Whirlpool Gladiator Freezerator not cold

Hi there one of the biggest reasons for not getting cold which will affect the ice maker also is -- low or no air flow.
2 areas - 1) inside the freezer section are vents and they should have some clear areas (our freezer often gets crammed full of stuff)
2) under and behind the fridge is a dust bunny breeding area - pull the fridge out and get as much dust and stuff off the coils as possible (I use a vacuum and a small paint brush). The coils transfer the heat out of the fridge like an air conditioner. Be gentle - coils are somewhat fragile.
Some fridges have a faceplate that pops off at the front.

Empty fridge and if possible put steam down vent behind the cover in the freezer section. or hot water. it will com out in the fridge so be carefull. this unblocks the aif feed from the freezer to the fridge section. also make sure the fan is working.

Maybe the thermostat has lost its calibration and is shutting down prematurely? It did freeze before, didn't it?

Hello,

Insufficient cooling is a fridge repair job that you can do without the help of a professional. Often the fridge has a frost-free failure, or the compressor is faulty but there are many other reasons for a fridge not cooling properly.
Step 1 - Find the Problem

Your first job is to locate the source of the problem. Consider each of the following:

* Gaskets - Make sure the gaskets/seals are not torn and are sealing properly.
* Evaporator fan - Make sure it is working. If it is now working you may have a problem with the fan motor. Check for power to the motor and also examine the fan switches around the door (not all fridges have these switches).
* Air damper - Sometimes the air damper will not open up to allow the cold air from the freezer part to blow into the fridge section.
* Condenser coils - Check to see that the condenser coils don't have a dust build-up and that the condenser motor is working.
* Compressor - Make sure your compressor is working with on and off clicking noises.

Step 2 - Frost-Free Failure

This is the most common cooling problem in fridges. Expose the evaporator coils by accessing the panel in the freezer section. The coils in the freezer section can sometimes get clogged up with frost. This can stop the evaporator fan motor from blowing cold air around, or cause the fan to hit it and stop, or become noisy. The defrost timer can be a bit tricky to find but it is usually located behind the back bottom corners of the fridge, although they can sometimes be found in the ceiling of the fresh food section, or behind the cold control cover.
Step 3 - Find the Timer

When you find the timer, turn the wheel-like screw slowly with a screwdriver until the fridge shuts off. The refrigerator is now defrosting. If you find that the fridge starts now, you will need to replace the defrost thermostat and the defrost timer.
Step 4 - Volt Test

If the heaters do not come on, use a volt meter to ohm test the defrost heater or volt test for 120 volts to the heater. You can bypass the defrost thermostat if you haven't got power to the defrost heater to check if the defrost heater will come on. To bypass the thermostat, join the two wires together. Replace the defrost thermostat and the defrost timer if the heater comes on now.

If there is a ticking or squealing noise in the defrost timer, or it seems hot to touch, replace it.

Many fridges have and inline fuse on both sides of the defrost heater. You will need to replace the whole heater if one of those fuses blows. Check these fuses with a volt meter if the defrost heater doesn't work.

A quick check if you have a cooling problem is to inspect the evaporator coils. If there is a build up of white snow on the coils, this indicates a frost free problem; if there is balled ice on part of the coils with the rest bare, this indicates a system problem, like a problem with the pumping compressor.
Take care in solving the problem....

From room temperature if just plugged in rule of thumb is 24hrs to properly reach temp. Place a glass half full of water in shelf when is frozen solid the unit should be plenty cold enough to keep food. It is always a good idea to get a small fridge thermometer to make sure of temp.

Hello,

Most times this is a bad cold control, but there are other things to check for. Make sure the condenser fan is working and the coils are not covered with dust. A separated heat exchanger ( small capillary tubing soldered to the large suction line ) can separate from one another and make the fridge run too long. - tape tubing back together. A poor working evaporator fan motor could also make the fridge run too long and freeze - replace the fan motor. An inefficient compressor or refrigeration system could make the fridge run too long and freeze - have a service tech check this out. A misaligned control settings, make sure the air damper and cold control have not been bumped and are out of normal settings. Stuck open air diffusers or air dampers are becoming more and more common for allowing too much air to be blown into the fresh food section and freezing things. On all frost free fridge's the freezer temp air is blown into the fresh food section, if you have "easy" to freeze items ( eggs, veggies in water, etc ) in front of or under where the freezer temp air comes out, they could freeze - store them in a different spot. Doors not closing properly making the fridge run too long is something else to check for cold control and air deflector As you know, the deflector directs the freezer air toward the front of the frig and the rear of the cold control.
Hope this helpout.....

Hi,

As the weather is getting warmer for many people their freezer and/or refrigerator do not work right because of a dirty condenser coil...there are also many other things that can go wrong. If you are hearing a clicking or buzzing then check out the last two tips.

If your refrigerator is running but warm, then…

Check out this tip that I wrote about that... it is a great place to start trouble shooting your unit...and something that you can do rather then calling a repair person to do a simple thing for you...

Refrigerator Condenser Coil Cleaning Refrigerator Repair
http://www.fixya.com/support/r4024657-refrigerator_condenser_coil_cleaning

Refrigerator Troubleshooting Refrigerator Compressor
http://www.fixya.com/support/r3885294-refrigerator_troubleshooting

Refrigerator Compressor Start Capacitor and Start Relay
http://www.fixya.com/support/r4023749-refrigerator_compressor_start_capacitor

heatman101

Check to see if there is cold air coming from the freezer to the refridgerator side through the vent holes The compressor maybe getting weak or the freon charge maybe low. Does the unit run a long time before it shuts off? 50 degrees is not cold enough for a freezer. You should be around 32 or less.


John

You should to check the Whirlpool Gladiator Freezerator's door sealer to make sure all rubber or plastic seal very well to prevent air humidity come in to build up frost fast. Also, you have to defrost completely and wipe with cloth or paper towel to absorb all waters out and let it dry completely to prevent frost build up.

Temperature control may have failed. Thermostat causes compressor to cycle on and off with temperature in the refrigerator section. If the compressor is not trying to run and is cold to the touch no power is getting to it. compressor is located in back on the bottom.

Additionally the defrost timer may have stopped working while in the defrost position. Locate the timer and rotate the clutch head screw clockwise a small amount and if the compressor starts and runs replace the timer.