Good evening,

I have an old chest freezer that was given to me by a co-worker who said it worked when it was given to him. Anyhow, it didn't work when I got it and I've used it as a workbench until I cleared out my project list.

I posted before a question about it, and was suggested to look at the defrst timer, but I can't locate it nor am I sure it has one as I followed the wiring system and there was no timer anywhere along the way.

http://forum.appliancepartspros...gnorant-please-help.html

The Thermostat is good (continuity test checked out), but I discovered the motor starter relay (3ARR12) was pretty cooked. It was plugged into the compressor via two prongs, and has a copper coil.

Question one -- How can I make sure the starter relay is bad? When I tip it I can hear the insides move, is this normal?

Question two -- I live in Alaska and someone wrapped a "wrap-on" pipe warmer around the compressor. Is this a cold-weather fix to prevent damage to the compressor?

Thanks -- Wes