Need some helpful critquie.

[NewTech11]

I was working on a Kenmore Refrigderator 363.9731785. The complaint was about a defrost problem. Cold freezer/warm fridge. I took a look at the evaporator, and it was frozen over. These are the following steps I took. Let's keep in mind, I've only  been doing this for less than a year.

1. I metered the defrost timer. The only problem I thought I had was pin 1 and 3. Which read infinite. Of course later I found out about the capacitor between 1 and 3 and check the microfarad. So I guess I ate a timer.

2. Check the defrost thermostat. Cut the wires and metered it while the ice was still on it. It read open. So I replace it.

3. After i thawed out the evaporator. I metered the defrost heater. The reading started at 44ohms and counted down to 8ohms. Is the countdown normal? Is the defrost heater in ohm range?

4. Do to my lack of experience. I am having trouble determining if the defrost heater looks correct. Most heaters are either straight or contain in a glass shield. This heater rises in the middle like a inverted V and comes back down. I know this is an old refridge, but is this correct for this model? I can't locate a kenmore or a GE manual for this model to be sure. The image on sears part site is not of the original part.

5. Also I am stump on how remove the defrost heater. It's not screwed in or has holding pins. I see some type of tabs, but they don't seem like they release it.

I left this job not feeling confident at all. The feeling of leaving a bad defrost heater in the unit is nagging me bad. I feel a callback is in the making.

What is you honorable opinion?

Thank You

Bruce
Covenant Appliance and Repair, LLC
West Memphis, AR.

[MajorApp]

I think you solved the problem by replacing the open defrost thermostat. I always test defrost heaters for continuity. From what I've seen, defrost heaters will show bad spots, burned, bubbled up spots if they are bad unless they are the glass tube type of course. From the diagram I saw, it looks like this frig has the black calrod type heater.  This is the heater that shows on the diagram.


Defrost Heater Assembly Part # WR51X465

[haroldsappliance]

Newtech, don't beat yourself up, this has happened to all of us. You may be over complicating this situation. On a unit with a mechanical defrost timer in it, simply advance it to the defrost mode, you'll hear a click. After a couple minutes your heater should be noticably on, if so I would then simply replace def timer. If it's not on, first check that bimetal stat is not faulty. Good luck.

[Earl Dryer]

One other hint: when you remove the BiMetal, jumper the wires that would be the BiMetal if the heater works the BiMetal was it.

[Earl Dryer]

P.S. You done good.  Defrost problems can be a pain in the rear, especially the adaptive defrost varieties

[AJ]

This heater rises in the middle like a inverted V and comes back down. I know this is an old refridge, but is this correct for this model?

Could just be warped from age.