Not a cracked heat exchanger. A $400 igniter.
A homeowner in Mooresville called us last December about a furnace that wouldn't stay on, runs for a few minutes, shuts down, then fails to relight. Another company had already been out and recommended replacement with a "cracked heat exchanger" diagnosis. The quote was just under $7,500.
We came out with a $77 diagnostic. Heat exchanger inspected with a borescope camera, flame characteristics observed, combustion analyzed, gas pressure verified at the manifold. The heat exchanger was intact, no crack, no soot pattern, no flame rollover.
What was actually wrong: the hot-surface igniter was on its last legs, lighting some cycles and failing others. The flame sensor was also coated with combustion residue, which can mimic a "system shutting down for safety" pattern.
Igniter replacement plus flame sensor cleaning came in just under $400, the $77 diagnostic credited toward the work. The furnace ran through the rest of the winter without an issue.
Cracked heat exchanger is the most common upsell in residential HVAC.
If we ever tell you the heat exchanger is cracked, we'll show you the picture.
If we can't see a crack, we don't condemn the part.