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View Full Version : The light on my ceiling fan stopped working, could it be the wiring harness?


cdheffron
Feb 9, 2013, 04:49 PM
I turned the light on my ceiling fan on and the bulb blew. I replaced both bulbs but no light. I have since replace the switch and the sockets. None of the wires look blackened. The ceiling fan, all three speeds and the reverse switch still work correctly. I don't know what else to try, can you help?

ballengerb1
Feb 9, 2013, 09:35 PM
Are you comfortable using a voltage tester? Open the canopy if you are OK with electrical issues and test the feeds. White and black go to the fan motor and you should see 120 vac when it is on. White and blue feed the light and should also read 120 vac when on. Let us know what you find and also if you are usinung a remote

cdheffron
Feb 11, 2013, 07:14 PM
The wires coming down through the canopy all feed into a square multiple wire connector. I don't have a voltage testor but do have circuit testor. I tested the wires in the canopy side of the connector for the light fixture and they lit up the circuit testor. When I connected the harness and tested the two wires coming out of the harness for the light fixture, I got nothing. The positive wire (black with a white stripe) comes out of the harness and into a wire nut that connects it to a much smaller white wire. That wire goes into a flat plastic tab marked Y59 B 120C B04 26000. Then a wire comes out of that and is connected to the light kit black wire. I have no idea what the "tab" is, could the problem be there? No we don't use a remote for the fixture.

ballengerb1
Feb 11, 2013, 07:39 PM
"No we don't use a remote for the fixture" how do you control the fan; pull chains or wall switch

cdheffron
Feb 12, 2013, 03:42 PM
We control the light with the wall switch and the fan with the chain.

willismichael
Apr 2, 2013, 06:52 AM
The same thing happened to me - I traced the break in the circuit to a small component like the one that you describe, mine is labelled "Y59 B 120C B04 27541". I haven't been able to find out what this component is, otherwise I would try to replace it. Does anybody know?

sidneyvanness
May 10, 2013, 10:37 AM
I just had an electrician over. He traced it to that as well. Cut that part out--just bypassed it. Everything works again.

ballengerb1
May 10, 2013, 04:10 PM
Glad it works but cutting out a component on a fan is not a very good idea, likely a capacitor. It was there for a reason and should have been replaced rather than removed. https://www.google.com/search?q=fan+capacitor&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=NH6NUZPbOuq3ygGanIDgAQ&sqi=2&ved=0CGEQsAQ&biw=1675&bih=824 Did it look like any of these? https://www.google.com/search?q=fan+capacitor&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=NH6NUZPbOuq3ygGanIDgAQ&sqi=2&ved=0CGEQsAQ&biw=1675&bih=824

willismichael
May 13, 2013, 01:00 PM
It's not a capacitor. It's a wattage limiter, a rather useless component with the express purpose of making it legal for the manufacturer to market the unit as "energy saving". If you install compact flourescents or LED lamps, it does absolutely nothing to save energy as neither of those use enough watts to engage the limiter. After researching it and finding that several people have had the same problem with the same ceiling fan that I have, I removed that limiter, re-attached the wires together with a wire nut, and like magic the lights work now.

jlisenbe
Mar 14, 2022, 12:50 PM
Very useful post. Had the same problem and solved it the same way. Cut out the wattage limiter and put in two LED bulbs which use a combined 11 watts. Thanks to everyone, albeit 11 years later.