Chosen Solution
A few weeks ago, the freezer temperature began fluctuating between 0 and 20F. Now I’m lucky to get down to 10F, but the average temperature is between 20 and 30F. Today, the freezer and the fridge hit 40F and haven’t dropped. During this time, I’ve replaced the start relay, the capacitor and the main control board ….. but no improvements. what should i try next ?
Hey Bill. Probably need to go ahead and get into the evaporator area to take a look at these components. For your model, this is located in the freezer compartment behind a cover/panel at the back of the compartment. The drawer, ice-maker and shelf has to be removed first (If you do this, first unplug the frig). Then you can access and remove the cover to expose the evaporator, defrost heater, thermostat, thermistor, and evaporator fan and motor. As jayeff indicated earlier, a primary suspect here is the fan /motor. Everything else could be working just fine, and the fan/motor may not be operating, thus not circulating this cold air. The fan could have an obstruction, or damage, etc., or the motor or it’s power supply may be where the problem lies. Try to give the fan a spin and gauge it’s resistance. It should spin rather easily and freely. Plug the unit back up temporarily and depress the freezer door switch, and once the compressor starts, see if the evaporator fan motor is working (then remember to unplug the frig again). A visual inspection of things may turn up something obviously wrong, whether or not is is the fan/motor. If the evaporator coils are covered in ice the cooling potential of the appliance is compromised, and it may be due to a defrost issue. This brings the thermistor and the defrost heater into play. With a frozen build up covering the coils, the thermistor should be signalling the control board to initiate a defrost cycle, thus shutting down the compressor and sending power to the defrost heater(element). Thermistor failure is not uncommon., and you can check this with a multi-meter. You can check the heater/element visually for discoloration and/or use a multi-meter to test it’s continuity. You can go to repairclinic.com and enter your model number and access diagrams and view relevant videos, etc., to help guide you through the step by step aspects. You can shop for parts there, as well. Hope this might be of some help to you. Good Luck.
