Have a 4 year old FCM7SUFWW made by GE. Had the intermittent issue of the compressor not turning on. Narrowed it down to the temperature control. Tried to replace it today and ran into an issue.

Pulling the old temperature probe out of the conduit required a pair of pliers. Had to pull hard. It was inserted until it was within 3" of the plastic sheath. The replacement went in about 6" and stopped. It leaves about 8" of the metal capillary until the plastic sheath. (all approximate figures)

Provided power to the unit and the compressor turned on without any issue. However, it won't turn off. Was running for 2 hours straight at the middle setting. Freezer was -12 when I checked. I don't think the temperature probe is sitting in the right place.

Have tried liquid detergent as a lubricant to get it further in. The temp probe is cold when I pull it out, so it's getting somewhere near where it needs to be.

I don't think I got a bad temperature sensor replacement. I have a cheap-o Harbor Freight multimeter and it doesn't go low enough to properly measure the resistance.

Any help is appreciated.