Lennox E292: indoor blower motor unable to start

Furnace control display or LED

E292

“Indoor blower motor unable to start due to obstructed wheel, seized bearings.”

SL280*V, SL280*NV, SL297*NV, EL296*V, EL297*V, ML180*, ML296*V, ML297*V · 508559-01 p. 31; 508561-01 p. 38; 508585-02 p. 51; 1126-L5 p. 18; 508583-01 p. 54; 508547-01 p. 49; 508521-01 p. 44; 508907-01 p. 48
Technician

What it means

E292 means the indoor blower motor is unable to start. The tables name an obstructed or stuck wheel and seized bearings as the causes. The SL297UHNVK action is to replace the motor or the wheel if the assembly does not operate or meet performance standards; the furnace goes into a 1-hour soft lockout, and the code clears after the circulator successfully starts 508585-02, p. 51. The ML296DFVK and ML297UHVK tables give the same action in shorter form 508521-01, p. 44; 508907-01, p. 48. The SLP99DFVK table also says to replace the motor or wheel, without a lockout time 508589-02, p. 47.

E292 and E201 both concern the indoor blower motor, but they report different faults: E201 is a lost communication with the motor, E292 a motor that does not start 508585-02, pp. 49, 51.

Lennox’s thermostat alert 292 is “ID Blower Motor Start Fault”, priority Service Urgent: the indoor unit blower motor will not start and the system goes into Watchguard mode; the causes listed are a seized bearing, a stuck wheel and obstructions, and the action is to replace the motor, motor module or wheel if the assembly does not operate or meet performance standards 100017, p. 24. Lennox’s documents do not say that alert 292 and display code E292 report the same event.

Check these first

Lennox’s owner’s manuals have no code table and give no steps for E292. What they give is a general list for a unit that will not operate, to work through before calling a Lennox service technician. In the SLP99DFVK manual the order is:

Check that the electrical disconnect switches are ON 508590-01, p. 5.
Check the room thermostat for proper setting 508590-01, p. 5.
Replace any blown fuses or reset circuit breakers 508590-01, p. 5.
Check that the gas valve is ON 508590-01, p. 5. Its switch is behind the outer access panel; the manual’s gas valve steps set the thermostat to the lowest setting and turn off all electrical power to the unit before that panel comes off, and the switch is moved by hand only, never with tools 508590-01, p. 4.
Check that the air filter is not plugged, which would limit air flow 508590-01, p. 5. The SLP99DFVK manual says its filters are installed external to the unit, should be inspected monthly, and that a filter must be in place when the unit is operating 508590-01, p. 4. Before any service or maintenance, it says to turn the electrical power to the unit OFF at the disconnect switch 508590-01, p. 2.
Check that gas is turned on at the meter 508590-01, p. 5.
Check that the manual main shut-off valve is open 508590-01, p. 5.

Then record the model and serial number from the nameplate and call 508590-01, p. 5. The list is not tied to any code. More on it, and on how other Lennox manuals word it: owner checks before a service call.

The SLP99DFVK manual puts checking the blower wheel for debris under the maintenance that should only be conducted by a licensed professional service technician, and warns that the blower access panel must be securely in place when the blower and burners are operating 508590-01, p. 5.

When to call a licensed technician

Checking the blower wheel and bearings, and replacing the motor or the wheel if the assembly does not operate or meet performance standards 508585-02, p. 51.
The furnace goes into the 1-hour soft lockout 508585-02, p. 51.
Any work inside the furnace 508590-01, p. 5.
The furnace still will not run after the checklist 508590-01, p. 5.
E292 keeps coming back after it clears. The owner’s manuals give no step for that; these pages send it to the technician.

Notes for different models

Series or document	Code	Wording	Source
SL280V, SL280NV, SL297NV, EL296V, EL297V, ML180, ML296V, ML297V	E292	“Indoor blower motor unable to start due to obstructed wheel, seized bearings.”	508585-02, p. 51; 1126-L5, p. 18; 508547-01, p. 49; 508521-01, p. 44
SLP98V, SLP99V, G71MPP	E292	“Indoor blower motor unable to start - Seized bearings, stuck wheel, etc.” No lockout time in the action.	508589-02, p. 47; 506610-01, p. 63; 506509-01, p. 66
ML180UHVK, compact table	E292	“INDOOR BLOWER UNABLE TO START (VARIABLE SPEED ONLY)”, in the group “PERFORMANCE WARNING”	508547-01, p. 27
EL297UHVK, compact table	E292	“INDOOR BLOWER UNABLE TO START”, in the group “SOFT LOCKOUT FAULTS (60 MINUTES)”	508581-01, p. 52
Lennox thermostat alert table	292	“ID Blower Motor Start Fault”, Service Urgent	100017, p. 24

The two tables in the ML180UHVK instructions differ: the compact table groups E292 as a performance warning 508547-01, p. 27, while the detailed table in the same document gives a 1-hour soft lockout 508547-01, p. 49.