Motor run vs OEM capacitor???

Thread Starter

wml52

Joined May 8, 2014
10
Hello to all,

I have an old (1997) Generac 1140-2 5000 watt, 6250 surge watt generator with a failed capacitor. The OEM p/n A1817AGS is a 440 volt 35µF +/- 5% cap and from what I was told is no longer available. I did locate a few on line but the prices ranged between $80.00 and $125.00. I did find motor run capacitors with the same values starting around $10.00. Can I use a motor run capacitor rather then the OEM and if not what would the difference be?

Considering the age of the generator I can’t see spending the $$$ for the OEM part.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Bill
 

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
A motor run capacitor is the better of the two options. Make sure it is an oil filled can, rather heavy for its size. A start cap is a dry electrolytic and feels surprisingly light for its size. It can not run for more than the few seconds it takes to start a motor. The oil filled capacitors can run all day.

35 uf @ 440V is a common enough size and I'd expect to pay about $12 for it at the wholesale house. The only thing to remember is that the red dot indicates the terminal with a fuse inside, behind it. Other than that, there is no "backwards".
 
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