Here is the description of my problem. Please tell me if you can determine the root cause based on the below. Your help is very appreciated

Refrigerator stopped cooling completely. The light is on when the door is open and I can hear the fan in the freezer running. I performed the following steps and below are my observations:


Turned the temperature control all the way to the left to turn off
- Fan stopped

After a while, I turned the temperature control on
- Fan starts immediately
- After a few seconds (10-30 seconds) I hear a click from outside back of the refrigerator. I am assuming some sort of relay
- the compressor does not start, however
- I continue to hear fan working continuously, but compressor does not seem to run
- After a while compressor gets hot (I can still hold my hand on it without burning but it is pretty hot)

Turned the temperature control all the way to the left to turn off again
- Fan stopped immediately
- After a few minutes (1-3 minutes) I hear the same click as before.

Jeff, thank you very much for your advice. I followed your instructions and identified the starter as the source of the problem, ordered and replaced it. Refrigerator is back inservice. The whole repair cost me only $50 and under an hour of time!!

Good evening!

We have now been working on our fading refrigerator since I got home from work at 2pm. We set up the test on the overload relay and the first result was 6.1-7 and the other was within the 3-11 acceptable range.

If only one of the results is out of the target range, is the compressor dead, or could it still be the relay?

Now, Hubby has re-plugged the relay into where it goes on the side of the compressor, and it shot sparks everywhere and glowed. :eek: Even though I am not an electrical kind of person, I know this is not a good thing.

What next? New fridge? (I am not opposed to this, but Hubby is).

Thanks for all the help you have posted for people. That's awesome.

smart

I followed the diagnosis below and determined I had a bad overload relay because the compressor passed the resistance test. I ordered a new relay (part # 2188829) for my Kenmore refrigerator (model # 106.53232300) and it arrived today. I removed the run capacitor from the old assembly and installed it onto the new overload relay. Then I installed the new assembly on the refrigerator per the instructions. After plugging it in nothing happened with the compressor or the cooling fan but I know its getting power because the lights come on. At least with the old overload relay, the cooling fan would run and the compressor would try to start. Thanks for your help

Helllo Jeff K.
I have this problem with my Kenmore ColdSpot (2000 model year). I read your information to my husband who identified that the overload relay was burnt out.
Thank you for your help!:D
(Now I just have to find that part).
-mazfla