20 Most Recent Kenmore 56539 / 56532 / 5653 / 656534 Side by Side Refrigerator Questions & Answers

You door switch is not working properly, or the solenoid at back of the refrigerator is sticking, or your wire is broken at the door (bottom)

Ok, you will need to test the operational value of the dual water inlet valve assembly. the ice maker side of the dual valve assembly may be stuck or malfunctioning. replace this valve if found to be faulty. i would also make sure that the lines to the ice maker are not frozen.

setting the temp below the factory settings can create a freezing affect of the water lines running to the ice maker. check this out.

In most cases, your water valve assembly will be this issue.

Hello, pull the unit out away from the wall. down the bottom under the either cardboard or metal cover that you would remove you will see a blue water inlet valve. Here is a basic video on how to test the valve. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlYCJr9dc3E if you are able to jump L to V on the icemaker and you hear the water valve humming and you do get water inside the icemaker then there would be an issue with the icemaker and you would have to replace the icemaker. If you did not get water after jumping L to V then there would be an issue with the water inlet valve and you would replace the water inlet valve. Before performing any of these tests assure that the filter in your unit does not need changeing whereas a clogged filter will prevent the water from going to the icemaker as well. If you have any further questions message me back. Please also remember when our chat has fully concluded to rank how this opinion has helped it allows me to continue helping others in similar situations in the future. Thanks
Rick

HI. There are two causes here, in this situation. The most common will be a faulty defrost timer, or adaptive defrost control board. The defrost mechanism will vary form unit to unit. Most newer units will be equipped with an defrost control board. This will be located in the control housing, just above the heat shield, in the upper right had side. Older models will have a standard defrost timer mechanism. If this device fails, the evaporator heater Assembly will not receive the command to defrost the coil, on time. The easiest way to isolate the cause, will be to test the heater element. If the element is functional, the defrost timer/board, will be the culprit.

Defrost heater assembly test procedure:

The defrost heater is usually located at the back of a side by side freezer or under the floor of a top freezer. It will be necessary to remove obstructions such as the contents of the freezer, freezer shelves, ice-maker and the inside rear or bottom panel of the freezer, to access.

The panel may be held in place by retainer clips or screws. Remove the screws or depress the retainer clips with a small screwdriver. On some older top freezers it is necessary to remove the plastic molding to access the freezer floor. Removal of that molding can be tricky, so try not to force it, if possible. If you decide to remove it, you do so at your own risk. it will break, if forced. Warm it first with a warm towel, or hair dryer, set to low heat.

There are three primary types of defrost heater elements; exposed metal rod, metal rod covered with aluminum tape or a wire coil inside a glass tube. All three elements are tested in the same way.

The heater is connected by two wires. The wires are connected with slip on connectors. Firmly pull the connectors off of the terminals (do not pull on the wire). You may need to use a pair of needle-nose pliers to remove the connectors. Inspect the connectors and the terminals for corrosion. If the connectors are corroded they should be replaced.

Test the heating element for continuity using a multimeter. Set the multimeter to the ohms setting X1. Place a probe on each terminal. The multimeter should display a reading somewhere between zero and infinity. Because of the number of different elements we cannot tell what your reading should be, but we can be certain of what it shouldn't be. If the reading is zero or infinity the heating element is definitely faulty, and should be replaced.


NOTE::----(If indeed the heater and defrost board are functioning as designed, the culprit will then be the actual defrost thermostat. This may or may not be attached to the heater assembly. In some cases, the entire heater Assembly will need to be replaced along with the thermostat.)

Hi Patti,

A couple of things could be going on here. I will assist with trouble shooting if you are up for it.

First of all, the hot rail between the freezer and fresh food sections concerns me. This is an indication that the condenser is too hot, this could be causing the compressor to overheat and you may be not cooling properly. The freezer may be cold but not cold enough to run the ice maker right. If you have ice cream in the freezer and it is hard then you are okay if the ice cream is soft then you are too warm. If you have a thermometer you can check, you need to be 5 degrees F or less for proper ice making.

See the first link at the bottom of this to repair the hot rail condition. Or let me know if need more details.

If the temperature is okay then you can test the ice maker and water valve to determine which one is the problem. On the face of the icemaker itself is a white square cover. when you pull off this cover, (it may be froze on and stuck but will pull off) you will see something similar the picture below. around the tan colored module you will see several holes with a letter by each hole. THIS NEXT STEP IS WORKING WITH ELECTRICAL POWER ON IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THIS DO NOT ATTEMPT. Using an insulated wire so you do not get a shock, put a wire connecting holes L to V you will be testing the water valve. If you hear the valve buzzing and water comes out then the valve is good, if you hear the valve buzz and no water then the water line is frozen between the valve and ice maker, if you hear no buzz at all then the valve is bad. The valve is located behind the frig in the bottom right corner looking from the back.

I am strongly suspecting your problem to be with the hot condenser more than anything else.

Let me know if you need more details or information



Hot Rail

check to make sure the fan in the freezer section is working as this pushes air into the refrigerator section... also check to see if there is frost on back panel of freezer if so you may have either the fan not working or a defrost problem... will require that you remove freezer shelves and back panel of freezer on the inside of unit... you will see the fan, a heater at the bottom of coils ,and defrost thermostat attached to the coil usually toward the top side ... check the defrost thermostat with a meter for contuinity while it has ice on it as it closes at very cold temps... remove wires from heater and thaw out coul with a hair dryer now that you have tested defrost thermostat you can thaw out and check heater for contuinity... if both good then you have a bad defrost timer... if the unit is not froze up in back panel of freezer and fan is functioning properly. then possible unit has developed a leak... not sure what vents you are referring to that have ice on but if it is what i think your describing frost/ice on back panel of freezer or between freezer and refrigerator area then either a fan has failed or you have a defrost issue...good luck to you

Hi,

Check out these tips...they can help you figure out what is going wrong with your refrigerator and why it is not cooling

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Refrigerator or Freezer not Cooling or Getting Cold

heatman101

Yes the trim does snap off on this model. I usually use a small flat blade screw driver and start in the bottom right corner to avoid leaving any visible marks and work across the bottom first. Once you get a couple of the clips loose it will come off relatively easily.
This will give you access to the dispenser. there will be a couple of screws holding the whit housing in place or on some of the newer models just a couple of clips or a combo of a screw and a clip. Tape the whole assembly up out of your way instead of trying to disconnect all of the wires to work in there.
If you are replacing the ice chute flapper kit be sure to read the instructions carefully, this is not a lot of fun..

Noise can come from these areas:
The inside of the freezer Self-defrosting refrigerators use a circulating fan to move the air through the freezer and refrigerator compartments. This fan runs whenever the unit is cooling. The fan is located in the freezer, as follows: If the freezer is on top, the fan is on the back wall, near the top or bottom, in the center of the freezer. If the freezer is on the bottom, the fan is on the back wall, near the top of the freezer. If the freezer is on the left, the fan is on the back wall, halfway up or near the top. Over time, the fan may become noisy--usually making a chirping or squealing sound, though it may make a loud groaning noise instead. To find out if the fan is causing the noise, just open the freezer door and push in any fan/light switches. If the noise is louder when the door is open, the evaporator fan motor is the cause. You can't lubricate or repair this motor. You must replace it.

The outside back of the refrigerator There are three components on the outside back of the refrigerator that may become noisy: the compressor, the condenser fan motor (if self-defrosting), or the defrost timer (if self-defrosting). The compressor is a football-sized case with no apparent moving parts. You can see it on the outside of the refrigerator at the back near the bottom. It is usually black and has black or copper-colored tubes and various colored wires attached to it. If the compressor is the device making noise, there is probably no repair that will reduce the noise. You will have to replace it--which can be quite costly. If the condenser fan is making noise, there may be a build-up of lint or other debris on the fan blade. The fan is located near the back of the machine, sometimes behind a thin panel. To clean it, first unplug the refrigerator, remove the thin panel, and use a soft bristle brush to clean it. If there is no lint build-up or debris on the blade, you will have to replace the motor. The defrost timer is often located at the bottom of the refrigerator, near the front and behind the kick plate. Occasionally the electric motor inside the timer may become noisy. The timer must be replaced to solve this problem.

The bottom of the refrigerator Noises detected at the bottom of the refrigerator almost always originate from the back of the refrigerator. However, sometimes the drain pan under the refrigerator will rattle. You may need to tape the pan in place to stop a rattle. Also see the “Outside back of the refrigerator.”

you didn't send the full model number,starts with 110.or similar,you have a defrost problem,it could be a couple of things so you need to read out some parts with a meter,you could have a bad defrost thermostat the timer or adaptive defrost board depending on model number,bad heater,if it has a timer you need to advance it by turning the middle with a screw driver until you hear a click and the fan shuts off in the freezer,now you have it in defrost,see if the heater is on,if it is you have abad timer,if it didn't come on check the t stat,if it has plug in connectors on the wires disconnect the t stat and plug the wire derectly to the heater or if you have to cut the wires cut them and bypass the thermostat,if the heater comes on then you know you have a bad t stat,also pull the wires off the heater and check the heater,if the heater is bad it's a good idea to change out the t stat anyway,if it has an adaptive defrost board check the tech sheet that should be behind or on the bottom kick plate,remove it and look it will tell you how to put the fridge into defrost,i think you push in the both door switches 5 times at the same time,if it doesn't go into defrost could be the board,you'll have to still read out the heater with a meter,also if you read out the thermostat it has to be cold,if it warms up it will read open but it still could be good,if you need any more help with this let me know and send model number so i can help better

England,

No clarification necessary. The problem is most definitely the condenser motor. Here is a full diagram of the "unit compartment"... the part you're looking at is number 24. Maybe you have a local part house, if you do just call them and ask for a part number W10124096. Or you can plug that number into a search engine and go price shopping (there's a $10.50 price difference between Sears and RepairClinic, for instance)

Anyway, the repair is straight forward. Roll the fridge out and UNPLUG IT. Remove the lower rear panel to expose the unit compartment. Now all you have to do is use a 1/4" socket and remove the motor from its' bracket (just slip the fan blade off the end of the shaft). Your new motor comes with instructions... just follow them and button everything back up! It's a breeze. Total job time = ~ 30 minutes.

Please remember to rate this solution as "FixYa', OK? My "guru" rating is counting on you.

SG

check for frost in freezer section. If frosted up your air flow is being blocked. Must thaw and determine why it is not defrosting

When you say powering off do you mean there is no electricity at all to the unit? No interior lights or anything?

Coldspot 106. Model This model refrigerator is a relatively small refrigerator. It is a Freezer on top model, and Sears documents lists this unit at 18.1 cu ft. I hope that answers your question about capacity. I'm glad I could help. If you need anything else, just let me know. In reality, when you buy a replacement, you buy by dimensions to fit the space not cubic feet of the old one. Go to Home Depot armed with a tape measure. ..