What is causing a replacement ceiling fan light to flicker?

Question

I had a Hunter ceiling fan with a light kit attached. It started making a humming sound and then a loud pop. This caused the circuit breaker to trip. After resetting the circuit breaker, the fan worked, but the lights did not. I bought a new light kit and installed it the same as the previous light kit (which was a slightly different model, I think this one). The old light kit used incandescent candelabra 60W bulbs.

After installing the new light kit, when I turn on the light, it barely flickers. If I touch the light bulb, it flickers slightly more, but is still nowhere near full power. I tested the light socket with a volt meter and found that the light socket is getting slightly less than 120V (as expected). The light bulbs work in other fixtures.

Any ideas on what could be causing the issue?

Answer 1

It turns out there is a watt governor (part# 98480-02) which seems to go wonky on Hunter ceiling fans. I took out the watt governor, hooked nuetral to the wire nut with all the neutrals, and the hot lead to the hot wire nut, and now all is well. See a description here:

http://www.fixya.com/support/t3831943-fan_lights_just_started_blinking

Answer 2

There's a bad connection somewhere. If measurements at the socket show ~120V then the bad connection is likely socket to bulb. Inspect the socket for any corrosion or debris. If possible, bend the bottom pin up slightly. Ensure you are fully screwing in the bulb. Try a different bulb.

If that fails then it's possible one of the connections you made is bad - inspect all wire nuts by gently pulling on the wires - if they come out easily then you didn't make a good connection. Check wires for nicks and cut/re-strip any damaged wires.