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Freezer will freeze a cup of water but will not get cold enough to freeze anything else. Doesnt sound like the compressor is kicking on. Is there a control switch down there I can test? I live in Calif. and the repair person is trying to get me to buy a new compressor and charge it for $680, thats without looking at it. There has to be a relay I can try for a few bucks before I have to go to this extreme. Moneys tight, has to be a better way.

[denman]

Here are your parts
Replacement parts for AMANA ARS9169AS REF - SXS/I&W | AppliancePartsPros.com

See the attachment for the tech sheet

Here is a manual

RS1300004 Amana V Series Side-by-Side Refrigerator with Foam-in-Place Doors Service Manual - ApplianceDigest.com
You have to join the site to download the manual but it is free and this is a very good site for manuals and other info for the appliance repair DIYer.

It looks like the compressor control is a fairly simple design with a mechanical thermostat and a defrost timer.

Doesnt sound like the compressor is kicking on.
Is the condenser/compressor fan running?
It is wired in parallel with the compressor so when it runs the compressor should run.
If it is running below is a link that tells you how to check the compressor and it's start device.
If it is not running then the compressor is probably OK.
So check the temperature set thermostat.

If it and the evaporator/freezer fan are not running you may be stuck in a defrost cycle.
Turn the cam on the defrost timer (Item 12 in Section 11) to see if it will fire up. There should be a hole in the cover to let you do this. Aklso it only turns in one direction.

Appliance Repair Guide: How To Fix a Refrigerator - ACME HOW TO.com

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Replaced the defrost timer, it wasn't checking out. Still will freeze a container of water but ice cream goes soft. In the front on the bottom the coils are just room temp. Repair guy told me on the phone it will be approx $500 to $725 to fix. I have the dial turned up to the coldest right now and when I turn it off the fans go off. Thanks for helping.

[denman]

I am assuming that the compressor is running and that it runs all the time but the unit will not get cold enough.

Remove the cover from inside of the freezer so you can inspect the evaporator coils.

If they are heavily iced/frosted over you have a defrost problem.

If there is just frost in one area (usually where the freon enters the coils) you have a sealed system problem.
Note: this inspection must be done after the compressor has run for a couple hours. If you do it shortly after a defrost cycle then you could come to the wrong conclusion.
This will be an expensive repair. I think this is what the repair person you talked to is thinking is the problem.

Check the warranty on the unit many units have a longer sealed system warranty.

Often it makes more sense to invest those dollars into a new unit.