Freezer not freezing.

[maypo52]

Hi Guys,

I'm helping my B-I-L out with his Kenmore 363.9601486 frig. The freezer isn't working. We checked the defrost heater and it's OK, but I don't know where the defrost timer is located. Can someone give my a pointer to the location or to a repair manual?

Thanks

Mark

[AJ]

The defrost timer (part # WR9X483) on this model is located next to the temperature control.

#648 in the diagram.

[maypo52]

Thanks AJ. I think we got it working. It seems the timer was stuck.

Regards,

Mark

[AJ]

 

[maypo52]

Okay, I guess I spoke to soon. B-I-L said the cup of water we left in the freezer didn't freeze overnight. We checked the thermostat by spraying it with an inverted can of air and measured the resistance at .1 ohms. Is that too low?  The heating element is good and the timer seems to work. So we reconnected the thermostat and heating element and advanced the timer until the fan stopped then sprayed the thermostat again with the inverted can of air and checked the element. It was hot. Should we just replace the t-stat?

Original symptom was freezer not cold (food not frozen anymore) and a buildup of ice on the back right side of freezer.

Thanks,

Mark

[AJ]

We checked the thermostat by spraying it with an inverted can of air and measured the resistance at .1 ohms. Is that too low?

No, it's not to low.

Original symptom was freezer not cold (food not frozen anymore) and a buildup of ice on the back right side of freezer.

Was ice built up pretty even over the evaporator or did it seem like it was just iced up in the corner were the two lines connect to the evaporator?

If it was just iced up in the one corner you maybe dealing with a sealed system problem, such as a restriction in the refrigeration line or low on refrigerant.

If the evaporator was iced up pretty evenly then I would say it sounds like your dealing with a defrost problem.

Did you manually defrost all the ice while you had it apart?

If it's iced up again could you post a photo of the evaporator for us to see.

[maypo52]

No, the ice was not built up evenly over the the evaporator. It was only in the right rear corner. And yes, we used a heat gun to melt the ice. I will post a picture when I get a chance to check the freezer again. Thanks again.

Mark

[jumptrout51]

That is a classic sign of a weak compressor.

[maypo52]

Thanks guys.

I told my B-I-L he'll be going shopping for a new frig. This was garage frig and I think he said it was 15 years old.

Regards,

Mark

[AJ]