I have been fighting an intermittent issue with my refrigerator that is driving me crazy and im hoping someone can steer me in the correct direction to finally get this thing fixed for good.

Intermittently the refrigerator will not cool properly. the freezer is always at the correct temp as i have thermometers in both the freezer and refrigerator. The issue occurs maybe once every 2 months. or it may go 6 months without having the issue.

Intermittently the refrigerator turns into a heater topping 90 degrees.


I had a repair tech look at the unit and of course the issue is not reproducible. He recommended to replace the main board on the back of the fridge which i did. the issue returned 2 months later.


In my head the only thing that can cause the fridge to heat up is the 2 incandescent light bulbs. I have verified that they are going out when the door is closed. I have also verified that the damper is opening and closing when i press and release the door switch.

I find it hard to believe that 2 main boards are having the same issue.. Does anyone have any ideas on how to troubleshoot or fix this issue? it is so intermittent i don't want to waste any more money throwing parts at it and im surely tired of throwing food away.

right now i have the door switch unplugged so the fridge always thinks the door is closed to see if that helps at all but again it may be 6mos before it acts up again.

any suggestions would be appreciated.

thanks,

Wesley

[COLOR="Blue"]right now i have the door switch unplugged so the fridge always thinks the door is closed to see if that helps at all but again it may be 6mos before it acts up again[/COLOR]
Sorry but I cannot guarantee a fix because it is intermittent.
I am assuming that since you disconnected the light bulbs the problem has not reoccurred.

I think you have diagnosed the problem as the lights staying on with the door closed at least that is where I would put my money.
To get up to 90 degrees you need a heat source and all I can think of is the lights as the freezer and defrost seem to be OK.

So if it is the light bulbs there could be a couple causes.
1. The door switch is sticking closed once in a while. Replace the switch.
2. The door switch actuator is just closing and every once in a while does not actuate the switch.

Check that the lights go off well before the switch actuator is depressed all the way in.
Check that the plastic where the switch mounts is solid. If it bends a bit that may cause the switch to not close properly.
Perhaps adding some thickness to the actuaator would help. Those small self stick pads for cabinet doors or chair leg bottoms may fix it.

Another possibility would be to replace the bulbs with LED bulbs. They do not generate heat. Most of them just have the LEDs at the end so probably would not do the job as they shine like a spot light. There are some that have LEDs mounted around a post sort of like an Xmas tree. They should work OK.
Then you do not have to worry if the lights stay on.

[COLOR="Blue"]if the door switch sticks closed it should keep the lights off and shouldnt have a problem.[/COLOR]
I did not mean the switch activator but the switch contacts.
I should have explained it different.

Since the switch turns the lights off well before the door closes you have eliminated that as a cause.

Sorry but I do not know if this unit closes the damper when the door opens.

The problem with this as a cause would be that you still need a heat source to raise the temperature up to 90 degrees.