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neco187  
#1 Posted : Wednesday, June 1, 2011 11:59:06 AM(UTC)
neco187

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My kenmore side by side refridgerator seems to be getting warm while the freezer seems to work fine.I have cleaned the coils under the fridge. the compressor fan and evap fan seem to be working ok. One thing i have noticed is that the compreesor shuts off with the cold settings cranked all of the way up. when I turn them both off and then back on then the comp. starts back up. I refuse to be defeated, please help.
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denman  
#2 Posted : Thursday, June 2, 2011 2:57:15 AM(UTC)
denman

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Here are your parts
Replacement parts for 363.59522994 models | AppliancePartsPros.com

If you go to the Sears parts site they often have parts breakdown diagrams.

Am I correct in assuming that the compressor runs all the time?

If yes remove the cover from inside the freezer so you can inspect the evaporator coils.

If they are heavily iced/frosted over then you have a defrost problem. This will show up first in the fresh food and later cause problems in the freezer. By heavily I mean to the point where the evaporator fan cannot pull air through them.

If they only have frost in one area (usually where the freon enters the coils) then you are low on freon. This will be an expensive repair as you will need a pro.

Note: Be sure the unit has run for a couple hours before doing this. If you do it just after a defrost cycle there will be no frost on the coils.
THIS FORUM IS DEAD!!!!!!!
neco187  
#3 Posted : Thursday, June 2, 2011 5:32:33 AM(UTC)
neco187

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If in fact it is a defrost issue, what parts would cause this. How can I narrow down the root cause?
denman  
#4 Posted : Thursday, June 2, 2011 5:52:35 AM(UTC)
denman

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First remove the evaporator cover in the freezer so you can see the coils.
Do not let them de-ice.
If they are heavily iced/frosted over you have a defrost problem.

If yes.
Manually force a defrost cycle by turning the defrost timer cam till the fans and compressor turn off.
Now check the defrost heater to see if it is on.
Be careful you do not want to burn your fingers.
If the heater is on then the timer needs replacing, re: it is probably stalling during it's rotation so is never getting into a defrost cycle.

If not on.
Unplug the unit.
Remove the wire for one side of the heating element from the wiring and measure it for continuity, usually around 20 ohms or so.

If the heater is OK
Remove one wire to the defrost thermostat and measure it, should be 0 ohms when frozen. Note that it opens just above freezing so must be frozen to check it. Also inspect it, if it is bulged at all replace it even if it measures OK.

If both the above are OK then odds are the defrost timer contacts are toast.
Best way to test this is a live test to see if you have 120 volts across the heater/defrost thermostat combo.

If you do not own a meter, I would suggest you purchase a one. You can get a decent digital multimeter for under $20.00. You do not need fancy though it is nice if the leads are a couple feet long.
If it saves ordering one unnecessary part it has paid for itself and you end up owning a useful tool.
Most places will not let you return electrical parts so if you order it, you own it.
A couple things to watch when measuring ohms and continuity
1. Always remove power from the machine otherwise you could blow your meter.
2. Always disconnect at least one side of any device you are checking. This eliminates the possibility of measuring an alternate/parallel circuit path.
3. When checking for closed contacts and continuity use the lowest scale (Usually 200 ohms). Then try higher scales. This scale is 0 to 200 ohms so if the device you are measuring is 300 ohms this scale would show an open circuit which it is not, you are just measuring outside the scale's dynamic range.

There is a good STICKY at the start of this forum about it's use.
THIS FORUM IS DEAD!!!!!!!
neco187  
#5 Posted : Friday, June 3, 2011 3:34:11 AM(UTC)
neco187

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I have did everything thing that you have said. When I took off freezer panel the coils were a little frosted over, not too bad. It was more frozen on the bootom half than the top half. Or more like 3/4 of the way down. he heating element had a reading of 21 ohms. The thermostat had a reading of alomst 1 ohm, .7 to be exact. I do not have a defrost timer, it is not in the part diagram nor in the part list.
So now what? Is it the thermostat you think?
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