Goodman, Amana, Daikin GMVM96 error code EC
Inducer motor overcurrent fault
Goodman is the platform name, and your unit may not say it
Amana AMVM96 / ACVM96, Daikin GMVM96 platform are the same board with a different badge, so this page covers all of them. The fault, the checks and the parts are identical, which is why there is one page rather than one per brand.
Quick answer
On Goodman GMVM96 (2010s), EC is a fault. It means inducer motor overcurrent fault. A first thing to check: Inducer wheel packed with debris or a rust ring.
- Applies to
- Goodman GMVM96
- Goodman and Amana GMVM96, GMVM97, GCVM96 alphanumeric codes · Furnace · 2010s
- Type of code
- Fault
- Urgency: Needs attention soon
- First safe check
- Listen for the inducer during a call for heat. Grinding or a hum that never builds speed points at the wheel or the capacitor.
What EC means on this model
The draft inducer motor is drawing more current than the control expects and the motor circuit has tripped. Either the motor itself is loaded up, the wheel is jammed or fouled, or the capacitor is failing and the motor is running roughly.
Symptoms you will notice
- Furnace will not fire
- You hear the inducer grind, squeal or hum without spinning up properly
- Code appears during the draft proving step
Common causes
The code tells you what the control detected, not which part failed. These are the causes we see most often, roughly in order of likelihood:
- Inducer wheel packed with debris or a rust ring
- Failed inducer motor bearing
- Failing inducer capacitor
- Obstruction in the flue or pressure tube
- Motor winding failure
What you can safely check
These are homeowner-level checks. None of them need you to open a live electrical compartment or work on gas.
- Listen for the inducer during a call for heat. Grinding or a hum that never builds speed points at the wheel or the capacitor.
- Check the pressure tube for an obstruction.
Do not do these
- ×Do not reach into the inducer housing without unplugging the furnace. The impeller can start on its own from stored energy in the capacitor.
- ×Do not bypass the motor circuit.
When to call a technician
Book a technician, do not keep resetting it
This fault will not clear on its own. Every power cycle gives the control one more failed attempt, and repeated attempts are what turn a cheap part replacement into a seized or contaminated system.
- This is a fuel-burning appliance, so treat anything involving a burner, gas valve or flue as technician work. If you smell gas at any point, leave the property and call the gas utility from outside rather than continuing to diagnose.
- If the appliance has stopped mid-cycle, is making a noise you have not heard before, or smells burnt, stop reading here and call. Those are symptoms of something the fault code does not describe well enough.
A technician should do this. The start-up surge on the motor is worth feeling before you touch the wires.
What it costs to fix
Parts
Capacitor $15 to $40. Inducer motor $150 to $400. Inducer wheel $20 to $60.
Labor
One to two hours.
DIY or technician
A technician should do this. The start-up surge on the motor is worth feeling before you touch the wires.
Typical US part and labor ranges, 2026. They vary by region, model and contractor, so treat them as a planning figure, not a quote.
Scope of this code
- Code table
- Goodman and Amana GMVM96, GMVM97, GCVM96 alphanumeric codes
- Models in scope
- Goodman GMVM96, 2010s
- Checked
- Confirm on your own unit
- Find the model number on the data plate, then check this code in the service manual for that model. Manufacturers revise code tables between model years, and a revised board can renumber a fault.