Gas and Oil Home Heating Furnaces - Repairing A/C unit

I am trying to find out why my small a/c unit is not working (it is only about one year old) It was working last year but neither the fan nor compressor work now. Does this sound like a capacitor problem? - one has three terminals and the other has two. I know that I must discharge these capacitors before testing but I don't know how to discharge them. Can I discharge them by touching two of the terminals at a time with a screw driver?
Next, how can I test these capacitors? Please suggest other possible solutions. Thanks!

i check them the old fashioned way, with an analog meter. (needle not digital). if the needle does not move, the cap is bad, it is open. if it moves and stays, it is bad because it is shorted. if theneedle rises then falls it is good. EVERY TIME YOU TEST ONE YOU MUST SWAP YOUR LEADS. that is to say swap terminals on the cap. you are reading from common to herm, and common to fan.

if it is a lennox, i will bet the cap is bad. i never discharge them before testing