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Upon starting the heat cycle the inducer motor spins up then shuts down it does this sometimes 3 or 4 times before the burners lite. Sometimes even after the burners lite it seems to shut down prematurely.

I have replaced the flame sensor and the air pressure switch to no avail.

York furnace. model - gy8s080a12uh11c

Video of issue. Problem starts at 30 second mark.

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  • I suppose the blower fan could get over-frictiony and shut down from thermal fuse, but I've never seen that. The trouble is always the air pressure switch; which you fix til spring by putting an alligator clip across the leads - and monitoring CO yourself. Apr 19, 2018 at 18:46
  • When I do that the burners never come on. model - gy8s080a12uh11c
    – Daniel
    Apr 19, 2018 at 20:38
  • video - youtu.be/AC0b9u6NlMs issue starts at 30 second mark. Turn the sound on.
    – Daniel
    Apr 19, 2018 at 21:01
  • Can you run the fan by itself? This would help to troubleshoot the blower as a potential problem. Has it been oiled in the last year? Could be overheating.
    – Jeff Cates
    Apr 20, 2018 at 4:42
  • Have you tried replacing the run and/or start capacitors? They're relatively cheap and easy enough to replace.
    – BillDOe
    Apr 20, 2018 at 20:27

4 Answers 4

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First off, it is the draft inducer motor that is turning on then shutting off, not the blower. There is no possibility that it is the flame sensor or the pressure switch since neither items had been called for yet. Order of operation: 1 thermostat calls for heat 2 inducer motor is called for and starts spinning 3 draft is proven via the pressure switch. If the pressure switch was bad the motor would just keep spinning with no ignition 4 igniter will ignite 5 gas valve will open and burners will ignite 6 flame sensor will complete circuit to ground via flame rectification. If it doesn’t sense flame it will stay lit for about 3 seconds then go out. 7 blower will come on. Your furnace only got to step 2 so the problem is before that. Check for voltage at the inducer motor. Best to use alligator clips and see if voltage drops out when the motor disengages. If voltage stays constant the problem is in the motor. If voltage drops to 0 then your problem is elsewhere. Jumper the W and R thermostat terminals at the circuit board to eliminate the thermostat or thermostat wires as the problem. If it is still happening then the problem is either the circuit board or a loose wire between the circuit board and the inducer motor.

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  • I checked the voltage at the inducer motor and it was dropping off to zero.<br/> I then took the thermostat and its wiring out of the loop like you stated above.<br/> I then tested it for an hour or so, taken the leeds off and then back on. <br/>The inducer motor ran fine.<br/>I have replaced the thermostat 3 times in the last 6 months all three did not fix the problem. I believe the issue is with the thermostat wiring. <br/> Will replace that and reply back.<br/>THANKS!
    – Daniel
    Apr 25, 2018 at 15:33
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I appreciate the comments from user76830 to understand the firing sequence. I tried his troubleshooting suggestions with everything okay. I have a Goodman GNH80904BNAA. Having the same problem as described (Inducer motor kicks out immediately at start). New control board did not solve the problem. Status light goes off when problem occurs and resets (light on) for next try.

I tried bypassing the pressure switch. Inducer starts every time with both switch disconnected (get 2 blink warning for open pressure switch) and switch bypassed (get 3 blink warning for stuck closed pressure switch). So I supposed there was a problem with the pressure switch. With the pressure switch disconnected, on operation of the inducer motor, I sometimes got a resistance of 400 ohms and another time got 1.5 ohms (Correct, low resistance circuit) so I figure the contacts in the pressure switch are dirty or worn and the high resistance (poor contact) is faulting the control board. So, a new pressure switch for me!

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  • I also have a Goodman with this same problem. I will check the model number but the the inducer comes on them stops before the gas turned on. I don't see status lights but I will investigate further. Thanks for posting this. I assume changing the pressure switch fixed your problem?
    – Amala
    Dec 3, 2020 at 2:49
  • Yes, the pressure switch fixed my problem. If your problem sounds similar, I would try replacing the pressure switch first as it cost less than $10 I think and the control board is around $60.
    – Andy
    Dec 4, 2020 at 3:21
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    On mine, the switch contacts were dirty inside. The click doesn’t mean you’re necessarily getting a good contact inside the switch. If you have a multi meter, disconnect the electrical contacts from the pressure switch and connect the leads on the multimeter to the two tabs. When the inducer motor comes on, the multi meter should show very low ohms (mine was 1.5) if the switch makes good contact inside. If the switch makes poor contact (mine read 400 ohms) you know it’s a bad switch.
    – Andy
    Dec 5, 2020 at 20:07
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    Note - with the electrical leads disconnected from the switch, the board will give a ‘switch open) fault on the board, but the board should not reset as it does if the contact in the switch is dirty. The board only knows what to do with a good contact or no contact. With a dirty contact, my guess is it draws current but doesn’t register as closed (or open for that matter). The board then faults, powers off to protect itself and resets. On subsequent tries, the pressure switch may make contact in a slightly different place on the contacts inside, gets good continuity and the furnace turns on.
    – Andy
    Dec 5, 2020 at 20:08
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    An easy way to test if you don’t have a multi meter is to disconnect the two wires connected to the pressure switch. When you hear the switch ‘click’, touch and hold the wire ends you pulled from the switch. You are now the switch. If the furnace completes its start cycle without a fault, that’s a good indication it’s the pressure switch.
    – Andy
    Dec 5, 2020 at 20:13
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The problem is more than likely not your board. It's the inducer motor, more specifically the start/run capacitor. Try removing the capacitor, shorting it out across both terminals and then making sure the resistance is within tolerance. If not replace the capacitor.

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It's a cracked heat exchanger. Check the flame sensor. Take wire leads off of it and alligator clip the wire leads together and it should kick on. Watch your flames because they are liable to shoot right back out at you.

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    Hello, and welcome to Home Improvement. Thanks for the answer, but would you tell us why this would be true? And, you should probably take our tour so you'll know how best to contribute here. Nov 5, 2019 at 22:25

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