What usually ends its life

Two dominant killers: bearing failure and winding insulation failure. Insulation breakdown often traces back to excessive heat, over-current, contamination, or too many starts.

Replace it when you see

• Repeated thermal trips/overheating after load, ventilation, and voltage issues are corrected

• Evidence of winding degradation (insulation test failures, recurring ground faults)

• Bearing failures that recur quickly after replacement (often indicates misalignment, shaft damage, or housing wear)

The replacement line

If diagnostics show the winding system is compromised (not just a bearing), replacement is usually more reliable than repeated repairs—because heat-driven insulation damage tends to progress.