GE profile fridge repair not going so well!

[Ronyeager]

Hello, so I have a customer that knows I am a appliance repair man in training and he gave me a shot to fix his fridge anyhow.  Yesterday I ended up replacing the heater, I am certain that was bad.  but, today it shut off again and melted all his ice cream and his food is going bad.  

This GE model actually does not have a main board that I am aware of.  I got a hold of the timer and turned it so it would kick out of defrost mode and the fridge kicked on, but, only for a few minutes then shut off.  I repeated the process and the same thing happened until it shut off all together.  I could not get it to kick back on even when screwing with the timer.  

I was thinking it could be the start relay, but, I am not hearing any clicking noise which would usually indicate that it is bad.  I do not want to just guess on parts and I need to have this thing fixed by monday if I can.  If someone could PLEASE give me some insight on what my problem is here I would really appreciate it.  

Thanks, and since I am learning all this stuff I will be posting more questions then answers on this site.  Sorry for being such a burden!

Model TPX21PRDABB

[jumptrout51]

First, calm down.
Second,analyze what is wrong.
You have power to the unit.
That is good.
The power goes to the defrost timer and cold control,then to the compressor and condenser fan motor.
You can ohm the cold control to see if it is Good or not.
If no good,jump it out for test only,to see if the compressor and fan motor come on.
If you have power to the compressor start relay and it does not run,ohm the compressor terminals on CSR to see if it is shorted or open.
If the compressor reads OK,replace the start relay.
If no power to the compressor and the cold control is OK or jumped out,suspect a bad defrost timer.
Why was the heater replaced?

[Ronyeager]

The heater was replaced because there was a bunch of frost on the coils and I checked the heater with multimeter and I got no reading.  Just by looking at the heater I looked like it was blown out.  btw, I am not sure I know how to check the compressor like you explained.  How do I check the cold control?

[AJ]

Looks like JT has you pointed in the right direction.  

Thanks, and since I am learning all this stuff I will be posting more questions then answers on this site.  Sorry for being such a burden!

That's what we are here for. After you get some experience you can return the favor by helping answer questions, until then feel free to ask all the questions you want.

[JWWebster]

Just jump the cold control's 2 live wires to see if she runs

[Ronyeager]

Okay, I see where you guys are going with this.  But, to ensure I don't blow anything up.  By jumping the cold control I am really just by passing the cold control, correct?  Also, exactly how do I accomplish doing that?  Just track down the proper wires and wire nut them together?

[jumptrout51]

The heater was replaced because there was a bunch of frost on the coils and I checked the heater with multimeter and I got no reading.  Just by looking at the heater I looked like it was blown out.  btw, I am not sure I know how to check the compressor like you explained.  How do I check the cold control?

The cold control is the Off/On thermostat and has 2 wires going to it.
Unplug the fridge.
Remove the 2 wires from the cc and jump them together.
Plug the box back in.
Check for power at the compressor/fan motor.
If they come on and run OK,replace the cold control.
If they do not come on,turn the defrost timer to make sure it is not stuck in defrost.
If still no power,replace the defrost timer.

[jumptrout51]

Your power goes to the CC first then to #3 terminal on the timer and out to the compressor on #4.

[Ronyeager]

okay I think I am getting cold control confused with the defrost thermostat in the freezer.  The cold control should be next to the timer on the fridge side, right?  or is the cold control that same thing as the round defrost thermostat in the freezer side?  Just trying to put it all together

[jumptrout51]

The cold control is the Off/On thermostat and has 2 wires going to it.

[jumptrout51]

I re-read your original post. You may not have a problem other than impatience.
Many GE refrigerators may try to start,then shut off and re-start.
If you kept turning the timer,the compressor may have gone out on overload.
Let it sit for 15 minutes,then try a re-start.

[Ronyeager]

Ya, I can get it to come back on, when I wait for a while and restart the fridge. But, then it will eventually shut off again.  This is day two of this fridge shutting down long enough to melt all the food in the freezer, then it does usually turn back on, but, it is totally unpredictable.

[jumptrout51]

When it shuts down,ohm the cold control. If it is open and will not close,replace it.

Is the condenser fan motor working OK?

[rickgburton]

GE had a lot of problems with those rotory compressors. You can identify which ones they were by the "X" in the model number.

[Ronyeager]

Ya the condenser fan is working fine, it seems.  I am starting to learn what makes what tick inside a fridge, but, just having problems figuring out what is wrong with what.  I think I have been measuring ohms incorrectly, which does not help at all.

When I have an appliance at my house I can take my time and figure out what is wrong with it.  But, now people are interested in having me go to their house and fix it.  I have come to learn that I need a lot of training.  Anyone know of any good training courses for appliance repair??