Our AC developed a whining noise over the last week. Is it was time for a new window AC?
After checking Youtube decided to check weather it could be fixed.
Removing AC panels uncovered the shockingly ugly nature of its inner World:
It turned-out that motor shaft bearings were bad:
In our case there are 608Z (8x22x7 mm) ball bearings.
The main reason ball bearings were bad is a 7 years of work and a water from condensation that was collected during operation in a lower pan.
Water in a pan also helped developing rust and mold on radiator and other AC parts.
So, appropriate holes were drilled in a pan's strategic places:
Ball bearings replaced with a new ones picked at local hardware store ($9.16 each, buy them on eBay - $5 for a pack of 10).
All AC internals were pressure washed and cleaned with clorox.
AC is as silent as it was when we bought it and works quite efficient after being cleaned.
For $20 we may've bought another 7 years of this particular AC's life.
There's no place like ~