Help with Goodman GSXC16 Error code 04

https://hvacdirect.com/media/hvac/pdf/GSXC16-Install.pdf

The dates are interesting and this unit may be much newer so it may be different than either of these documents posted.

Check easy things first. Electrical connections, capacitors, start components.

If those are all good, let the system cool off completely. Reset by cycling power. Measure the suction temp and discharge temp at the compressor, as well as the amp draw/voltage.

If the superheat across the compressor is high and amp draw low, you aren't moving enough refrigerant to cool the compressor and it will trip the common internal overload after a longer run time. That can come from low refrigerant, high head pressure ( dirty condenser, blockage or malfunctioning fan).

If the compressor superheat is low and the amp draw is high, that would mean it's pumping to much gas and overloading the motor to the point of tripping the internal overload. This scenario would be most common in a horizontal right airhandler application where the txv bulb is in the return Airstream and not properly insulated or loose from the pipe.

And lastly, it could be a bad compressor.

Sounds like time to measure the voltage and current at the capacitors an calculate the capacitance to see if it is even close. 3 years seems about right for lowest bidder caps.

I've dealt with this a lot. In my experience the causes are either a dirty condenser coil or the system needs a good 5-2-1 hard start kit installed. Goodman and Amana units really need to have the hail guards removed to be able to clean the coil effectively. And if the system has TXV I would definitely check the superheat. 3/4 of them need some adjustment to set the superheat correctly.

Another thing to check is if the system has a positive shutoff TXV to prevent refrigerant migration during the off cycle. If it is designed that way and the txv is slowly leaking, you could have liquid migrating to the suction side of the compressor. That would overload it on startup. You need to measure the inrush current after a long off cycle to see if this is when the trips occur. If the inrush current is to high, look up the OEM start components listed by the manufacturer (Copeland) and install those.

You really need to get guages on this thing as well. Wait to long to get it fixed and there's a good chance you'll loose the compressor.

No because the pressure on the suction side goes up. When pressure is equalized the txv is shut tight.

Hard starts are fine-ish. As long as you compare the actual specs on the capacitor and relay to what the manufacture has designed for. That's all they are, a start cap and pot relay in 1 container. The ratings they give them, like 1-5 tons, ect. are garbage.

The compressors are not borderline. The HVAC manufacturer puts them in a borderline envirnment. The Copeland data sheet will tell you exactly what components to use dependant on application.

I recently had to replace a 3 ton compressor out of a York HP. It was an electrical burnout out. As I did my research to determine cause, I found the generic hardstart kit on it had over twice the capacitance allowed by copeland for that compressor. Unit was only like 5 yrs old.

Compressors have a high starting torque requirement. Also frequent cycling. Using a voltage limiting soft start on compressors is extremely risky and requires careful design. In most cases should be avoided altogether IMO.

the phase shift is always 90 degrees. there are some parasitic things that happen that shift it a little, but theoretically it is always 90 degrees. the capacitor acts as a resistor with ac current so it limits the current to the start winding by dropping the voltage.