York Stellar Furnace problem

clayjthom · 12-22-2008, 11:58 AM

My York Stellar gas furnace has a intermittent problem. I does not start up again sometimes. If I flip the power switch off and on again sometimes it will start up. If not then if I just smack it with my hand right near the power switch and it will start up. Please help, it's cold in Colorado! (Please don't tell me to use a bigger hammer!)

glennjanie · 12-22-2008, 02:42 PM

Welcome Clay:
There is a loose connection there somewhere, either to the switch or in the switch. You can remove the switch and check for loose connections to it and, if they are good, you may need a new power switch.
Is the operation of the switch crisp and snappy, or does it feel kinda mushy. Mushy means a new one.
Glenn

clayjthom · 12-23-2008, 05:03 PM

Glenn,
Thanks for your reply. I'm not sure that is the problem. When it does not start, I can still hear a very slight hum. I'm guessing that is the transformer. The wires from the thermostat go into it. When I turn off the power switch the hum goes away. I'm wondering if it is a stuck relay somewhere. There is another part that might be affected when I pound on the side of the furnace to make it work. It is round and has a whitish hose coming out of it and three wires too. I believe it says cumbustion blower. It looks like it is some sort of vacuum diaphram. I'm wondering if there is a relay on the side of it where the three wires hook up that is sticking and when I cycle the power switch, it is allowing it to un stick. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

glennjanie · 12-23-2008, 07:00 PM

Hello Clay:
Yes it could be the vacum chamber which tells the furnace the vent fan is up to speed, before it will allow the gas to come on or the igniter to work.
High efficiency furnaces hold the exhaust in the heat exchanger as long as possible to extract the maximum amount of heat. When the exhaust is cooled down that much it doesn't want to draft out the toxins.
Glenn

clayjthom · 12-23-2008, 08:13 PM

After more thought ( a dangerous thing) I'm thinking it might be the transformer. Everything works fine except sometimes it does not restart.

clayjthom · 12-26-2008, 07:37 AM

I finally figured out it was the door switch. The switch was not getting pushed in by the door some of the time and that caused the intermittent problem.

clayjthom · 12-28-2008, 02:40 PM

I cleaned the squirrel cage out and several hours later the blower motor quit. I installed a new motor and it seems to be working fine. I should have known the motor was going bad as it did not turn as easy as it should have. It started drawing too many amps and blew the fuse.

inspectorD · 12-28-2008, 02:58 PM

Sounds like you found it. Thanks for sharing Clay, it will help.
Folks do forget about that door switch, I remember my first one.