Refrigerator and freezer working intermittently

Refrigerator & Freezer Repair
1

Kenmore side by side
Model 106.58732801

Just this week I started having trouble with my fridge. I notice water dripping out of the freezer door on to the floor. The ice in the door dispenser was melting and dripping out. The first thing I did was clean the coils underneath and that seemed to work. The ice was staying frozen and the fridge was working fine, for about a day then it happened again. This time I notice that the compressor wasn’t running when I found the water on the floor, and the inside of both the freezer and the fridge were too warm. When I opened the door the compressor kicked on and both sides cooled down and we’re working fine for about a day when the compressor stopped coming on again. This time when I opened the door, the compressor did not come on. I moved the temp control to the left (Warner) and the compressor came on and both sides worked for about a day then quit again. This time when I opened the door I just gave the area above the temp controls a little tap and the compressor came on and worked (cycling on and off as normal) for about a day. So for the last couple of days I have tried to pay attention and the compressor will cycle correctly for some time, the freezer freezes ice, and the fridge is fine. Then the compressor just stops coming on and both sides warm up, until I give the fridge a bump and the the compressor comes on and works fine for a while. My best guess right now is it is either the temp control unit (thermostat) or the compressor start relay going bad. Any expert opinions would be very appreciated. (Sorry about the extra long post!). Also, there has never been any excessive frost build up on the freezer coils, so it has not been a defrosting issue.
Thanks again.

2

Was the condenser/compressor fan also off when the compressor was off?

The fan is wired in parallel with the compressor so:
If it also was off then the thermostat is the most likely cause.
If the fan was on then it is likely to be a start device problem.

Odds are that it is a bad thermostat.
AP6007252

3

Thanks very much for the quick reply. Yes, the compressor, compressor fan, and internal fan are all off when the problem occurs. I noticed on another post the tech was talking about the possibility of the defrost timer or defrost thermostat being bad. Any thoughts about that idea?

4

[COLOR=“Blue”]possibility of the defrost timer or defrost thermostat being bad. Any thoughts about that idea?[/COLOR]
It will not be the defrost thermostat as that only shuts off the defrost heater.
It is possible that it could be the defrost timer but the main thermostat is a more likely candidate.
You could confirm this by adjusting thermostat dial a little up and down. If the unit fires up then the thermostat is definitely the most likely cause.

5

That’s where I will start then. Thanks again!