The compressor (DC73C12RCU6) on my GE side-by-side (GS525SGRE) is not turning on. The fans are working, the light bulb turns on, etc.
First step was to unplug the refrig, and to remove the plastic cover on the left side of the compressor. Under this plastic cover were two components: a thermistor (Murata 6R8MD2) and a thermal protector (Klixon 4TM).
The thermistor (on some refrigerators, this component is a relay), is connected on one side to red and white wires. On the other side, the thermistor plugs into the "Start" and "Run" terminals of the compressor. The thermal protector connects to a black wire on one side, and to the third terminal on the compressor.
With the thermistor and thermal protector removed, I used a multimeter to measure the resistance between any two of the three terminals. The readings were : 4.6 ohms, 5.6 ohms, and 10.1 ohms. From what I’ve read, this indicates a good compressor, i.e., the larger value is roughly equal to the sum of the other two values. Also, I checked for shorts between any of the 3 terminals and the case of the compressor (after peeling away some of the paint), and there were not shorts.
Then, I set up the multimeter to measure AC voltage. I connected the leads to Red/Black, and plugged the refrig back in. The meter did not record any voltage. Did the same thing for White/Black, and again no voltage.
At this point, it seems that there is no reason to suspect that thermistor and thermal protector.
Questions:
- Does this seem like a reasonable troubleshooting approach, given the symptoms?
- What voltage should be measured across the White/Black leads, when everything is operational? I assume 115VAC. What about the Red/Black leads?
- What controls the voltage to the compressor? Is it the digital circuit board inside the refrig?
- Any other suggestions for next steps?
Thanks.