Grizzly 0531B Motor won’t run

[Ian Lerew]

I’m having an issue with the motor not starting. It will start to turn and then quit. The first couple of tries it would turn a little bit then stop. I could turn the key off then try again, did not have to reset the overload on the starter. Sometimes it will spin a little a bit and sometimes it just hums for a second then stops. The brake seems to be working properly. Then on the last try it almost came up to speed and tripped the breaker. I am at loss as to where to begin troubleshooting? Could it be a capacitor problem or should I be looking at the starting circuit? There’s no burning smells coming from the motor so hopefully it’s not the motor itself going out.

[glenn bradley]

It appears that machine has an electronic brake. I would get with Grizzly tech support to eliminate that as a cause. Next I might look at the starter capacitor. These can fail for a few reasons.

- Bad power source. Improper power cord, extension cord or wall power.
- Bad centrifugal switch. Circuit applies start voltage for too long.
- Physical failure. Casing will be deformed or even burst.

It is easy to test your wall circuit voltage with a meter but current capability is not so easy. The cent-swx can be checked by removing the bell housing, fan and cover plate. If the cent-swx got dirty, sticky or failed it will often take the starter cap out as well.

Capacitors of a better quality can be had from Temco. Just match the original or get close. Contact them if there is any question. A centrifugal switch will probably be easiest to get from Grizzly. I had one go out on my cyclone after a particularly brutal summer. Easy fix but I replaced the cap only the first time and killed it immediately. Replaced both and all has been fine for many years of use.

[Bill Dufour]

single or three phase? No idea what that machine is. Brake? If possible unload the motor by removing the belt and see if the problem persists.
Bill D

[Ronald Blue]

There are far more qualified people then I to comment but it shows a start capacitor and a run capacitor. It sounds like a failed start capacitor. They are inexpensive. That's where I'd start. If the centrifugal switch is stuck that could be a cause as well but it sounds like the start capacitor. If you have any electric motor shops in your area they should be able to fix you up. It shows it's a 300 MFD rating. There are several real electricians here that will hopefully weigh in.

[glenn bradley]

If the centrifugal switch is stuck . . .

Ronald's comment made me think to clarify. The cent switch can just be sluggish and remain "on" too long thereby blowing the cap. I diagnosed mine by sound. You hear a click or snap sound when the cent switch disengages due to the motor reaching a given speed and as the motor slows and it re-engages to be ready for the next start request. On startup I would not hear this click and then the motor would slow or the cap would blow if I let it labor long enough. Not the most economical test method so I though I should clarify that you should be ready to disengage power if these symptoms are present.

[Ronald Blue]

Ronald's comment made me think to clarify. The cent switch can just be sluggish and remain "on" too long thereby blowing the cap. I diagnosed mine by sound. You hear a click or snap sound when the cent switch disengages due to the motor reaching a given speed and as the motor slows and it re-engages to be ready for the next start request. On startup I would not hear this click and then the motor would slow or the cap would blow if I let it labor long enough. Not the most economical test method so I though I should clarify that you should be ready to disengage power if these symptoms are present.

The brake was a thought as well and that would definitely be something to enlist Grizzly tech support on. The oddity is once it did spin up but tripped the breaker which might point to the centrifugal switch hanging or the brake not releasing. Since I have no idea how that works I have nothing to add there. It will be interesting to see what it turns out to be.

[Curt Harms]

I would think that if the brake were staying engaged you could tell by trying to spin the wheels. I had a start cap go bad on a band saw and determined that was the problem by spinning the wheels carefully as fast as I could manage, get well clear of the still spinning wheels and hit the start switch. Don't try this unless you're confident you can do so safely. In my case the saw accelerated up to speed and ran as expected. If it hadn't something else was wrong, centrifugal switch?

[Mike Wilkins]

I'm not sure what type of machine that is, but I have a Grizzly hybrid table saw that had the same problem. Motor would spin the blade a couple of inches and not run at all. Then one day it ran normally, starting and running like a table saw should. Then it started the same blade jump dance and then not run at all. Call to Grizzly tech support did not help much, since it is difficult to diagnose from long distance. We did settle on the start switch possibly having failed.
Ordered a new switch from them along with some clamps that I just 'had' to have. Switch was the culprit and less than $20.00 I was back in business. Always start with the least expensive repairs.
If that didn't work I was ready to move on to the capacitor.

[Jared Sankovich]

Start cap.

[Ian Lerew]

It appears that machine has an electronic brake. I would get with Grizzly tech support to eliminate that as a cause. Next I might look at the starter capacitor. These can fail for a few reasons.

- Bad power source. Improper power cord, extension cord or wall power.
- Bad centrifugal switch. Circuit applies start voltage for too long.
- Physical failure. Casing will be deformed or even burst.

It is easy to test your wall circuit voltage with a meter but current capability is not so easy. The cent-swx can be checked by removing the bell housing, fan and cover plate. If the cent-swx got dirty, sticky or failed it will often take the starter cap out as well.

Capacitors of a better quality can be had from Temco. Just match the original or get close. Contact them if there is any question. A centrifugal switch will probably be easiest to get from Grizzly. I had one go out on my cyclone after a particularly brutal summer. Easy fix but I replaced the cap only the first time and killed it immediately. Replaced both and all has been fine for many years of use.

Thank you for the advice. I took the cap out today and tested it, I believe it is shorted. I went over all connections on the machine, I did find a loose connection in the junction box for the supply cord. One of the connections pulled right out of the wire nut, but there were no signs of arching or overheating. I am going to order a new cap and take your advice and get one from Temco. Now the question is do I take the motor apart and check the centrifugal switch and contact plate? Part of me wants to and just replace it because it’s a $17 part and part of me would rather not open it up if I don’t have to. The saw is only about a year old and hasn’t been used much so I don’t think it’s a dirt issue. I am an electrician by trade and repair a lot lights f HID lights, and from that experience I know that the capacitors they make today don’t hold up nearly as well as ones made 20 years ago. I’m thinking I just replace the cap with a new higher quality one and see how it holds up, with the two possible causes being potential voltage drop from the bad capacitor or just a poor quality capacitor.

[Ian Lerew]

Thank you everyone for the input. The capacitor tests bad so I’m going to replace it and see what happens.