replacing defrost timer refrigerator

Refrigerator & Freezer Repair
,
1

Kenmore Coldspot (Whirlpool) refrigerator model 106.9552882.

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EDIT 3: It’s all working now!
I had to fix the wiring to the defrost heater.
(see below for the broken road that led me there ;>)
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EDIT 1: I should have stated that the original issue was that the freezer stopped defrosting, ice blocked the air flow, and the food compartment stopped getting cool air.

I manually defrosted and everything started cooling properly again and maintained a proper temp in both freezer and food compartment.
So, all is working except the automatic defrost system.

I initially ruled out the defrost thermostat because a couple of times I manually advanced the timer and the heater came on and defrosted. But later the heater did not come on, so I wasn’t sure where the problem was (see following for further details).
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EDIT 2: So, my original actual question was:
With the replacement defrost timer part = 482493 (AP3110896)
and my Model Fridge which has a defrost wiring harness:
pin 2 pink
pin 1 black
pin 4 orange
pin 3 red
where do I connect the loose black wire, p1 or p2?

Thanks to DAB147 who gave me the definitive answer:
pin 2
!!
(see below for more details)
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I bought a replacement defrost timer
new part = 482493 (AP3110896)
although the piece, itself, says
483212
.
The part that I’m replacing is a 10-hr timer
part = 2162046
.
The web page shows that 482493 should work to replace 2162046,
so all looks good so far.

However, I’m trying to figure out which wiring procedure to use.
The instructions say
"10-hr timer must be replaced w 8-hr, see Procedure 3"

However, my wiring harness has the following wires:
pin 2 pink
pin 1 black
pin 4 orange
pin 3 red
and the old part has labeling that matches that.

But, these colors match Procedure 2 in the instructions.

Which procedure do I use?

bv

3

OK.
I checked power in the fridge harness that plugs into the timer and there is definitely 120 V across pins 1&3, which is what you might expect being that those wires are red & black.
This corresponds to using pin 1 in procedure 3 in the instructions and is also what was mentioned earlier in the instructions to use when replacing a 10-hr timer.
It seems that maybe the pin colors that they mention in proc 2 & proc 3 of the instructions are backwards.

So, I used procedure 3 and connected the loose black wire in the timer to pin 1.
This also corresponds to what they did in the video at
http://fast.wistia.net/embed/iframe/gaj2bx5cqo

Now, for testing it,
I rigged up a power cord (cutting the female connector off) and connected its red & black wires to the new timer’s pins 1&3, simulating getting power from the harness in the fridge, similarly to what’s shown at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-L80Fk5had4
(I had earlier tried this in the old timer and there was no noise and no movement, no nothin’.
That’s how I concluded that it was bad.
)
Then, I manually advanced the new timer to just before it would switch to defrost mode.
Finally, I plugged my power cord into socket for power, and …
Voila!
I HAVE CLICKING, so the motor is getting power.
I waited and after about 5 minutes, it switched to defrost mode!!

Now, the real test,
to put it into the fridge.
NOTE: I manually advanced the timer out of defrost mode first – the manual said not to have it in defrost mode when connecting it into the fridge.
Again I advanced it close to where it switches to defrost.

I’ll report back after a while and I have tested it in the fridge.

bv

4

Bad news.
The new timer is not advancing in the fridge.

So, thinking that maybe Procedure 2 really is correct for me (connecting to pin 1 instead of 2
(( that should have been:
"connecting to pin 2 instead of 1
))
and matching the wire colors that my harness has), I thought that maybe the old timer is actually GOOD and I should have applied power to it across pins 2&3.

Sure enough!
Applying power to pins 2&3 on the bench w my special power cable caused the OLD timer to start advancing. It transitioned correctly into defrost and then out again.

So, now I think that I may have a wiring issue or harness issue, although there are no scorch marks anywhere.

More testing needed.
I’ll follow up.

bv

5

Using the OLD timer, I
. manually advanced it to just inside defrost mode
. hooked it back up in fridge
. manually advanced it a few clicks sill in defrost mode.
The timer is clicking,
and the heater came on in freezer !!

I’ll let it run a while to be sure that it advances out of the defrost mode and then continues to advance.
I had done this one time in the past and it also defrosted back then and did exit the defrost mode,
but then stopped advancing.
That’s when I first thought it might be bad.
I assumed that because the heater came on that it was not the defrost thermostat.

It may be that some wiring issue prevents it from advancing while in compressor mode, but allows it to work fine when in (manually advanced) defrost mode.

I suppose that it somehow could be the thermostat, as well.

Will follow up.
bv

6

Well, it didn’t finish defrosting.
I don’t know how long it stayed on.
It has stopped clicking and I can’t tell whether it has advanced out of defrost or not.
I think so.

I manually moved it far into normal mode.
It is not clicking or advancing.
I’m going to leave it for a few hours to let it cool down again and to see if anything changes.

I just don’t know how the damn thing is supposed to work.
I would have assumed that it would continuously advance and that since it is not, that there must be some other wiring issue.

Maybe someone can tell me.

bv

7

Black wire goes to 2 on the timer.

8

tks.
I’ll try it.

bv

9

http://appliantology.org/blog/15/entry-781-whirlpool-universal-fridge-timer-482493-instructions-decoded/

10

So,
I connected blk wire to pin2.
Manually advanced timer to just before DEFROST mode and inserted it into the wiring harness.

The weird (at least to me) thing is that, when I remove the timer from the harness, I see 120 V across pins 1 & 3 (blk & red) (EDIT:of the harness), as I would expect.
Then, while the timer is in COMPRESSOR mode, as soon as I insert the timer back into harness (but only partially, leaving its pins exposed so I can put a meter on them), the compressor goes on, but I do not see 120V across any pins and the timer motor is not running (so not advancing).
I see continuity across 1&4, as it should be for COMPRESSOR mode.

So then I manually advanced timer into DEFROST mode.
The compressor and fans shut off, the timer motor begins to run, and I have 120V across 3&1 and across 3&2 (expected since 2&1 have continuity in DEFROST mode).

I’m going to let it run and see if it goes thru the entire 30 mins.

EDIT: the heater is not hot, so I may have a bad thermostat, as well,

bv

11

@dab147

Thanks for that link.
As I noted in the original post, the instructions also flatly say

"NOTE"10-hr timer must be replaced w 8-hr, see Procedure 3"

Mine is a 10-hr with a red wire,
so the instructions need a little work ;>)

bv

12

Your welcome.Leave it on 2 and you should be ok.

13

OK
It ran the full DEFROST mode 30 mins and exited to COMPRESSOR mode.
Compressor and fans are on and it’s cooling again.

But, again there is no power across any pins to the timer and it is not running.

So, what is causing the fridge not to send power to the timer and how is it ever going to get back to DEFROST mode??

Anyway, I’m going to replace the defrost thermostat next, but I don’t see how it has anything to do with the power to the timer.
But it’s only another $20 or so.

bv

14

During non-Defrost, the Defrost Timer will run IF:
Cold Control is "closed" and Defrost Bi-Metal is "closed"
(Compressor is running, and Evaporator is cold)

15

It will take time for the defrost thermostat to close after defrost as the defrost thermostat is rated at 18 degrees f.So the timer motor will not be turning.Let it run over night.

16

Well the Cold Control is closed, because compressor & fan are on, evaporator is cold, its fan is running, & cold air is getting to the food comp.
The temps of both comps are maintaining properly.

BUT, you are saying that the bi-metal does affect whether the timer runs or not.

However, I don’t know about whether the bi-metal is closing properly or not.
The freezer is reading between -4 at bottom and 16 F near top, so it should be closed if not defective. I will check it out.

bv

17

Yes bi-metal affects whether timer runs.If the bi-metal does not close during cooling cycle and your temperature are what you say they are it should be closed.I guess when you said in the beginning of your post that it was not defrosting.Did you have frost on the evaporator from top to bottom ? Makes me think bad bi-metal.

18

yes, all of the evaporator covered w frost totally full top-to bottom and at bottom plugged the air holes so that the food comp warmed up – that’s how I first noticed it: the wine wasn’t as chilly as normal ;>)

bv

19

bobvance said:
yes, all of the evaporator covered w frost totally full top-to bottom and at bottom plugged the air holes so that the food comp warmed up – that’s how I first noticed it: the wine wasn’t as chilly as normal ;>)

bv
Wine wasn,t chilly.Can,t have that.3 things cause heavy frost ,timer , heater and defrost thermostat.I would change that defrost thermostat.

20

I snipped the thermostat out and it looks like it is open at all temps, so I am ordering a new one. Of course, the thermo was my initial thought, but during messing around I got the heater to actually come on twice, so thought it must be the timer.
Hopefully, new thermo will fix it and the new timer was unnecessary. But, I certainly learned a lot more about timers than I intended, so the money and time was well spent.

I will update when I get new thermostat.

bv

21

So, I tossed the thermostat into the freezer overnight and tested it again this morning.
Now, it’s CLOSED at cold, so not sure what I saw yesterday, although I did shake it around a bit while I fooling with it last night.

Anyway, so I decided to FORCE the thermo circuit closed – I just used a wire nut and shorted the ends where I had cut the thermo loose yesterday.

NO GO : – timer (still in COMPRESSOR mode) not moving - motor not running (in the new timer it has a clear housing and you can actually see the motor.

So, I manually advanced timer to DEFROST mode.
Heater not heating up :

BUT!
As I was looking at the wiring harness in the freezer, moving wires around I heard the telltale hiss of a short and it looked like it was coming from one of the heater element connectors. So, I wiggled the connector around and the heater came on !!

So, right now I’m just letting it finish the defrosting – the timer runs about 30 mins.

When done, I’ll OPEN up the thermo circuit and see what happens,

Will report back.

bv