My french door LG brand fridge’s light is not turning off. It actually melted the plastic housing which I now need to replace. There are two 'buttons ’ that are pressed when the doors are closed. I hear the fan turn on when these are depressed but the lights remain on. Any idea on how to fix this?
Thanks.
Tom
Tom,
Check the switches by the upper door hinges.
Gene.
Gene,
The switches on the upper part of the door are the buttons I mentioned. When both of these switches are depressed the light should turn off and the fan turn on but only the fan turns on. The light remains lit. I have disconnected the entire light assembly so the interior of the fridge does not melt but I am at a loss.
Any ideas why the the light does not recognize that the switches are depressed while the fan clearly does?
Thanks,
Tom
Tom,
The first possible answer is: this switch is bad.
Gene.
I have the exact same problem with my Kenmore Elite refrigerator. I think the switch is good because it turns the fan on and off and I opened up the switch, and mechanically, it is working fine. I was told that the likely problem is the main printed circuit board on the back of the refrigerator, but I want to get a second opinion before I spend $90 or more on that new part.
etsierka,
Please keep me posted on your diagnosis.
What is the complete model number of the refrigerator?
What exactly is wrong?
Gene.
The model number of my refrigerator is 795.77542600 (Kenmore Elite). As stated earlier in the thread, I have the exact same problem as atlsud - the light doesn’t turn off when the doors are closed. The light bulb gets so hot that it melts plastic, etc. The switches on the top of the door hinges appear to work fine. Could it be that the main pcb assy on the back panel of the refrig is bad and needs replaced? What are other likely causes? Thanks.
Open the door and close the switch with your hand. Does the light go out? If it does, there is a problem with the alignment of the door and switch; The door is not making contact with the switch.
I have tried that already. The light does not go out. Not an alignment problem.
You have a bad switch. While you’re getting the replacement switch, it would be a good idea to remove the light bulb.
The light bulbs have been out for about a year now. How do you know the switch is bad when they are clearly working to turn the fan on and off? Also, I opened the switch up and can see that mechanically, everything appears to be working well. Metal to metal contact, parts are moving as they should, springs are fine, etc. Can you tell me if the main pcb assy has anything to do with the operation of the lights? Thanks
Any progress with the new switches or new board? I’m thinking there are items in the back of the fridge that I can’t see that need to be eaten!
Sorry for the long delay. I tried printing out the wiring schematic for your appliance and it just wasn’t clear. All I could see is that the switch controls multiple items. It could be that you have a short in your light circuit that causes a direct path for electricity to the socket. You can check this with a continuity check. Unplug the machine. check for continuity between the center of the light socket and the hot leg of the cord (There should be continuity only when the door switch is closed.). Now check for continuity between the side of the socket and the neutral pin on the plug. (there should be continuity )
Thank you magician. I am awaiting my delivery of my new multi meter. I will post back my findings.
Tom
Magician59,
I received my meter over the weekend and am ready to start trouble shooting.
In your comment you say to check for continuity on the center of the socket and the hot leg. How do I determine which is the hot and neutral leg?
Sorry, but I have never used a meter before. I have read the “Check for continuity” thread several times as well.
Tom
The hot blade of the power cord is the narrowest one. The neutral one is wider. What you want to see is continuity between the center of the light socket, and the hot blade of the cord, when the door is open, but not when it is closed. The continuity between the side of the socket (where the bulb screws into the socket) and the neutral blade should always be there, no matter whether the dor’s open or closed. Also, you DON’T want to see continuity between the socket side and the metal chassis of the refrigerator.
[QUOTE=etsierka;276582]I have the exact same problem with my Kenmore Elite refrigerator. I think the switch is good because it turns the fan on and off and I opened up the switch, and mechanically, it is working fine. I was told that the likely problem is the main printed circuit board on the back of the refrigerator, but I want to get a second opinion before I spend $90 or more on that new part.[/QUOTE]
I have the same problem with kenmore elite Model # 795.77573600
I replaced the light assembly and all the plastic casings and the problem has continued.
The switch(s) will activate the fan when pushed in but will not turn off lights.
Would replacing the switches be the next step? Is there a way to test them or should I just get them?
The best way to test a switch is to check for continuity. Unplug the refrigerator and very gently pry the switch out. If your switch is dual-acting, one set of contacts will close to operate the light, while the other set opens to stop the fan. If there are two separate switches, one is normally closed, and opens to stop the fan; while the other is normaooy open, to turn on the light.
Opening the door reverses the condition of each switch; so that the normally open (light) switch closes to turn on the light.
Sorry I didn’t reply earlier, but a couple of months ago, I purchased a new printed circuit board (the cost was around $90, I believe). I replaced the old one on the back of the refrigerator with the new one and the light now goes on and off as it should when the door is open and closed. This was the first suggestion that another website gave me and I tried to get someone on this website to verify that this was the problem but everyone kept wanting me to do all these checks that I didn’t understand how to perform. Finally, I just took the chance and bought the printed circuit board and easily installed it (took 5 minutes) and the problem was solved. Try it - the worst that can happen is you return the part if that doesn’t solve your problem.