It is not likely, but since you had the lights on the same circuit it is possible that the breaker for that circuit may be tripped. Have you checked the breaker?
Thanks for your answer Vince. The circuit breaker didn't flip, the refrigerator is running & on, just not cooling. When I remove the back covering at bottom, the fan spins but the large black item at left (compressor?) feels hot and is not making any sound. Would love to try to fix myself if somewhat easy to do, or will pay for repair if worth bothering for a 15 yr old appliance. Thanks for any advice to try!
Unplug the unit for a little while maybe 30 minutes. Plug it back in and check to see if the compressor is running. That is the large black item with tubing connected to it. If it is running that is good, if it just hums for a little bit and then shuts off then you most likely have a bad compressor. You can take a hammer and tap on it while it is humming and it might start running, but I have only had that happen a couple times. What typically happens is if the compressor is bad it will hum for a few minutes and then shut off because of a safety switch built into the compressor. Your decision will be to replace the compressor or not. In my area it costs anywhere from 300 to 400 to replace a compressor. I hope this helps.
unplugged it and when I plugged back in the compressor does sound like it is running but after maybe 20 sec it clicks off. It then comes on again in a minute, but clicks off. Seems like more than a hum, the regular refrigerator sound. Is it possibly the relay switch? Thanks for your advice, not ready to give up on it yet!
Well if the compressor is running ok and not just humming. It may be salvageable. The reason it is kicking off and on is because there is a safety limit that opens up when the compressor gets hot breaking the circuit, thus shutting off the compressor. There is a couple things that could be going on. Either the compressor is really weak and heating up, The coil may be dirty, or the fan may not be cooling off the coils properly. In rare instances the safety limit will get weak and start opening up even though the compressor is not hot. If the compressor heats up to the point you cannot keep your hand on it for very long then most likely the safety limit is doing it's job.
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SOURCE: Freezer works Refrigerator will not cool down
The compressor should be OK this time because you caught it in time. But if the condenser fan stops you need to consider replacing the fan. I have had refrigerators do fine until the fan motor warms up and you are away, it stops. Don't think you should use the refrigerator until the fan is fixed. Sea Breeze
SOURCE: Kenmore refrigerator freezer not freezing
The problem is in the defrost system.. You have a defrost heater in your freezer that comes on 3 times a day & melts the frost to keep your freezer frost free. That frost turns to water & runs down a drain & eventually goes to a drain pan located under the unit. On these models the hole for the drain is located directly under the evaparator fan. The drain hole is to far from the heater so the water settles & then freezes around the fan blades causing it to stop spinning. Its that fans job to circulate cold air from the freezer to the fridge, so now all the cold air is staying in your freezer. Last I knew they were workin on a solution to this but you need to contact the manufacturer. A temporary fix would be to unplug & then defrost the freezer by taking out the freezer panel & melting all the ice. Boiling water is effective. When you get the ice gone from around the fan you should be able to see the drain hole & be sure water runs freely down the hole. Put it back together then adjust the front legs of the fridge so the whole unit slopes back slightly causing the water to run back to that drain hole without settling.
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I unplugged it and when I plugged back in the compressor does sound like it is running but after maybe 20 sec it clicks off. It then comes on again in a minute, but clicks off. Seems like more than a hum, the regular refrigerator sound. Is it possibly the relay switch? Thanks for your advice, not ready to give up on it yet!
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