:confused: I have three Hampton Bay 52" fans in my lanai. They are three years old. Recently, one stopped working but the light kit functioned properly. I thought the switch has most likely worn out. Upon reaching up to begin disassembly, I discovered the motor and fan blade connections were so hot it was difficult to hold for any period of time. Apparently this had been heating for some time. Fearing fire, I removed the light kit and found what looks like a capacitor or transformer with on orange wire leading in and three wires leading out. This is a black sealed box marked "C61". I noticed the bottom appeared to be busted open as if heat had caused it to melt and allowed part of a gray material to become exposed. I cut all four lines and the fan has now cooled down.
Any clue what is going on here?

That box is the capacitor and it obviously needs replacement, however a bad capacitor should not cause a fan motor to overheat even when off. Fan motors may get too hot to touch when running for some length of time, but not if nothing is impeding the movement of the rotor/blades.

The easiest thing is probably to take the fan back to Home Depot for a warranty replacement. Otherwise you can try replacing the capacitor and see if the fan functions.

I also have a black box labeled "C61" in my ceiling fan that is cracked and melted. Does anyone know where to find a replacement part?

From the manufacturer, or any ceiling fan parts supplier such as CeilingFanParts.com Home