AM9S96

Ignition retries exceeded.

1. 1 Watch one full try — do not reset

   Write the Amana AM9S96 code. Watch inducer, HSI glow, valve click, flame, µA. The step that dies is the repair. Resetting only burns another try into a harder lockout. Watch one full try: inducer, HSI glow, valve click, flame.

   Expect: W → Prove → No W2 path

2. 2 Gas and the valve

   Cock open, inlet pressure, then manifold on the stage that is failing vs the rating plate. 24 VAC at the valve during trial? Coil ohms? A valve that never opens looks like a ‘bad igniter’ if you did not watch the sequence. Gas cock, manifold vs plate, orifice.

   Expect: Manifold: Single-stage plate value only — no low/high pair.

3. 3 Flame prove, then the lockout timer

   Glow + valve + no prove → rod, ground, or IFC sense. Prove then drop → µA / PS / limit. Soft lockouts on this family often auto-reset on a long clock — do not sit on resets. Rod µA and chassis ground.

   Expect: Flame rod: µA per this door card. Rising while running is the goal.

Single switch welded or IFC input shorted.

1. 1 Unplug the switch with the inducer off

   On Amana AM9S96 this code is the switch made when the inducer is not running. Unplug that switch only. Unplug the only PS. Code change = switch or water in the hose.

   Expect: Code changes when the harness is open.

   If fail: Wrong switch, or the IFC input is shorted.

   If pass: Switch/hose path. Go to step 2.

2. 2 Water in the hose vs a welded switch

   Blow the hose. Water holding residual draft is more common than a welded switch. Confirm the hose is not teed and not routed uphill. Ohm the switch with the hose off. Hose routed downhill? Residual draft fakes closed.

   Expect: Hose empty. Switch opens with no draft.

3. 3 IFC input last

   If the switch ohms open, the hose is dry, and the code does not change with the harness off, the Amana AM9S96 IFC input is shorted. Do not keep swapping switches. IFC input shorted — only after the switch ohms open.

   Expect: Known-good open switch + open harness = code gone. If not, IFC.

Draft / trap / hose / inducer.

1. 1 Prove inducer and the live code

   Do not pull power — that clears the Amana AM9S96 active code. Write 3 flash. Is the inducer spinning on this call? Silent inducer is not a pressure switch. Trap, collector, and vent first — these 96%s drown a collector overnight.

   Expect: 120 VAC at the inducer on a heat call. Wheel turning.

   If fail: 120 VAC missing → IFC / door switch / incoming power. Voltage + dead motor → inducer.

   If pass: Inducer running + this code → trap, hose, switch, vent (step 2).

2. 2 Trap, collector, and the hose

   A drowned 96% trap will not make collector pressure. Pull the trap, flush it, confirm the collector box and inducer outlet are not full. Hose cracked, off the port, or full of water fakes an open switch. Inducer 120 VAC and spinning.

   Expect: Trap flowing, hose dry and downhill, ports not swapped on a two-switch board.

3. 3 Switch ohms, then vent load

   Ohm the pressure switch: NO, must close when that inducer speed is making the collector setpoint. If the switch is good, walk the PVC — bird screen, ice, long 2" run, wind, shared chase. Hose dry and on the only collector tap.

   Expect: Pressure switch: One NO switch. Closed only after inducer is up.

   If fail: Replace the open switch only after the vent and trap are proven.

   If pass: Switch closes on draft and the code stays → IFC input.

Airflow or overfire.

1. 1 Airflow before you touch the limit

   On Amana AM9S96 a limit is airflow or overfire until proven otherwise. Do not replace the limit first. Filter, blower wheel, A-coil, and the heat-speed setting for THIS motor (tap, model plug, or communicating CFM — not a sister SKU chart). Filter, coil, return, heat-speed tap. A 96% coil on a low heat tap will limit.

   Expect: Heat tap / rise: Match the installer’s tap to the rise range on the rating plate (typically 35–65°F).

2. 2 Measure static and temperature rise

   Total external static vs the Amana AM9S96 blower chart for this cabinet size. Supply minus return rise after 8–10 minutes. A new 5" media cabinet or closed supplies will trip this all winter. Rise vs rating plate.

   Expect: Heat tap / rise: Match the installer’s tap to the rise range on the rating plate (typically 35–65°F).

   If fail: Fix the restriction or the heat-speed setting. The limit is doing its job.

   If pass: Airflow in range → step 3 (overfire / limit itself).

3. 3 Overfire, then the limit circuit

   Clock the meter / manifold on the stage that is tripping vs the rating plate. Then ohm the limit after it cools — a limit that never recloses is failed. Rollout in the same circuit is a different call (see rollout on this door card). Clock the meter — overfire trips limits with a clean filter.

   Expect: Manifold: Single-stage plate value only — no low/high pair.

Leaking valve or false flame sense.

1. 1 Shut the gas cock first

   On Amana AM9S96 the rod sees flame with the valve de-energized. Shut the cock. If flame stays, the valve is leaking — replace it. Do not jump or energize it as a test. Shut the gas cock. If flame stays, leaking valve — replace, do not jump.

   Expect: Flame dies when the cock is shut.

   If fail: Leaking valve. Replace. Do not leave the unit.

2. 2 Rod and IFC flame circuit

   If flame dies with the cock shut, the rod is shorted to ground or the IFC flame circuit is lying. Unplug the rod, inspect ceramic, and check the harness for a rub-through on the collector. Rod shorted to ground or IFC flame circuit.

   Expect: Rod isolated from ground. IFC does not report flame with the rod unplugged.

3. 3 Confirm valve solenoids are actually off

   Measure 24 VAC at both solenoids after the call drops. A welded IFC relay or a shorted W will keep a solenoid wet and look like ‘unexpected flame.’ Replace the IFC only after the valve and rod are proven.

   Expect: 0 VAC at both solenoids after the call. No flame.

Flame containment.

1. 1 Treat this as flame outside the exchanger

   Do not reset the Amana AM9S96 rollout and walk away. Write the code, kill the call, and look for flame at the burners, crossover, and vestibule before you do anything else.

   Expect: No flame outside the exchanger. Burners seated. Crossover lit.

   If pass: Still inspect secondary / flue / condensate before you reset.

2. 2 Secondary, condensate, and flue

   Blocked secondary, drowned collector, or a plugged flue pushes flame out the front. Pull the inducer/collector look, confirm the trap is flowing, and check PVC/vent. Exchanger, burners, flue. Blocked secondary / condensate.

   Expect: Dry collector, open flue, trap clear.

3. 3 Reset only after the cause is fixed

   Manual-reset rollout. Recurring rollout on Amana AM9S96 is a CO / fire call — cracked primary, misaligned burners, or a failed secondary. Confirm CO in the space before you leave. Reset only after the cause is fixed. Recurring rollout is a CO / fire call.

   Expect: One clean cycle after the cause is fixed. No second reset as a repair.

Weak µA.

1. 1 Measure µA while it is running

   Do not clean first and guess. Series-µA the rod on Amana AM9S96 during a call. Falling µA is oxide, ground, or a dying flame. A hard drop is often the pressure switch or limit opening, not the rod. Clean rod with a non-scratch pad — not sandpaper.

   Expect: Flame rod: µA per this door card. Rising while running is the goal.

2. 2 Rod, ground, then gas

   Clean the rod with a non-scratch pad — not sandpaper. Chassis ground to burner box and IFC (painted screw and missing star washer are classic). Then manifold on the stage that is dropping and confirm LP conversion leftovers. Chassis ground to burner box and IFC.

   Expect: Manifold: Single-stage plate value only — no low/high pair.

3. 3 Prove it is not a switch opening

   Watch the live Amana AM9S96 display when flame drops. A PS or limit code that appears at the drop means the rod was a victim. Inducer, hose, vent wind, or a limit on a wrong heat tap. Manifold / orifice / LP conversion.

   Expect: µA stable and the live code stays a flame code — then rod/valve/IFC. Otherwise chase the new code.

Open / cracked HSI.

1. 1 Ohms at the igniter, then at the IFC

   On Amana AM9S96 measure cold ohms at the igniter plug, then at the IFC connector. An open at the plug is the element or local harness. Open only at the IFC is the harness rub-through on the collector. Ohms at the igniter plug, then at the IFC.

   Expect: HSI: Nitride, 120 VAC during warm-up. Cold ohms per sticker.

2. 2 120 VAC during warm-up

   Call for heat and measure 120 VAC at the igniter during the warm-up window. 0 V + good ohms = IFC igniter relay. Voltage + no glow = cracked nitride. 120 VAC during trial.

   Expect: 120 VAC only during warm-up. Visible glow before the valve opens.

3. 3 Do not keep cycling a cracked element

   A cracked nitride can ohm ‘good’ cold and open hot. If ohms and voltage are good and there is no glow, replace the igniter. Confirm polarity/ground (this plate’s polarity code) before you condemn a new igniter. Cracked nitride element.

   Expect: One clean light after a known-good igniter and a proven ground.

L1/N or chassis ground.

1. 1 Hot and neutral at the IFC, not the disconnect

   On Amana AM9S96 polarity/ground is measured at the board. A correctly landed disconnect with a swapped whip at the IFC still throws this. Hot and neutral at the IFC, not just the disconnect.

   Expect: L1 hot, N neutral, ~120 VAC L1 to N, ~0 VAC N to ground.

2. 2 Burner-box and IFC ground

   Green ground to cabinet and IFC. Painted screw and missing star washer fail the ground check and kill flame sense. Burner-box ground screw.

   Expect: Near-zero ohms burner box to IFC ground screw.

3. 3 Then flame and HSI

   Polarity/ground faults take out HSI and flame sense together. After the wiring is right, run one heat cycle and confirm µA and igniter glow before you change those parts. Rapid flash on some revs is the same polarity complaint, not a high count.

   Expect: Code cleared. One clean light. µA in range.