I have a 5 CuFt chest freezer (curtis frf452) that just died on me and all the food went to waste (I'll be getting an alarm next time). When I take off the access panel, the compressor motor is very very hot to the touch. I let it cool down for a couple of hours and then plugged the unit back in. The compressor tries to start (you hear an electrical "buzz"), then a click, and nothing. I read somewhere that it might be the relay.

The thing is, the Curtis compressor is supposed to have a five year warranty, and is only two years old. Of course in order to claim on the warranty, you have to have the original receipt - which I do not. The point is, this leads me to thinking that the compressor is built to last, and it may just be that relay.

Can anyone give some advice on how to proceed? It looks like a solid state relay in there, but I'm no electrician. If I pop up a picture of the assembly, would that help?

Thanks in advance for any help.