The short answer
On a Goodman or Amana gas furnace in Northern Virginia, 4 red flashes on an older board or EE3 on a newer display means the limit switch opened: the furnace got hotter inside than it should, so it shut the burners off to protect itself. The cause is almost always airflow. Start with the filter. If the filter is clean and it keeps happening, it’s usually a dirty blower wheel, $300 to $440 to pull and clean, or a blower motor on its way out.
What the limit switch does
The limit is a heat sensor on the part of the furnace the flames heat up. The blower carries that heat away into your ducts. When the air slows down, heat builds up, the limit opens, the burners go out, and the blower keeps running to cool things off. On Goodman’s older boards the blower runs until the limit closes again, then the furnace tries again. You get short burns, long blowing, and a house that never warms up.
The $67 Heating Check
We check your furnace, heat pump or boiler before winter. Through December 31. See the offer
The codes, board by board
Swipe to see all columns →
Swipe to see all columns →
| Your furnace shows | Which Goodman board | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 4 red flashes | Older single-stage (GMSS9, GMS8 and the Amana twins) | Primary or auxiliary limit open |
| EE3 | Current display (GR9S, GD9S, GR9T, AR9S and similar) | Primary limit open |
| Red 4 | Two-stage GMEC96 (green, amber and red lights) | A limit or the rollout switch is open |
| Red 5 | Two-stage GMEC96 (green, amber and red lights) | A limit or rollout open for 15 minutes, or the board fuse is open |
| Red 11 | Two-stage GMEC96 (green, amber and red lights) | A limit open for more than 5 minutes |
| EbL or EbU | Current display (GR9S, GD9S, GR9T, AR9S and similar) | Blower motor drawing too little or too much current; the furnace locks out |
| Eb9 | Modulating (GRVM97, GDVM97) | Not enough airflow |
| Eb0 | Modulating (GRVM97, GDVM97) | Blower motor not running |
From Goodman’s service manuals for the GMSS9 single-stage, GMEC96 two-stage, current single-stage, modulating furnaces. Every code for every Goodman board is in our Goodman furnace codes chart.
On the GMEC96, red 4 and red 5 can also be the rollout switch, which is a different problem. If you see scorching at the burners or smell burning, read our rollout switch guide before you reset anything.
What you’ll notice
- The burners light and run a few minutes, then go out while the blower keeps going.
- Warm air at first, then cool air from the vents. More on that in cold air in winter.
- Rooms at the far end of the duct runs get almost nothing.
- A hot, dusty smell near the furnace. Our burning smell guide sorts the normal first-run smell from the kind that needs a call.
- It got worse over a season, or it started the week someone put in a new filter of a different kind.
What causes it
Swipe to see all columns →
Swipe to see all columns →
| Cause | How you’d know | What fixing it costs |
|---|---|---|
| A dirty or too-thick filter | Gray and matted, you can’t see light through it, or it’s a high MERV filter the system wasn’t built for | The price of a filter. Our filter guide covers which one |
| Closed or blocked vents and returns | Furniture over a return grille, a lot of supply vents shut | Nothing: open them |
| A dirty blower wheel | The filter is clean but airflow is weak everywhere; the fan blades are packed with dust | $300 to $440 |
| A weak run capacitor on the blower | The blower hums, starts slow, or runs slower than it should | $240 to $370 |
| A failing blower motor | The blower won’t start, runs hot, or the display shows EbL or Eb0 | $670 to $2,400 |
| The wrong blower speed | It’s tripped since the furnace or the AC coil went in | Usually a setting change on the visit |
| Ducts too small or crushed | It’s always been like this, or it started after a remodel | Priced after a look at the ducts |
| A failed limit switch | Everything else checks out and the limit opens at a normal temperature | Priced in writing before any work starts |
What you can check yourself
Goodman’s manuals are written for trained technicians and say not to bypass any safety circuit, so the line for a homeowner is the outside of the furnace. Here’s what’s fair game.
- The filter. Pull it. If you can’t see light through it, change it. Then reset: turn the thermostat off, wait 10 seconds, turn it back on.
- The vents. Walk the house. Open the supply vents, and pull anything off the return grilles, the big ones that pull air back in.
- Watch one cycle. If the burners go out after a few minutes while the blower keeps running, and the code comes back, stop there. A furnace tripping its limit is running hotter than it was built to, every cycle.
- Leave the blower door on. The furnace has a switch that cuts the power when that panel comes off, and the blower and its capacitor are a tech’s job.
What a tech does on the visit
The tech checks the filter and the blower wheel, then measures the temperature rise across the furnace and compares it to the range printed on its rating plate. Goodman lists that rise and the duct static pressure among the limit checks. Add the blower speed setting, the motor’s amps and its capacitor, and the limit itself, and the numbers tell a dirty wheel from a failing motor from ducts that were always too small. You get the price in writing before any work starts.
We fix Goodman and Amana furnaces across Northern Virginia, in Ashburn, Leesburg, Sterling, Herndon, Chantilly, Fairfax, Arlington and Manassas. Every furnace repair price we charge is on our heating page.
Other Goodman codes, one at a time: pressure switch: 3 flashes or EE2; lockout and weak flame: 1 flash, EE0, EE6; solid red light, no light or rapid flashing; rollout switch: 6 flashes or E11; Goodman heat pump and AC codes.
Get it fixed
Call (703) 997-9757 and we’ll get a tech out to look at your Goodman furnace. We answer day or night. Rather book online? Pick a time here and a box of warm cookies comes with the visit. A repair visit starts with our $99 diagnostic, and you get the price in writing before any work starts. Already have a quote? We’ll give you a free second opinion. Rated 5.0 stars across 1,138 reviews on Google, Angi, Yelp, the BBB and Facebook, Virginia Class A license 2705192276.
Questions people ask
Why is my Goodman furnace blinking 4 times?
On an older single-stage Goodman or Amana, 4 flashes means the primary or auxiliary limit opened: the furnace overheated and shut its burners off. It’s almost always airflow: a dirty filter, blocked vents, a dirty blower wheel or a failing blower motor.
What does EE3 mean on a Goodman furnace?
The same thing on the newer display boards: the primary limit circuit is open because the furnace got too hot inside. Check the filter first.
Can a dirty filter really shut a furnace off?
Yes. It’s the most common reason a limit trips. A clogged filter starves the furnace of air, the heat builds up, and the limit shuts the burners off to protect the furnace.
How much does it cost to fix a Goodman limit switch problem?
The diagnostic is $99. Pulling and cleaning a dusty blower wheel is $300 to $440, a blower capacitor is $240 to $370, and a new blower motor is $670 to $2,400. The tech prices it in writing before any work starts.
Is it safe to keep resetting a Goodman furnace on 4 flashes?
Once, after a filter change, is fine. If the code comes back, leave it off and get it looked at. A furnace that keeps tripping its limit is running too hot every cycle.
