone stands out side by the unit to see if the contactor is pulling in. When you turn the Tstat off and wait and turn it on you may be manually make the contact in the Tstat. If the fan and compressor are not running when you call for cool, Most of the time it is the control voltage. Let me know if the outside fan runs and the compressor does not. Rusty

If your compressor is running outside (low hum noise) then your probably need freon .If the compressor is not running could be a bad cap or bad compressor

This sounds like it is caused by either a high pressure reset. Or the compressor is tripping a high temperature limit internally. One thing you may be able to do is to hose off the coil surface with a garden hose on the outside (condensing unit) this would allow the operating pressure to drop if it is dirty.

Hope this helps Ya

Relay for the compressor may be stuck ( Contacts welded) both the fan and the compressor should operate at the same time. Have the relay(s) checked and possibly replaced.

If the air flow has decreased since new perhaps the air filter has not been cleaned. This may also solve your problem of the temp climb