I am working with a Regency fan with 5 wire capacitor(2 grey, 1 red, 1 brown, 1 purple). Prior to me opening up this fan, a maintenance man worked on it to just "get it working." It works on 1 speed only because the capacitor is bubbled up, so I know it is bad. I have another capacitor from the same model fan that we took down because of broken blades and I'd like to swap in the good capacitor in place of the blown up capacitor.

The problem is, since someone else has messed with the wiring after the factory, I am unsure where the 2nd grey wire was intended to attach. The 1 grey wire that IS still attached goes to the reversing switch. The other grey wire is cut and has electrical tape over it. The other 3 wires(red, purple, brown) are all accounted for and hooked up correctly to the fan motor and the pull chain switch.

Can you offer some assistance and let me know where the 2nd(disconnected) grey wire is supposed to attach? Thank you so much, in advance.

Matt

EDIT: Someone moved this reply from an older thread that has all the relevant info that adds ALL the context to my question. Splitting this off to it's own thread is a mistake since the old thread covered the whole issue in context. The old thread was never answered in it's entirety, which is why I added my reply to that thread. Old thread here.... https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/electr...ml#post2763121

I was a top poster here and "something happened". I do, however tend to respond to old threads.

1) Can you check the resistance between the two greys? I have hunch it could just be convenience.

2) How many speeds was the fan? 3 or 4?

3) Can you post a pic of the cap?

4) number of wires each side? 2 & 3?

Both grey wires on same side of cap. The other 3 colors(opposite side of cap) go to pull chain switch, and power to fan head. It's a 3 speed fan, high, med, low. I'm replying from phone so I'm short on reply. Pic later.

I'm kind of betting that hey grey wires are connected together.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KISS

I'm kind of betting that hey grey wires are connected together.

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Pictured added. What is "home" for both gray wires?

My plan was to just replace like to like, but since someone prior has changed the wiring from factory spec, I do not know the original home for gray wire #2(taped on end in the pic)........that is, unless the 2nd gray wire is not used and was never wired to anything from the factory?????

It's very likely that the other grey wire was not used. Keep in mind that controls, such as switches are used in more than one model of fan or device, and that the grey wire, although not used here may be used in other devices.

I hooked it back up today with nothing going to the second grey wire. Red wire goes directly from the capacitor through the square plug to the fan motor. Purple, brown, and black wire all attach to the pull chain switch. That accounts for 4 of the 5 wires coming out of the capacitor.

When I hooked it back up, I only have 1 speed... slow. I tried the other fan head motor and hooked it up with the same good(non-blistered) capacitor. Either fan motor... I only have one speed... slow. One of the original capacitors is blisted up as pictured in post #5. The other looks perfect, no blisters. So, with the good capacitor in either fan, I still just have 1 speed... slow.

I guess either both fan motors are no good, or the only other part I have not replaced is the pull chain switch. Do the pull chain switches go bad? One chain pull = slow speed, one more chain pull = same speed, one more chain pull = off.

With the original capacitor being blistered, I was "certain" that was the problem, but I was wrong. Would the one speed only be caused by a bad motor or more likely by a bad chain pull switch? Or both??