First, let me say I know just enough about electricity to be dangerous.

I am a retired diesel tech

that has been forced back into "making ends meet" due to inflation. I have a strong background
in automotive electronics but am a bit weak when it comes to alternating current. Much of my
current work involves ac motors and I try to read all I can to keep myself safe and to not screw
up the customer's equipment.
I recently had a job repairing an automatic gate opener for a client's storage yard. The electric
motor that ran the gate would not start. I removed the motor and used the capacitor test function
on my Fluke 87a multimeter to determine that the capacitor attached to the motor was open.
And, here's where I ran into a problem that I'm hoping someone on this forum might be able to
explain.
The capacitor was labeled 65 microfarad +/- 5%, 240vac. Ok, I'll just run down to the air
conditioner supply I do business with and buy another. NOT! This capacitor is not available
anywhere that I can find including the OEM of the gate controller. All info that I read on motor
capacitors also leaves me confused.
Start capacitors are typically rated at 125, 165, 250 and 330 volts while run capacitors are
typically 370 and 440 volts. So, my cap's voltage is in the start column.
But, start capacitors usually have a wide spread or range of capacitance like 65-77 mfd while
run caps are very specifically rated with a tolerance usually given as 5 or 6%. So, that puts my
cap in the run category.
Of course, silly me, I want to know why. No one locally, including severaly motor repair shops
and even the controller manufacturer themselves seem to be able to answer my question as to
what this capacitor is actually called and why it is so different from most other applications I
have come across. The gate control people said to call it a run capacitor and that they can't get
it anymore so they use one that is 60mfd and 250 volt instead. That is what they sold me and it
works but I would like to know more.
Any input appreciated and thanks for reading.

Usually a motor with only one capacitor, the capacitor is a start capacitor. The value is not
critical as long as it is close to the original one. In your case the 65mfd is close enough to the
60mfd that you bought it will be OK.

The voltage is more important. Start capacitors should be ~1.5 times the line voltage of the
motor. I'm assuming your motor is running on 115-120 volts so the 250V rating is fine. Not all
motor capacitor makers use a standard voltage for some reason. But as long as the voltage is
as least 1.5 times more your alright.