Blown Ceiling fan capacitor

[kwired]

Perhaps pulling the chain to reverse directions while spinning would have done that? I would rather replace a faulty part... but if it blows again, I'll be going back and replacing the fan anyways. Changing a capacitor with another with same characteristics messing with the approval?

Probably not too likely. These fans usually are able to take locked rotor conditions for extended periods and usually work just fine after that condition has been corrected.