Based on the information I've found on this and other sites I am pretty certain I need to replace the capacitor on my Luxaire furnace. Where would I find a replacement capacitor and is this something that I will have major trouble accomplishing? (I am not exactly technical, but I can do minor things like change my oil and replace brake pads.)

If you can replace brake pads, this should be a simple procedure. The hardest part is locating the capacitor. I'm assuming you are talking about the blower motor capacitor here. You may have to slide out the blower assembly to find the cap.

Once you have it in hand (you did turn off the power first, right?), take it to a supply house like Grainger, Johnstone Supply, etc. and they should be able to get you what you need. Sometimes they are a little finicky about who they sell to, so if you have some contacts with a large company in your town, it couldn't hurt to use them.

Good luck,
WallyH

Thanks Wally. Capacitor successfully replaced. However, that did not fix the problem. When thermostat is "on" the furnace works fine. When it is on "auto" the furnace lights up, but no air is forced out the vents. If I crank on the wheel by hand it engages and works fine until the cycle is done, then it won't start up again when it is supposed to. So, I have to leave it running all the time.

Could this be anything other than a problem with the blower motor? How hard is it to replace a blower motor? Anyone?

You need to see if power is available to the blower motor during the heat cycle before you spin the wheel.

It is also possible the blower motor has a bad spot that will not allow it to start but once given a spin of the wheel it runs.

Wow, that is weird. We may need an HVAC expert to chime in (as I am a generalist) on this one. I was going to suggest the possibility of a control board issue, but the fact that if you "help" the motor start, it works is baffling to me.

Let's hope we can get some better guidance.
WallyH


Look at that. As I was typing, we heard from the man.

Thanks guys. How would I check to see if power is available? It sounds like it is trying to start up (a click and some humming), but then nothing happens and it just shuts off until I spin the wheel.