MY fridge is acting strangely. Sometimes it won't come on for hours and hours, and other times it comes on and stays on for hours.
The freezer temp is all over the place. Sometimes frozen, and other times the food is thawed. (Temps range from 40 to zero)
The fan in the freezer and the condensor fan both run, as does the compressor.
I have cleaned all the coils, etc with no change noticed in the operation.
Usually I have the freezer control set to 1 & 1/2, but right now its at 7 (the max). The fresh food knob is set to 4.
Also, usually the fridge would start up fairly often as soon as you opened the fridge section door. Now it doesn't seem to ever do that.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

Hi Jerry,

My serial number is 18809360EN. I see parts for the 10 series and 12 series, but 18?

John

For an 18 series it would be the AP4071531. As far as testing it, you can test with an ohm meter (resistance meter). Disconnect the unit from the power supply before you start, to prevent electrical shock and tripping the breaker in case of accidentally touching a hot wire to ground. Disconnect both wires from the thermostat and test from one terminal to the other terminal. When you turn the knob to the off position it should read like the leads are not touching one another. Then, turning the knob towards the run position, when it reaches the position where it should kick the unit on, it should read zero resistance (the same as if you touch the meter leads directly to one another). If you notice it losing connection in the run position or not making connection at all, or showing a resistance, the part is bad and should be replaced. Hope this helps. Let me know if I can help any more and I sure hope this helps! =]

That's the bad thing about a temperature control. It will make you doubt your diagnosis because it is basically a set of mechanical points opened and closed by a liquid expanding and contracting in a hermetically sealed compartment. If the points don't make contact electrically one time, it may the next. I know from experience that an intermittent problem is probable. Let me know if there is anything else I can do for you! Good luck! =]