When looking at capacitance several different sources say that circuits might malfunction or burn with higher capacity capacitors than designed with. Unfortunately, but none of those sources go into detail. How can a capacitor cause malfunction if capacitance increases? Wouldn't the capacitor simply take longer to fully charge?
Signs: Discoloration, such as darkening of the capacitor casing or nearby circuit board or visible burn marks, are indicators of overheating or electrical stress. Underlying Issues: This overheating can be due to internal failure within the capacitor or external factors such as a malfunctioning component in the circuit.
Mica and tantalum capacitors are more likely to fail in the early period of use (early failure), while aluminum electrolytic capacitors are more likely to experience wear-out failure due to aging use. In the case of film capacitors, when a local short circuit failure occurs, the shorted area may temporarily self-heal.
For example, if a large capacitor is used in the smoothing circuit of a power supply, a large wave-like voltage *4 can be converted to a flat DC voltage, but if the capacitor is open, a large voltage wave is directly applied to the circuit, which may cause semiconductors and other components to fail. *4 It's called ripple voltage.
In the case of film capacitors, when a local short circuit failure occurs, the shorted area may temporarily self-heal. An open mode failure in a capacitor can have undesirable effects on electronic equipment and components on the circuit.
Underlying Issues: This overheating can be due to internal failure within the capacitor or external factors such as a malfunctioning component in the circuit. It’s a sign that the capacitor has been operating under stress and may have already failed or is close to failing.