A heat pump is an air conditioner that runs in reverse to heat, so it has everything an AC has plus a reversing valve and a defrost cycle. On York’s variable-capacity Affinity YZT and LX HMH7 the inverter board and the communicating bus join that list, so the diagnosis is code-and-board driven; on the single-stage LX YHE it is a conventional split-system heat pump. This page is the York-specific companion to our general heat pump repair service and our York brand overview. Common failure modes have dedicated guides: not heating, not cooling, not defrosting, reversing valve, and won’t turn on.
Common York heat pump failures
- Run-capacitor and contactor wear on single-stage LX YHE heat pumps from the high annual run-hours. Capacitor $185–$295, contactor $145–$245.
- Reversing-valve / solenoid faults — the system gets stuck in heating or cooling and will not switch. A heat-pump-specific repair.
- Defrost-control faults — the outdoor coil ices over in heating mode, or the system never exits defrost.
- TXV failures — poor capacity with otherwise normal pressures. $585–$895, warranty-covered if registered.
- Affinity YZT / LX HMH7 inverter-board and communication faults — on the proprietary YHCT thermostat bus; quoted per unit after diagnosis.
- Condenser fan motor wear, often a grinding bearing before it quits. $485–$795.
Stuck in one mode, or icing up
The two failures that feel uniquely “heat pump” are a system stuck in one mode and an outdoor unit that ices over. A York that cools fine but will not heat (or vice versa) usually has a reversing-valve solenoid that stuck or failed — though on an Affinity YZT the YHCT thermostat will often log whether it is actually a board or communication fault. Heavy, persistent ice on the outdoor coil in heating mode points at a defrost-control fault, a low charge, or a failed outdoor fan; a little frost that clears on its own is the normal defrost cycle. We meter the valve solenoid, read the code, and check the charge before quoting. Reversing-valve and defrost pricing is on our heat pump repair page; the no-start chain is in our AC not turning on guide.
Why York heat pumps fail when they do in SoCal
Heat pumps run both seasons here — 1,500–2,500 hours a year inland in Rancho Cucamonga, Fontana, Corona, and the Conejo Valley, where heat-cycling cooks capacitors and contactors at year 5–7 on the single-stage LX units. On the coast in Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach, and Malibu, salt air corrodes the outdoor electronics, so the Affinity YZT and LX HMH7 boards degrade earlier. In the high desert and mountains (Big Bear, Wrightwood) the heating hours are real and the defrost cycle works hard, so defrost and reversing-valve faults show up more there. The frozen-coil mechanics carry over from cooling season too — see frozen evaporator coil.
York heat pump repair pricing
Flat-rate on the shared, conventional components; inverter and heat-pump-specific parts quoted per unit. Reversing-valve and defrost pricing is on our heat pump repair page. Diagnostic is $89 ($149 after-hours), credited to the repair:
| York heat pump repair | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Diagnostic (waived with repair) | $89 / $149 after-hours |
| Dual-run capacitor (LX single-stage) | $185–$295 |
| Single-run capacitor | $145–$245 |
| Contactor | $145–$245 |
| Condenser fan motor | $485–$795 |
| TXV | $585–$895 |
| Reversing valve / defrost / YZT inverter board | quoted per unit after diagnosis |
| Compressor (out of warranty — we quote replacement) | $2,400–$3,800 |
York’s standard warranty carries 10 years on the compressor and parts when registered within 90 days; labor is separate. We confirm coverage before ordering.
Repair or replace your York heat pump
A capacitor, contactor, reversing valve, or defrost board is worth fixing. The harder call is an inverter board on an Affinity YZT or a compressor on an older LX — those run higher, but York’s 10-year compressor/parts warranty (if registered) often covers the part, so you pay labor only. Because heat pumps run more hours than a cooling-only AC, they reach the replace threshold sooner. We model the repair against a written replacement quote, and walk the heat-pump-versus-AC tradeoffs honestly in our heat pump vs. air conditioner guide. See heat pump installation when replacement is the call.
Coleman and Luxaire heat pumps
Coleman and Luxaire heat pumps are the same Johnson Controls equipment under different shields — same compressors, reversing valves, coils, and control boards. The diagnosis and the parts are identical, and we service all three with the same meters and warranty channels. For the cooling-only side, see York AC repair and York AC not cooling, and the full lineup on our York brand page.