My maytag fridge MSD2957AE quit working. No ice up problem. a repairman thought it might be a relay before the compressor. he says this is a common problem

Hi,

Many times a freezer and/or refrigeratordo not work right because of a dirty condenser coil...there are also many otherthings that can go wrong. If you are hearing a clicking or buzzing thencheck out the last two tips.

If your refrigerator is running but warm, then...

Check out these tips that I wrote about that... it is a great place to starttrouble shooting your unit...and something that you can do rather then callinga repair person to do a simple thing for you...

Refrigerator Condenser Coil Cleaning Refrigerator Repair

Refrigerator Troubleshooting Refrigerator Compressor

Refrigerator Compressor Start Capacitor and Start Relay
Refrigerator or Freezer not Cooling or Getting Cold

heatman101

Cut everything off for a few minutes then turn it back on and listen for a click from the compressor relay as the compressor tries to start.
Is the compressor motor running.If no check starter/overload relay. Check to see if the condenser fan at the back underneath near the compressor is running. If no check fan.

Are the condenser coils near there warm or room temp. should be warm


How to check stuff>
http://www.acmehowto.com/howto/appliance/refrigerator/refrigerator.php


Is the evaporator fan in the freezer running. It blows cold air into the fridge side through a damper in the wall between the freezer and fridge. Make sure the damper is open.

Below the evaporator fan is the evaporator coils. Remove the back cover in the freezer to observe the frost pattern. Light frost everywhere(NORMAL) or a partial pattern of ice(LOW ON FREON) or nothing(LOW FREON OR COMPRESSOR PROBLEM).
If it's iced up really heavy you have an auto defrost problem. Melt the ice with a hairdryer and check the defrost system.

Hi ****, Based on the discription you've provided it sounds like either a faulty start relay or the compressor is seized. If you have a multi- meter you can check the compressor to see if the windings are ok. Unplug the fridge. Remove the panel at the back down at the bottom. This should gain you access to the compressor. On the side of the comp. will be the start relay/overload assembly. Pull off the relay & overload and you'll see 3 pins in the form of a triangle. With a meter measure between any 2 pins at one time, going between each pin with one remaining on a "common" pin. You'll want 3 measurement's, similar to this example- 6ohms, 3ohms, and 9ohms. On some meters you may simply get a reading of "0" ohms, as long as the needle moves off of "infinity" which would indicate an "open" winding=not good ! If following that, the readings are good, purchase a hard start kit. Part # HS410 also known as a 3in1 starter kit. This will start it if it's not seized also known as a "locked rotor".. You can find them at most brick & mortar appliance parts locations or on-line vendors. The package contains info on how to connect it. If that doesn't yield any results moving forward, let me know we'll go from there. **I suggest you phone Whirlpool customer support first though ( they own Maytag ) as they recently had a massive recall regarding the starting device of many compressor's and you may find your's to be included therefore have it repaired at no cost.** they will know by your model and serial number or if that isn't clear the number on the compressor. Good Luck Thanks for visiting "fixya", please take a second to rate my solution and leave a comment/testimony to it's helpfulness. macmarkus :)

Pull the refrig out and remove the back panel . You should see the compressor and the cooling fan ( condenser fan ) . If the fan isn't working , it needs to be replaced . If the compressor isn't running or starts then cuts off , then the box plugged onto the side of the compressor , with 3 wires going to it ( overload/relay ) needs to be replaced .

your compressor is probably not running. if you see no ice build up in the freezer compartment, then the problem is most likely the compressor relay. although it could be a myriad of things, the relay is the most common.

It's possible that the Adaptive Defrost Control part number 61005988 has your compressor shut down. It is also possible the temperature control is defective. Jumping the 2 wires behind the control will answer that. And its also possible that the start capacitor, start relay and overload has failed on the compressor. I would like you to unplug and examine the ADC and also need to pull away from wall and remove the cover over the compressor so you can feel the top of compressor. Is it warm, cool or too hot to keep your hand there? Sea Breeze

I bet the bearings in your compressor are bad. The compressor will run and heat up but after getting hot it won't always restart. Most of the time it happens with Tecumseh compressors.

Yes you have a bad relay on your compressor.Remove the rear panel and take off the relay on the compressor shake it.If it sounds fried then you need to order new on .Just give your model# to your local parts depot and ask them to order you a new compressor relay hope i fixya:)

There is one compressor, condenser and evaporator in all refrigerators. The part that makes the cold inside the unit is the evaporator. It's in the freezer, behind a barrier on the back wall. It's a "coil" with many small fins. There is a fan that blows air over the evaporator which makes the air cold. This air comes from the freezer and stays in the freezer. The cold food section (the refrigerator) has a control that opens a hole for air to pass from the freezer to the fridge. This being said...you can rule out the "temperature control" for the fridge.

The sound you hear could be the compressor relay, the evaporator fan or maybe something else. It could be bad, it could be not too bad. (Like a fan blade a bit unbalanced with dust)

OK,,, back to the evaporator. There is a little heater next to the coil that turns on every 8 hours or so to defrost the coil. That's called the "defrost cycle". Makes sense, no? If the defrost timer (common problem) or defrost control board (common problem) go bad, your evaporator coil freezes up, and that's not good for anything in your refrigerator. But it can often keep the freezer section cold. You can easily disassemble the evaporator cover in the back of the freezer and take a look. If it looks like a block of ice, you probably have a defrost issue. An even, thin coat of frost is OK, but lots of ice is a no no.

The compressor not working, relay switch on compressor not working Had repair man put new switch in .Last year put in new fan motor in freezer compartment the cool air was not circulating both problems made the fridge not to cool and drip water