Don, I am so appreciative of your knowledge and the time you've spent on this. I'll start looking tomorrow for someone to help me solve the problem.
We escape the Florida heat for four months each year, spending most of the time out west at higher altitudes. But, we still need the AC for the handful of hot days we always have. I've got about three months to get this fixed and tried out before we leave.
If you pass through Clearwater, the BBQ is on me.
If anything more comes to mind re this issue, let me know. I hope others who may have this problem can find this thread.
I'll post here once I get it fixed.