Another humming pump...........

[Poconos]

Hi Jan,
Ted is right on so far. If the shaft is seized then you will hear a real loud hum and after some short time the thermal breaker will open. That's located in the back of the motor where the wires enter. With a seized shaft the motor pulls a lot of current. If the shaft turns freely and the hum is a low level then there are two possibilities. One the starting capacitor has opened or two, the starting switch contacts are really crummy. That 2x4 trick may or may not work. It won't if the contacts are really bad.
Gotta run....back later.
Al
More: Smacking the motor will sometimes shock the switch contacts enough to make contact. If the shaft turns freely and the hum is loud then probably the starting capacitor is shorted.
Al