20 Most Recent Kenmore 53642 / 53644 Side by Side Refrigerator - Page 9 Questions & Answers

unplug the unit for 5 minutes and plug in again and see if it clears the memory and resets

Hello,

If your refrigerator cooling doesn't seem to be working well, and you have no idea what to look for in troubleshooting your problem, there are some things you can do to try to figure out your problem without paying a serviceman to come into your home.
Freezing

Most new refrigerators come with automatic defrosters. Although this is a standard feature the drain hole in the defrosting assembly can get clogged with debris, lime, or even ice. If this happens the defrost will not work and there will be a build-up of ice in your freezer that begins to block the freon from flowing properly and causing heat to react improperly and cause your refrigerator to stop cooling.
Freon

Freon systems in a refrigerator are closed systems but on occasion you may need a recharge. Refrigerators use R-134a freon, just like in an automobile. The old R-12 freon is no longer available, so if you have an older model of refrigerator you will not be able to obtain the freon, and it will be recommended that you replace that refrigerator.
Seals

The seals that are on the door of the refrigerator and freezer can dry rot with time. When you begin to see the seals cracking or warping, if your refrigerator opens more easily than before, or if you see the the door does not close fully without pushing on the door then the gaskets around the doors will need to be replaced. They are held in place by clips and the replacement is an easy fix.
Holes in Lines

Let's face it, many people find ice in their freezer or the back of their refrigerator and will try some self-help without knowledge. They will grab a knife or fork and start chipping away at the ice. This is extremely dangerous. There is a great risk of puncturing a hole in the freon lines by stabbing at the ice. Since freon has the purpose of cooling most ice collects the thickest on the inside of the walls with the freon lines right behind the plastics. A better method of removing the ice is to empty your refrigerator, turn it off and leave the door open. If you want to speed up the process you can turn on a blow dryer and aim it at the edges of the ice. If you aim at the edges you will warm up the ice and create warm water which will flow down and help to separate the ice panel from the wall.
Uneven Refrigerator

If a refrigerator is not even on the floor it may not close properly. Rock your refrigerator and see if it seems to topple from one foot to another. The feet on a refrigerator can be adjusted by screwing in or out and leveling each foot individually until they are all even.
Non-Problem Warming

If your home is hot your refrigerator will work harder. If you put a lot of food in your refrigerator and freezer, your coolant will have to work harder, and it will seem to take longer to cool. It is just that there is a lot of food that is trying to freeze or maintain cool temperatures.
Hope this helpout...

On a refrigerator that old, something from the year 1985, I think that it may have used a mechanical timer for the defrost cycle.

A refrigerator like yours, if it keeps cold, but won't cycle through the defrost cycle or has a bad thermostat can be repaired for under $300 I would think.

Newer refrigerators use microprocessors and computerized controls.

If your refrigerator is still cold, that means the compressor is fine and the freon has not leaked out, yet.

Newer refrigerators are more efficient, though, and can pay for themselves in energy savings, not to mention having that new refrigerator 'smell.'

At my home we just junked a refrigerator from the year 1978 that was running all of the time, but wasn't cooling very well due to a bad timer, and the plastic was getting old.

We got a refrigerator from Sears to replace it, but it was an Amana brand for about $1200 on sale.

Good luck on deciding whether to dispose of or fix your refrigerator.

if the freezer and fridge are warm check the start device on the compressor,alot of times you can smell a burning oder when this pops,also you can remove it and shake it,if you hear pieces rattling around then it's bad,also if there's ice on the back inside wall of the freezer then you have a defrost problem,also when you open the freezer door do you hear the fan blowing,if not you could have a bad defrost fan motor,open the fridge door,up near the ceiling on the right side you'll see the model number,send it to me,let me know if you found ice or frost on the back wall of the freezer or what you see and i'll be glad to help you

Hello,

Welcome to FixYa.

I suspect by your description the fridge either has a faulty overload protector or the compressor itself is seized...the red flag is in your post "my wife noticed about 3 days ago that there was a slight clicking noise coming from somewhere around the fridge" that was likely the overload "clicking'.
If you feel like you can trouble shoot further I`ll try to assist you or you may decide to call a professional appliance technician.

I don`t know the age of your fridge, but I should mention...

** Most of the Kenmore fridges have 5 to 10 years sealed system warranty which would include the compressor but not the electrical starting devices i.e., the overload & relay. Check your owners manual or phone Sears, it is the ultimate authority on warranty no matter what anyone else tells you according to Whirlpool/Maytag/Amana.**


If you have a multi- meter you can check the compressor to see if the windings are ok.

**First, Unplug the fridge**

Remove the panel at the back down at the bottom. This should gain you access to the compressor.

On the side of the compressor will be the start relay/overload assembly such as this image...it may be enclosed in a black plastic cover as well.


Pull off the relay & overload and you'll see 3 pins in the form of a triangle...


With a meter measure between any 2 pins at one time, going between each pin with one remaining on a "common" pin.

You'll want 3 measurement's, similar to this example- 6ohms, 3ohms, and 9ohms.

On some meters you may simply get a reading of "0" ohms, as long as the needle moves off of "infinity" which would indicate an "open" winding=not good !

If following that, the readings are good, purchase a hard start kit. Part # HS410 also known as a 3in1 starter kit.

i.e.



The above package contains info and hardware on how to connect it. NOTE : the HS410 ( 3 in 1 ) should be considered just a temporary "fix" as opposed to an actual "repair" in should not be relide on for long term reliability or safety, but rather the factory replacemnet part 8201786... i.e. The above start device kit contains instructions on "how to" install kit. Hope that help`s move you forward if nothing else. If so please take a second and rate the reply and a testimony to your inquiry you received here at FixYa.

Thank you and good luck.

Regards,

Macmarkus :)

Sorry to read about your problem, I hope this helps you out.

i would turn off water to the unit, if its hooked up.see if it stops.. if not you lost the unit and it is melting

I tried to help you. Please help me and Rate/Vote on my response, thanks and good luck

Hi,

Many times a 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 these tips 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

Refrigerator Troubleshooting Refrigerator Compressor

Refrigerator Compressor Start Capacitor and Start Relay

Refrigerator or Freezer not Cooling or Getting Cold

heatman101

sounds to me based on your description that you possibly have a bad relay on compressor. it is possible the compressor has failed due to a bad start relay and what you are hearing is the overload kicking out when trying to start.. you will have to remove the back cover from refrigerator and gain access once you gain access remove bottom cover and you will see compressor... you can get parts from several online appliance places... kenmore i would probley go to
www.sears.com then hit the parts direct link on the top of page
enter your model number and a parts diagram will appear go to compressor picture and pick the relay /start and overload give that a shot if it still clicks the compressor has failed and will need to be replaced // good luck to you

remove the lower rear cover and on the side of the round shaped black object(the compressor) there is a part called the ptc overload/relay and this part helps start and protect the compressor,simply remove the spring wire that secures it to the compressor and take it to an appliance parts dealer for an exact replacement and reverse the dis-assembly procedure

" waited 1 hour freezer 20 degrees // cold food side 45 degrees and no air flowing from damper " As per this it indicates that the ventilations are getting blocked after few hours.First the air was flowing from damper but after one hour it stopped flowing air from damper.Check the damper if there is too much water collected in the damper then press the damper and remove the water collected in it.------------ The working procedure of this Kenmore side by side refrigerator is as follows: --- The compressor starts then it cools the freezer section. When the freezer reaches its cooling level the defrost cycle starts functioning. In this cycle the fan in the freezer section starts running and the cool air in the freezer section is passed to the fridge section and the fresh food section gets cold. The air from freezer to fridge passes from the section, in that section the damper is located. Now this problem which you mentioned. In this problem the freezer thaws, this happens if the thermostat is not functioning or the heater is not heating. Then the ice starts getting collected on the evaporator coil. The evaporator coil is at the internal section of freezer. If too much ice gets collected then this ice blocks the fan in the freezer section from functioning and this blocks the damper section with ice getting collected there. This all procedure is controlled by the main defrost board of the unit. Now if the damper is not got blocked with too much water or if the ice is not got collected on the damper area then check the evaporator coils. If there is too much ice got collected on the coils, then takes a hair dryer and melt the collected ice. Then see if the problem returns again. But if there is little bit ice collected on the coils and fan is running properly then it's not a problem. In that case main board is faulty and it has to be replaced. The main defrost board is working but its not controlling the functions as required so the freezer thaws after few hours.

---------

You can get required parts from sears part direct online site or from repairclinic.com site.

--------------------------

To test defrost thermostat you can test this way:---

The defrost thermostat is difficult to test since many refrigerators use different fixed temperature settings and unless you have a very accurate temperature test device the test will not provide proper results. Now you can take the defrost thermostat out of the unit and place the element only in a glass of ice water. When the element is cold it should have continunity between the two wires.------ The meter should not show a reading if the thermostat is turned off. If a reading appears, replace the thermostat.

When the thermostat is turned on, the meter should indicate "0" ohm or .3 or .2 on a digital readout. If it does not appear as "0" ohm or .3 or .2, replace thermostat.Turn the thermostat on and place each probe on either side of the thermostat so meter reads "0" ohm or .2 ohm digital. Put water and some ice in the cup. Temperature should be 32 degrees. If, after four minutes, the meter does not reflect infinite or .0000 on the digital meter open circuit, replace the thermostat.----If thermostat checked out ok then check defrost heater connection.The defrost heater is connected to the side of evaporator coil in the freezer section.If this defrost heater is faulty then it will not melt the ice getting collected on the evaporator coil and due to that defrost system will not be able to function as required.Remove the wire for one side of the heating element from the wiring and measure it for continuity, usually around 20 ohms or so.-----------

Now to see where defrost heater is located.Please click on this link below and see part number 14 on the diagram.And part number 15 is evaporator coil.And part number 21 is thermostat.

http://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/partsdirect/showSubComp.pd?imageUrl=http://c.searspartsdirect.com/lis_png/PLDM/R0405135-00006.png

----------

--------

This will help. Thanks. Helpmech.

Disconnect the water line from the valve and then energize the valve, if no water comes out you may have a problem with your water supply. Try disconnecting the water supply line from under your sink and see if you water coming out of your source. The water valve could also be clogged or defective.

Hi,
Yes, and Yes....everything is normal....
Check out these tips...they can help you
Refrigerator not Cooling or Fridge not Cooling

How to Defrost Refrigerator Defrost Timer Problem

Water Running in refrigerator from Freezer

Refrigerator or Freezer not Cooling or Getting Cold

heatman101

Please check and trace the power supply lead to your ice maker. Make sure the power is connected securely.

1 REFRIGERATOR IS IN DEFROST. THE DEFROST CYCLE LASTING 30 MINUTES
2 CHECK CONDENSOR FAN AND EVAPOR FAN
3 CHECK CONDENSOR COIL CLEAN
4 CHECK COMPRESSOR FEEL IT WORK, IF NOT WORK. REPLACE RELAY
GOOD LUCK

Hi

Check the back wall or floor of the freezer section for frost. Check the freezer or evaporator fan to see if it is running. Check the condenser coils under the unit for blockage from dust. Check the condenser fan to see if it is running.If you have frost in the freezer there is a problem with the defrost system and the freezer will start to warm eventually as well as the fresh food section. If that is the problem you can check the defrost terminator, defrost heater/s, and the defrost timer or adaptive defrost control If used on your unit or the main control board if so equipped. These things usually require dismantling the freezer and other areas of the refrigerator to be checked.You could defrost the freezer by disconnecting the power to the refrigerator and letting it sit for at least 24 hours with the doors open to allow the frost to melt completely but it will build up again in 1-2 weeks and start the warming up again.

Please get back to us if you have further query else please accept the suggestion.

Thank you for contacting fixya.com

Sorry to read about your problem. you can have many different problems.

1. Bad temp control
2. Failing compressor
3. Defective start cap
4. Defective overload protector
5. Defective control board

I have tried to help you. Please help me, by Vote/Rate my response. Thanks.

4 Thumbs - Very Helpful
3 Thumbs - Helpful

Hi and welcome to FixYa, I am Kelly

The LED flashing only 2 times in sequence means that the optics for the ice maker are blocked or defective.

Download this manual: http://adcxns1.whirlpool.com/Service/SrvTechAdm.nsf/2cd44500d572193285256a45004fd9d6/8527f904cc8ea8cd85256b5800672333/$FILE/4322658A.pdf and perform the optics test On page 28 of the file if your refergerator was manufatured in 2002 or after. Otherwise use the test on page 26. Thee is a possibility that if the optics path is clear and it continues to flash 2 times that both emitter and receiver board will have to be replaced.

Just note that the activation of the door switch and check times are critical to get a good test result.

Should you require parts you can enter your model number on this page to see the diagrams:

http://www.searspartsdirect.com Enter the model number then choos model search.

Thanks for choosing FixYa,
Kelly

Hi, normally you have what is called a dual solenoid water valve. This is the part that your house water supply line is connected to on the back of the fridge. One line goes to the ice maker and the other to the water dispenser. This is a common fault part we replace almost daily. You can also have an issue with the dispenser itself. Some dispensers have electrical control boards that fail or micro switches depending on the model number that will make either the ice or water not work. There is a lot to check on a case like this and it can get labor intensive.

But since your refrigerator is not dispensing water and also no making ice, it means the dual solenoid water valve that supplies water to the ice maker and water dispenser is faulty. All you need do is to replace it.

I believe that is possible, but it would be very costly; and obviously, not an easy task if you intend to do it yourself. You will have to replace both doors entirely in order to achieve the scheme that you would like to create.