fyy wrote:OP here, thanks again for the responses guys. One more thing, why is it wrong (as a general rule) to replace a capacitor with one that has a higher capacitance? Wouldn't storing more charge be better generally (like having a larger battery)?
I already explained it can throw off a control loop, like a switching power supply regulator feedback loop. Some switching power supply chips have a limit how large (or small) a capacitance you can put at the regulator output or the output voltage won´t be stable, it could start to oscillate or something, perhaps responding slower to quickly changing load currents, etc.
In basic linear power supplies, larger capacitance wastes space (money too) and decreases conduction angle by increasing the ratio of RMS current to average current. Because of higher currents flowing in shorter time, this increases transformer heating and stresses the rectifying diodes.
If the capacitor is not there to filter power but for something else, it can make time constant of a system longer, like slows down an oscillator or alters frequency response of filters or makes a voltage step response slower (for instance causing your speakers generate a huge "THUMP" instead of short snap when powering audio sources on/off).
So in general, if you have no idea what the capacitor does, keep the original value. If you do know what the capacitor is there for, then it is a different matter, and you are free to decide whether smaller or bigger capacitance will still work if you don't have an exact match.