[lwright]

Noticed last night that my Trane furnace was squeaking like a cricket when the air conditioner was running. Then every so often it would make an awful squealing sound like maybe a motor was getting stuck and unable to turn. From reading other posts I'm guessing that I might have a bearing or belt going bad - does that sound right? Is there something I can do to fix it myself? If not, what can I expect to pay for something like this? I'm a single mom and I always worry about the repair guys taking advantage of my weak knowledge on these kinds of things! Thanks in advance for your help!

[labman]

You are going to have to open the furnace up and have a look. Have you been changing or cleaning the filters all along? If not, likely they are way over due. Most furnaces have a panel that slides open. Sometime they come easily, and some times you need to pry or hit them. Study it carefully first. There may even be directions on the outside. Make sure the power if off to the furnace before opening it. Newer furnaces are idiot proof.

The blower may be belt driven or mounted directly on the motor. Near the pulley or blower where the shaft comes out, may be a place to add oil or grease. If a little round thing with a cap on it sticks our, open the cap and put a few drops of a thin oil in it. Sewing machine oil, 3 in 1, etc. If it is more of a tiny Coke bottle thing, is is a Zerk fitting requiring a grease gun. I will give more details if you need them. If the blower is belt driven, its shaft may have similar please to add lube. Finally, the belt can be loose. Usually that means loosening bolts and pulling it tighter and retighteneing the bolts. Some blowers use the weight of the motor to maintain tension.

Post back if you need to.