Remedies for Ailing Refrigerators

Refrigerators usually provide years of trouble-free service. When a problem does arise, you can often make the diagnosis and repairs without any special tools.

Common Problems: A refrigerator usually signals a malfunction by not cooling or by making too much noise. There are many possible causes for a cooling failure, some of them quite simple (see Troubleshooting Guide). Before taking things apart, make sure that the door closes all the way and that the interior light (which produces heat) switches off properly. You should see the light go off just as the door of the refrigerator closes.

A refrigerator that makes a screeching or rattling sound probably has a faulty evaporator or con denser fan motor. Replace a motor rather than trying to lubricate or re pair it. Repairs to the compressor, evaporator, or condenser, which re quire special skills and tools, should be left to professionals.

Side-by-Sides and Icemakers:

The parts of a side-by-side refrigerator may be located in places other than those shown on these pages, but the methods for testing and repairing them remain the same. Many refrigerators include an icemaker or fittings for installing one. Problems that commonly occur with these devices are leaks and loose shutoff arms; for repair instructions.

CAUTION-----Before starting any repair, always unplug the refrigerator or shutoff the power at the house service panel. After the repair, wait 15 minutes before plugging in the refrigerator. This delay allows pressures in the cooling system to equalize, lessening the start-up strain on the compressor.

Anatomy of a refrigerator-freezer.

The cooling process begins when liquid refrigerant passes through the evaporator coils in the freezer, where it absorbs heat and becomes a gas. The refrigerant then flows to the compressor, which pumps it into the con denser coils. Cooled by air from the condenser fan, it releases its heat, re turns to a liquid state, and begins the cycle again.

An evaporator fan circulates cold air within the freezer and, through vents, to the refrigerator area. A temperature control in the freezer regulates the air flow. Another in the refrigerator sets a thermostat that switches the compressor on and off to maintain the proper temperature in both compartments. Gaskets on the doors seal cold air in side. A door switch controls the light in the refrigerator compartment that comes on when the door is opened. To prevent ice buildup, a defrost heater activated by a timer melts frost from the evaporator coils. A defrost limit switch turns off the heater before the freezer gets too warm. Melt-water flows down a tube in the back wall and into a drain pan underneath.

Troubleshooting Guide

Dusting cooling-system components.

Condenser coils and metal cooling fins, which are best cleaned twice a year, are located either at the bottom front -- or on the back of the appliance. To dust bottom-mounted coils, remove the floor-level grille. Use a long-handled brush to dust the coils and fins, taking care not to bend them. Vacuum up debris.

To expose the coils and fins on the back of a refrigerator, roll or walk the appliance away from the wall. Brush dust from the coils and fins, or use a vacuum cleaner with an upholstery- brush attachment.

BASIC REPAIRS FOR DOORS AND DRAINS

Adjusting a sagging freezer door.

• Using a nut driver or a socket wrench, loosen the two hex-headed bolts in the hinge at the top of the freezer door.

• Reposition the door squarely over the opening of the freezer compartment by pulling upward on the door handle. Hold the door firmly in place and tighten the hinge bolts.

• Check the new position by opening and closing the door several times. It should clear the refrigerator door and align with the top of the unit.

Unclogging the drain hose.

• Remove the storage bins at the bottom of the refrigerator compartment to expose the drain hole, if there is one. Pry out the stopper plug with a screwdriver.

• Clear the drain by inserting a length of flexible 0.25-inch plastic tubing or a pipe cleaner into the hole and pushing it through the drain canal into the drain pan.

• Flush the drain with a solution of soapy water and ammonia, forcing it through the canal with a baster.

• Empty and wash the drain pan.

INSTALLING A SEAL AROUND THE DOOR

1. Loosening the retaining screws.

• Starting at the top outer corner of the door, roll back the rubber gasket with one hand, exposing the metal retaining strip beneath.

• Use a nut driver to loosen the retaining screws two turns. Working across the top of the door and one-third of the way down each side of it, loosen each of the screws an equal amount.

Getting the Wrinkles Out---New gaskets come folded in boxes and are usually kinked and wrinkled. Before installing one, you must straighten it.

There are two effective ways to do so: Spread the gasket out in the sun on the hood of a car on a warm day, or soak it a little at a time in a skillet or pan of boiling water. Allow a few hours for the first approach. Boiling water should unlink the gasket immediately.

2. Installing a new gasket.

• Pull the old gasket straight up to free it from behind the retaining strip at the top of the door.

• Let the o gasket hang out of the way, and slide the new gasket behind the retaining strip, beginning along the top of the door and working down the sides. Partially tighten the screws.

• Working down each side, loosen the screws and strip off the old gasket; then insert the new gasket and partially tighten the screws.

• At the bottom of the door, slip out the old gasket at one corner, and replace it with the new gasket before loosening the retaining screws at the other corner. Then complete the last few inches of the installation.

3. Squaring the door.

• Close the door and look for gaps between the gasket and the body of the refrigerator. Usually found on the handle side of the door, a gap indicates a slight twist in the door, introduced during gasket installation.

• If the door is twisted, open it and have a partner push on the top or bottom of the doorframe to counter the twist. If you don’t have any help, sup port the door with your foot -- while pushing on the frame. Tighten the screws once the door looks straight.

• If a gap still shows when you close the door, open it again, loosen the screws a half-turn, and repeat the squaring process.

A NEW DOOR SWITCH

1. Removing the push-button switch.

• Unplug the refrigerator, cover a screwdriver tip with masking tape, then gently pry the collar encircling the push button from the door panel.

• Tilt the push button so you can get the right-angle terminals through the hole (inset), then pull the switch out of the door panel along with its wires.

2. Checking switch operation.

• Pull the wires off the terminals and, using a multi tester, test the switch for resistance. The switch should show 0 (zero) ohms when the push button is up and infinite ohms when it’s depressed.

• Replace a faulty switch by attaching the wires to the new switch and inserting it into the hole in the door panel.

REGAINING CONTROL OF THE TEMPERATURE

1. Getting at the thermostat.

• Unplug the refrigerator and unscrew the temperature-control console. For a control recessed into the top of the compartment, unscrew the breaker strips securing the console and remove it.

+ Disconnect the wires that are attached to the thermostat terminals.

• Rest the console on a shelf, taking care not to bend the tube of the sensing bulb.

2. Putting the thermostat through its paces.

• Test the thermostat for resistance by turning the control dial to OFF and touching a multi-tester’s probes to the two terminals; the meter should show infinite resistance.

• With the probes still touching the terminals, turn the dial to ON and gradually rotate it toward the coldest setting. The meter should show 0 ohms at some point. If it does not, replace the thermostat.

A MOTOR FOR THE EVAPORATOR FAN

1. Gaining access to the fan.

• Unplug the refrigerator and remove the icemaker and any shelves from the freezer.

• On some models, you must unscrew and remove a fan grille to get at the rear panel. If the grille is also secured by plastic tabs at the freezer floor, bend the grille gently inward to free it from one tab at a time.

• Unscrew the freezer’s rear panel to reveal the evaporator coils and fan. Lift out the panel -- with its insulation, if any. Cover the exposed evaporator fins with a towel before beginning work on the fan.

2. A new fan.

• If the fan’s plastic grille is located behind the rear pan el, unscrew it and remove it.

• Disconnect the wires from the fan motor, remove the screws that secure the fan to the cabinet, and pull out the fan assembly.

• Before discarding the old fan, unscrew the blades from the motor shaft. Examine them for cracks and replace them if they are damaged; otherwise reuse them.

• Secure the fan blades on the shaft of the new motor, then insert the fan in the opening located at the back of the freezer, positioned so that the terminals face the loose wires.

• Screw the fan to the cabinet, reattach the wires, and replace the fan grille. Reinstall the rear panel, as well as any equipment removed earlier.

RENEWED AIRFLOW TO THE CONDENSER

1. Testing the motor.

• Unplug the refrigerator, move it away from the wall, and remove the rear access panel.

• Spin the condenser fan to see if it turns freely. If it does not, the motor bearings are worn; replace the motor (Step 2).

• If the fan turns without binding, disconnect the wire leads from the motor and test it for resistance at the terminals --. With a multitester set at RX1, the meter should read between 200 and 500 ohms; a reading other than that means that the motor should be replaced.

• Screw the new timer to the mounting bracket and reconnect the ground wire. Reinstall the timer on the refrigerator frame.

2. Replacing a faulty motor.

• With the refrigerator unplugged, unscrew the condenser fan’s mounting brackets from the divider panel and lift out the fan assembly.

• Unfasten the mounting bracket from the motor and remove the hub nut that holds the fan blades in place.

• Wash the blades if they are dirty.

• Attach both the blades and the bracket to a new motor, then align the fan assembly in the refrigerator and screw the bracket to the divider panel.

• Reconnect the leads to the terminals.

REPAIRS FOR AN AUTOMATIC DEFROSTER

1. Trying the defrost timer.

• Locate the defrost timer, which may be behind the bottom front grille or rear access panel, or in the temperature-control console.

• With the compressor running, insert a screwdriver blade in the timer slot and turn it clockwise until it clicks. If the compressor stops and the freezer begins defrosting, you have a faulty timer.

• To replace a timer, unplug the refrigerator and unscrew the timer’s mounting bracket. Unscrew the timer from the bracket. If a ground wire is attached to the cabinet, disconnect it. Pull the wires from the timer terminals one by one (inset), transferring each to the corresponding terminal on the new timer.

2. Checking the defrost heater.

• With the power off, remove the rear panel to reveal the defrost heater—a glass or steel tube that runs behind the evaporator coils and often along the sides. (If the heater is embedded in the coils, leave servicing to a trained technician.) Tighten loose wires to the heater and replace burned ones.

• Test resistance by removing the wires and touching multitester probes to the terminals. A reading between 5 and 100 ohms indicates a functional heater.

• To replace a defective heater, put on gloves for protection against sharp evaporator fins. Twist the tabs holding the heater in its brackets, remove it, and clip in the new one.

3. Replacing the defrost-limit switch.

• If the other defrost components are working, replace the defrost-limit switch; it’s usually above or attached to the coils.

• Unscrew or unclip the switch and pull off the wire connectors if they are detachable; otherwise cut the wires to the switch and connect a new switch with wire caps.

• Squeeze silicone caulking into the wire caps’ base to protect the connections from moisture.

• Clip or screw the switch in place, then replace the insulation and the rear panel.

RESTORING AN ICEMAKER TO FULL PRODUCTION

Adjusting the water fill.

• Remove the icemaker cover, and if your ice- maker has no label warning against rotating the drive gear on the front of the device, unscrew the unit from the freezer. Don’t unplug it. If there is a warning label, try turning the water-adjustment screw as needed.

• Put a small funnel in the mouth of a baby bottle or other container marked in ounces and place it under the water outlet.

• Insert a screwdriver in the gear slot and gently turn the gear counterclockwise about a half- turn, until you hear the motor start.

• Allow the unit to complete a cycle, then check the level of the water in the bottle; it should be about 5 ounces.

• Increase or reduce the water flow by turning the water-adjustment screw a small amount toward the + or - sign. Run another test cycle to check your adjustment.

Correcting the water flow.

• Close the valve in the water line to the refrigerator and remove the rear access panel to ex pose the water inlet valve. Place a shallow pan under the line to catch drips, and unscrew the compression fitting at the valve. Discard the used brass ring from the fitting, and obtain a new one for the reinstallation.

• Unplug the refrigerator, pull the electrical connector from the water inlet valve, and test the resistance between the solenoid terminals. If the reading is less than 60 ohms or more than 500 ohms, replace the valve.

• If the resistance falls within these limits, try cleaning the filter screen. Remove any screws on the valve and take it apart; scrape the screen, rinse it well, and reassemble the valve.

Testing the electrical components.

• Unplug the icemaker and remove its cover and mounting plate. To check the thermostat for resistance, leave the icemaker in the freezer. Remove the heating element leads and touch a probe to each terminal; at temperatures below 15° E, you should get 0 ohms. Retest the icemaker at room temperature. It should read more than 0; if not, replace the thermostat.

• Unscrew a clamp to remove the thermostat. Put metallic putty on the back of the new thermostat and stick it down. Screw in the clamp.

• To test a switch, disconnect its leads and unscrew the switch. Test each terminal against its common contact (marked “C”); when the switch button is down, one terminal should show 0 ohms, the other more than 0. Readings should be opposite when the button is up.

REPLACING AN ICEMAKER SHUTOFF ARM

1. Reseating the spring and arm.

• Unplug the refrigerator, take out the icemaker, and remove the mounting plate.

• Check that the spring is engaged on the shutoff arm and that the arm is in the slot in the end of the lever that links it to the on/off switch. If necessary, seat the spring as shown and put the arm back in the slot.

• If the shutoff mechanism still does not work, replace the shutoff arm.

2. Replacing the shutoff arm.

• Carefully disengage the spring and separate the old arm from the lever. Push the arm forward, turning it as required to work it out through the hole in the housing.

• Slide the new shutoff arm through the front of the housing. Engage the arm in the lever slot and replace the spring.

• Replace the mounting plate and cover, and reinstall the icemaker.