I have a shallow well with a 1hp GE above ground pump. The first time I noticed a problem, the pump would try to start and then click off. A day later, the pump began working and worked fine for about two weeks and then the problem resurfaced. When the power was turned on, the pump would try to start, but would not put out any water. The pump also got extremely hot. Upon removing the end-cover, there were some ants and a little sand. After disconnecting the motor and cleaning it out, I primed the pump and the pump began working again. A couple of days later, the pump was still working, but the motor got extremely hot and I actually saw smoke coming from the motor after less than a minute of running, but was pumping water at a normal rate and did not make any noises. The shaft turns freely. At this point the pump puts out water, but heats up to the point where you could fry and egg on the motor casing. White smoke also begins to come from the pump. I also noticed a very small amount of oil (a large drip) inside the cap.
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Your above ground pump uses a standard induction motor...may be either 110 volt, or 220 volt. Easiest way to tell is by observing the breaker which turns it off. A single breaker is 110 volt, while a 220 breaker will actually be two breakers with the toggles tied together by a lug, so when one swithches off, it switches off both lugs. (this info just in case you end up buying a motor) On top of your motor is a sort of half round cap held on by either one, or two, small screws, depending on how old the motor is. Inside of the motor, at the end of the rotor, (or armature,... the part that turns when the motor runs) is a centrifugal switch. The motor contains a start winding, which the switch deactivates as soon as the motor reaches its operating speed, usually in less than one second. The motor has to have this start winding so that it will start under a load, such as the water pressure in your pump. Take the end cap off of your motor, (usually the back end) and make sure that these weights and springs are moving freely. It is possible that these weights are sticking, maybe gunked up by the ants, or the switch that these weights activate is stuck in the "on" position, and your starting winding is staying energized. This winding is only designed to be in use for under one second, and the smoke you see, and the oil or greasy substance you found is probably the varnish insulation that has overheated and dripped from the windings. Also, when this varnish gets hot enough to liquify and drip, it is very flamable, with the vapors and smoke being almost like gasoline, so if you do not fix this, you may have a lot more to worry about than the pump. It may be possible that the windings are already so shot that you cannot save the motor, but even if you do have to replace the motor, that is usually cheaper than a pump. Check around on the prices to be sure. Just dont buy the cheapest motor that you can find. Some of the cheaper motors do not use a start winding, but instead use a second capacitor to start the motor. This works very well when the motor is new, but as the years pass, and the insulation on the windings gets weak, the cheaper motor will let you down by not developing enough torque to start. Good luck, but please dont wait to fix this. This "smoking motor" is a time bomb. Switched on a drill press one time with a bad winding. Ran about 45 seconds, and the motor burst into flames.
