A/C: fan spinning, compressor not kicking on. Cause? [View all]

My house is warming up and I realize I haven't heard the compressor kick in all afternoon. The furnace blower is still blowing, and the A/C's condenser fan motor is still working, but the compressor isn't doing it's job. For DIY yourself purposes, what might be the culprit?

- Blown fuse in the disconnect block? (Or would a blown fuse result in NOTHING working?)
- Start/Run Capacitor? (Or would capacitor failure result in the fan motor also not running?
- AC Contactor?
- Something else?

If it's the compressor itself that's actually gone bad, I might just need to get a whole new A/C since this one is already nearly 25 years old. But I'm wanting to make sure there's not something else (something cheaper) that might account for the symptoms I'm seeing.

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