Blew a $40 capacitor because I ignored the motor's whine

Last Thursday I was out on a call for an old Frigidaire fridge that wasn't cooling. Compressor was running but barely, and I heard this low hum coming from the evap fan motor. I figured it was just dirty and moved on, checked the sealed system, pressures looked fine. So I swapped the start relay and capacitor anyway, but the noise stayed. Next day the homeowner calls back, fridge is warm and the motor is dead. Turns out the whine was the bearing going bad, and the extra load cooked the brand new capacitor. I ate the cost of the part and my second trip. Now I always stick my ear right up to the motor before touching anything else. Has anyone else watched a small sign turn into a bigger bill because you skipped the obvious? What do you listen for on a first pass?

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