The refrigerator turns on, both fans run, compressor gets pretty hot but no cooling. I first thought there could be a problem with dust in condenser coils. Cleaned that. There does seem to be an intermiittent clicking from compressor area. Could compressor get hot but not be running? It seems to be running but maybe just trying to, or maybe cycling due to low refrigerant. Any help or answers appreciated.
The clicking you are hearing is likely from the start device on the left side of the compressor. If you pull that off after unplugging the refrigerator and shake it, does it rattle? If so, it will need to be replaced. The correct start device for your model is available at the link below.
Thanks for the advice-I’ll check the device when I get home. Would the compressor “black ball” still get that hot if this were happening-(compressor turning off and on- or trying to run?) Thanks!
Yes, it will get very hot.
I took out the start device you spoke of which has a capacitor attached to it. It does not “rattle” when shaken but does make a very light sound that could be described as ticking but not quite rattling. I was expecting to hear something much louder. Is this light minor ticking, rattling enough to indicate a problem? I was going to test the capacitor but will have to check it with my good fluke meter which is at the shop. I did manage to check resistance and from the 2 terminals which the red/white wires connect to the device there is continuity to two of the three posts which connect to the compressor. one has continuity to one and the other has continuity to a different one and neither has continuity to the third terminal. Thanks.
That capacitor is a run capacitor and is optional, it will run without it. It is there only for efficiency. The two holes that are side by side on that start device, can you test the resistance between them, please? It should be pretty low, around 4-5 ohms.
Are you referring to the 2 female terminals of the 3 that plug into the compressor male pins? Ie: the bottom 2 side terminals that would be the bottom of the 3 terminal triangle arrangement of compressor terminals. If so they’re open. There is no continuity between any of those 3 compressor female terminals on the start device. Thanks for the responses!!
If that is the case, the start device is faulty. Replace that and you should be back up and running, nice work! That start device is available below.
http://www.appliancepartspros.com/whirlpool-start-dev-2319792-ap3962960.html
So, where those 3 female terminals that plug into the compressor 3 male terminals the right ones to test? And there should be continuity between the 2 that are across from each other horizontally? Just wanted to verify I was checking the correct terminals. Thanks alot Appliance Ninja appreciate the help on this.
Yes, the one by itself is the terminal for the overload protector. The other two that are side by side are for the relay and there should be very little resistance between them, around 4-5 ohms. If they read open, that relay is bad, requiring replacement of the start device I linked you to.
ok, I ordered thepart. In the meantime I checked the resistance between those two small square holes on the side of the device below where the capacitor plugs in. They are the 2 holes I thought you might be referring to last night but didn’t have anything small enough to go in there. I have some very small pin type connectors for my fluke meter here at work and they go in those 2 holes and read .7 ohms.
I also plugged the capacitor back into the start device and checked the resistance between the 2 side by side compressor terminals and it was very high in the megaohms indicating an open. The weird thing was the meter might have charged the capacitor because when I checked it for dc voltage it had around 1.1 volt and slowly bled off with my meter leads attached.
Edit: I don’t think the meter charged the capacitor through the relay- I believe the capacitor had some residual voltage on it from when the frig was running 2 days ago- I shorted the terminals together and checked it-the capacitor was dead on the money 12 micro farads. After doing the capacitance test the capacitor had charged up a very minute amount of voltage- like .1 volt.
I will update when I get the new start relay and verify the repair.
I believe that start device is indeed faulty. You should be good to go once you replace it.
Well, so much for that. The start device did NOT fix anything and is doing the same thing as before. I also ohm tested the new part and there is no continuity between the terminals on the new one either. I said there was no heavy rattling when shaken, the new one has the same light tick as I said the old one did. I was told there should be continuity between two of the terminals that plug into the compressor and that was obviously not the case for this part. Thanks for making sure I blew 50.00 of my hard earned money though. I really appreciate being pushed over and over to buy a part from you guys that was not needed!!!
Frig still broken.
First of all, I am not part of “you guys.” I am a volunteer tech that enjoys helping and I make not one cent on any part of that help or any parts sale. Second, you can send that part back for a full refund. I only have what information you provide to go by, so that is what I based my diagnosis on. The information you provided suggests that the relay was bad. It is indeed hard to find good FREE help these days, isn’t it?!
Yeah, it’s hard to find knowledgeable help these days. If I had access to the wiring diagram I could have diagnosed it and saved time and money. I assumed you knew how to diagnose this start relay and were aware of what terminals go where on the inside of the device. Obviously that is not the case. The terminals you said should have 4-5 ohms would only have that reading if the device was powered and the relay contacts were closed. I have been working on electrical circuits since being trained in the military in 1985.
How does the information I suggested indicate the relay is bad? I stated there was no loud rattling- the new device has the same tiny tick when shaken- and I gave my resistance testing results- which don’t indicate a faulty device as the new device has the same readings.
Since when are opened electrical parts returnable?
I don’t intend to argue with you, it was only my intent to help. I appreciate and thank you for your service to our country and appreciate your frustration from that your refrigerator is broken. This site does indeed take back installed electrical parts, so you can send it back. Have a good evening in spite of your broken refrigerator.
The information below is directly from the service manual published by the manufacturer. That is what I based my diagnosis on.
ScreenHunter_143 Nov. 22 20.04.jpg (55.8 KB)
Then I got a bad new part? I doubt it. Don’t know what service manual that came out of but it’s wrong.
Thinking about it I think the compressor is bad. It’s getting the command to turn on and after a few seconds it’s overloading and shutting off. That’s why it’s getting so hot even though it’s not actually running. High Mechanical resistance causes excessive current draw and would cause the overload circuit to shut off the relay- hence the clicking on and off. Funny, in 8 years I never heard that relay click one time.
The only problem I ever had was the ice maker motor going bad which I diagnosed and repaired with no wiring diagram.
Okay, well anyway, I just wanted to let you know you can return that part and show you how the manufacturers (all of them) recommend testing the PTC relays. I hope you have a great evening.
As a parting thought, that relay is not a wire wound one that will click, as you say you have not heard. The link below explains how the PTC relay works…