What causes fault code AB-PF-F033 (PowerFlex VFD Fault F033 â€” Auto Restart Tries Exceeded)?

Underlying fault condition is persistent â€” the root cause has not been resolved. Intermittent fault occurring faster than the auto-restart delay â€” drive keeps re-faulting. Power quality issue causing repeated undervoltage or overvoltage trips. Mechanical issue causing repeated overcurrent or overload â€” jam not cleared. Auto restart configured for a fault type that should not be auto-restarted (e.g., ground fault)

How do I fix fault code AB-PF-F033?

Check the drive fault log â€” identify the ORIGINAL fault that triggered the auto-restart sequence, not F033 itself. Address the root cause fault â€” F033 is a symptom, not the cause. Fix whatever fault the drive kept retrying on. Review which faults have auto-restart enabled â€” disable auto-restart for serious faults like F012 (HW overcurrent) and F013 (ground fault). Check Parameter Group A06x for auto-restart configuration â€” number of tries, delay between tries. Reset drive manually after fixing the root cause. Monitor drive operation to confirm the original fault does not return

PowerFlex VFD Fault F033 â€” Auto Restart Tries Exceeded

AB-PF-F033

PowerFlex drive attempted the configured number of automatic fault resets and all attempts failed. The drive has given up trying to auto-restart and requires manual intervention.

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allen-bradley powerflex vfd drive F033 auto restart retry fault log

Probable Causes (ranked)

Underlying fault condition is persistent â€” the root cause has not been resolved
Intermittent fault occurring faster than the auto-restart delay â€” drive keeps re-faulting
Power quality issue causing repeated undervoltage or overvoltage trips
Mechanical issue causing repeated overcurrent or overload â€” jam not cleared
Auto restart configured for a fault type that should not be auto-restarted (e.g., ground fault)

Fix Steps

1 Check the drive fault log â€” identify the ORIGINAL fault that triggered the auto-restart sequence, not F033 itself
2 Address the root cause fault â€” F033 is a symptom, not the cause. Fix whatever fault the drive kept retrying on
3 Review which faults have auto-restart enabled â€” disable auto-restart for serious faults like F012 (HW overcurrent) and F013 (ground fault)
4 Check Parameter Group A06x for auto-restart configuration â€” number of tries, delay between tries
5 Reset drive manually after fixing the root cause
6 Monitor drive operation to confirm the original fault does not return

Field Trick

Read the fault log BEFORE resetting the drive. F033 means the drive tried and failed multiple times. The fault log entries before F033 tell you the real problem. The most recent non-F033 fault in the log is your root cause.

Suggested Replacement Parts

Parts matched to fault category: Vfd Drive

Allen-Bradley PowerFlex 525 AC Drive 1HP P/N: 25B-D2P3N114 1HP, 480V, 3-phase, built-in EtherNet/IP, EMC filter

AutomationDirect $395.00 Amazon $450.00 Grainger $520.00

ABB ACS580 General Purpose Drive 2HP P/N: ACS580-01-05A7-4 2HP, 480V, built-in safe torque off, adaptive programming

AutomationDirect $425.00 Amazon $480.00 Grainger $550.00

GS20 AC Drive 1HP (Budget Option) P/N: GS20-20P5 1HP, 230V, sensorless vector, compact size — good replacement for testing

AutomationDirect $149.00 Amazon $175.00

Prices are estimates. Verify part numbers match your equipment before ordering.

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