refrigerator compressor and possible relay switch

Refrigerator & Freezer Repair
1

Hi,
Our roughly 20-year-old KitchenAid side by side refrigerator/freezer stopped working, with both sides thawing completely. We were out of town for a couple days. It was making a humming sound when we found it (we unplugged it right away). When the refrigerator is plugged back in, the compressor clicks occasionally but does not come on.

In calling for a potential local repairman, one of them told me that a relay might be able to be installed on the compressor if the compressor was bad. The repairman we had out (a different one than had told us about the relay) said our compressor was dead. He tried to install a start device, but it did not work/repair the problem.

–>Is a start device the same as the relay that we were told might work to repair the compressor?

–>Based on what I’ve described, would you think it is our compressor that’s bad, or might there be something else (something repairable) that could cause the problem?

Thanks a lot,
Bob"

3

The repairman is probably right, either a burnt start winding, or a blown open winding. You can install a new start device to confirm.

4

Cini and Bob,

It has been a few days, what was the outcome? I saw a post, but it didn’t answer your question(s). It sounds to me that the repair guy over-rode the relay (with a "start device") to test the compressor—and that the "compressor" didn’t work. (Which I thought was rare to fail.) And therefore, if I am correct, the relay is not bad, the compressor is.

That’s the best I can offer for now. I was just checking to see if there was an answer here for a similiar problem I’m having; whereas I’m trying to determine the same as you—and I’m hoping it is the relay. (I read that compressors rarely fail, and if you think about it, that is the heart (of your refrig costs), where the relay is only a glorified (low cost) switch.

Best of luck—pls tell me how you made out-results and costs! pt

5

Sir,

I just fixed my Kenmore refrigerator. I want to share my experience here.

My Kenmore refrigerator is model # 25357672791, side by side refrigerator. It stopped working a few days ago.

With plugging in power, light on and compressor not working.

I unplugged the relay (by the side of compressor), and shaked the relay and it seems relay had broken inside.

So I went to this web site: http://www.appliancepartspros.com/partsearch/, I bought my new relay, it cost $2.49 plus $7.25 shipping cost. In two days, I received new relay.

The relay for my refrigerator has also protector assembled, so I pulled the old protector out from the side of compressor and assembled old protector with new relay. Then I plugged the new relay/ old protector assembly back to side of compressor.

When I plugged into power and got small click sound from somewhere in refrigerator, but the fan and compressor seem dead and did nothing. Strange???

Then I did the tests, step by step under the situation of “Refrigerator does not run but the light works” by following this website: http://www.bidanswer.com/Questions/QuestionInfo_5088.html

All components are good, but light keeps on and the fan and compressor do not working.

I knew that all my parts are good, just something inside cut power off for fan and compressor.

When I checked Defrost Timer, I noted this defrost timer has reset button. It tells we need to reset the defrost timer.
(The defrost timer is usually found behind the front grill "toe kick" of the refrigerator. This is my case.)

So I use a small screw drive to push that little white dot button for about 30 seconds, my refrigerator started. I solved the problem and fixed my refrigerator.

Hope this will help.

6

What part number did you get for so cheap a price? Also, your defrost timer may have stuck in defrost, it should cycle into defrost about every nine hours. Just check to confirm it will not hang up again. I have never seen a reset button on a defrost timer, I would suspect you just turned the timer till it came out of defrost.

7

What is wrong? I need my washer!

8

Take off the top and you will find some tech notes that will tell you how to intepret the codes and do some testing of the parts.