electrical motor wizards

Could be either the cap or the start switch. Some multimeters have a cap checking feature and some do not.

You cannot really check a cap with a "straight" multimeter without a specialized cap checking feature, but you CAN get 'an idea.' This was easier, "back in the day" with analog meters, which used higher voltage batteries for the higher resistance ranges.

Start by trying you your meter on X100. If the cap has a bleeder resistor across the terminals, you'll have to disconnect it.


Hook up the leads, the meter (if it has an analog bar scale) should start out low and go up high in resistance. The higher the capacity of the cap, the longer this takes. If it shoots up instantly, it might be an "open" cap. This is hard to describe without having some caps to try, of similar value

If it "hangs" at a fairly low reading, it is leaky or shorted.

You might be able to manually manipulate the centrifugal start switch and check the contacts with your meter.