Fridge is not cooling
Sounds like you have a defrost problem since the freezer side is working ok . It probably is not blowing cold air into the refrig side , so to check the defrost circuit , unplug the refrig and inside the refrig section at the top about 2" in from each side in the back , there are "D" slots to put a finger in , and pull downward and foreward , to remove the control panel cover . Once removed , there is a 1/4" screw on each side holding the adjustment indicator panel on , 1 phillips screw behind both light bulbs , and 1 screw holding the complete panel to the rear wall . After removing these 5 screws , at the top right corner , with about 6-8 wires going to it , is the adaptive defrost board . Sometimes you can see the electronic board and on newer refrig's , a white box will be seen. Inside this box , is the adaptive defrost control . Disconnect the plug going to the board and on the right side of the PLUG , the far right wire is yellow , then another color , then white . Useing a small insulated wire with both ends stripped , insert one end into the yellow wire hole and the other into the white wire hole . This will bypass the adaptive board and send power directly thru the defrost bimetal ( thermostat ) AND heater to check if they are good .Plug the refrig back in . Now , wait about 3-5 min and look for a red glow at the bottom of the inside freezer panel , which will be the defrost heater or listen for sizzling which will be the frost melting and dripping onto the heater .If NO red glow , watch for a spark while removing the jumper wire you installed , from the plug . If a spark IS seen , then the heater was on and the heater AND bimetal are good . If you see the red glow , hear the sizzling , or see the spark , then the adaptive defrost board should be replaced . If no glow , sizzling or spark , then unplug the refrig and reinstall the refrig control section .
Remove the food in the freezer section enough so that the 2 screws holding the lower freezer panel on and the freezer panel , can be removed . Remove the panel . If the heater (black element at the bottom of the coils ) wires are visible , trace then to the top of the coils and disconnect . Use an ohm meter to determine if the element is good . If the element IS good , at the top of the coils , is a 1" cylinder with 2 wires , clipped onto the coils . This is the defrost thermostat ( bimetal ) . Replace this part if the element shows good . If the element shows bad , replace the element . NOTE 1 : sometimes the element and the bimetal come wired togather and the replacement part comes with a new heater and bimetal already wired togather . This would be the adviseable replacement part . However , each part can still be replaced individually . NOTE 2 : If looking at the bimetal and the top plastic " cap " looks cockeyed , replace the bimetal as moisture has gotten inside and disturbed its designed function .
Hi,
Remove the access panel in the freezer section to expose the evaporator coils. If the coils in the freezer section get plugged up with frost, this frost will block the evaporator fan motor from blowing the cold air around. The fan blade can also hit this frost and either become noisy or stop altogether. Locating the defrost timer can be tricky....they are often hidden behind the back bottom corners of the fridge at the bottom, in the last few years the timers have been located in the ceiling of the fresh food section, and some behind the cold control cover. Once you locate the defrost timer, slowly turn the screw like wheel in the middle of the defrost timer with a straight screwdriver until the fridge shuts off. You are now in defrost. If the defrost heater(s) comes on now, replace the defrost timer and defrost thermostat. If the heater(s) does not come on, you can ohm test the defrost heater for continuity or volt test for 120 volts to the heater(s). If you have no power to the defrost heater(s) you can also bypass the defrost thermostat to see if the defrost heater will come on, join the 2 wires together to bypass the defrost thermostat. If the heater now comes on, replace the defrost timer and defrost thermostat. If the heater itself is bad, defrost the fridge with a hair dryer, replace the defrost heater* and defrost thermostat. If the defrost timer seems "hot" to the touch or is noisy ( like a ticking or screeching noise )...replace it.
hope this work for you
I got the problem solved. Whatever you do, do not open the back of the fridge. Sears will not fix it if you do.
Hi,
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Hi,
Check out these tips...they can help you figure out what is going wrong with your refrigerator and why it is not cooling
Refrigerator not Cooling or Fridge not Cooling
How to Defrost Refrigerator Defrost Timer Problem
Water Running in refrigerator from Freezer
Refrigerator or Freezer not Cooling or Getting Cold
heatman101
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