Faithful old Whirlpool refrigerator/freezer recently stopped running, but on an intermittent basis. Tried replacing compressor relay with part 819099 (AP3119970 ordered from Appliance Parts Pro). But unit did not start up until I used a screwdiver to short the power feed so that power went directly to the relay/compressor/fan area. Then it started running again and cooled down like a champ, even after I removed the short. So the relay and compressor must be OK, right? After it reached the set temperature, however, it still won’t restart on its own – so now I am wondering if there might be some kind of switch or thermostat inside the temp control area that is sticking and not sending power to the compressor and fan when needed. I looked online but could not find anything that covers wiring diagrams or electrical parts inside the refrigerator itself. Any ideas?
This is a very old refrigerator that parts suppliers no longer stock parts for. You probably wired the start device wrong.
To wire it properly, you will need an accurate digital ohm meter. If you can get one and use it, let us know and I can help.
Your old R12 compressor will probably survive wiring the start device wrong. If your compressor has a pin on top, then two on the bottom. Top pin takes the common start device wire, and the left one, the start wire,( most common compressor pinout) the last, the run pin.
Now if it starts, then stops, reverse the run and start wires.Post results.
Did some additional testing in the thermostat/control area and determined the defrost timer was bad - apparently would stick somehow and not restart cooling after each 8-hour defrost cycle. Replaced with new one and now the old Whirlpool runs like a champ again. Probably was never anything wrong with compressor start/relay but that’s OK.