1BigDog Posted May 14, 2013 Share #1 Posted May 14, 2013 My Whirlpool refrigerator, which was made in 97 and bought in 2000 is going on the fritz. The last few weeks things were getting real cold in there, both freezer and refrigerator. The last few days the back of the freezer iced up somewhat and now both compartments is getting warmer. I turned the separate thermostats to a lower setting and it helped slightly but that did not solve the problem. Any ideas on this? I am going to try and clean out the coils tomorrow and see what that may do.Not sure how dirty they are as my wife usually vacuums under there every 6 months. Suggestions please...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcarl Posted May 14, 2013 Share #2 Posted May 14, 2013 Your symptoms indicate a coolant leak. Best get it checked by a refrigeration tech and have the leak fixed, if possible, and then new coolant added. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry.B Posted May 14, 2013 Share #3 Posted May 14, 2013 (edited) Is your coil in the freezer behind the back panel by your fan froze solid if so check your defrost element see if is working . This will make your fridge run warm to . Barry:scratchchin: Edited May 14, 2013 by Barry.B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BradT Posted May 14, 2013 Share #4 Posted May 14, 2013 Had something like that a while ago it was some little cheap part. Sorry can not answer which one but still cost a small fortune for the service man to diagnos. BRad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 14, 2013 Share #5 Posted May 14, 2013 Since it is 16 years old I may just go ahead and replace it with a new bottom freezer model. Saw a few nice ones with LED lighting inside. Real slick. Dont feel like spending maybe a few hundred bucks and maybe it will last a year. Just hope it holds out until the Memorial day sales in 2 weeks.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
campfire12 Posted May 14, 2013 Share #6 Posted May 14, 2013 someware by the controls in the refg compartment you will find a small hole about the size of a pencil eraser. in that hole you will find a one way screw that a flat screwdriver will turn. turn that screw slowly, you will here clicking as you turn the screw. this is the defrost timer. turn the screw untill you here a definete click then wait a min or two. you should hear the ice melting and cracking in the frozen food section. if not then the defrost heater or defrost termination thermostat has gone bad. the defrost timer should click the refg back on in 20 to 30 mins. if not go ahead and force the oneway screw untill the refg clicks and turns back on becauce the defrost timer is bad. thats how you check things out on the refg. good luck friend:fingers-crossed-emo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuzzyRSTD Posted May 14, 2013 Share #7 Posted May 14, 2013 I just got off the phone with my expert Brother in this field. He says that is either the defrost thermostat or the defrost element. More than likely from what is explained here, it is the defrost thermostat. But could be either. So I would get a reliable tech to check it out. It would be worth fixing. If it had been a refrigerant leak, then possibly buy a new one. Sometimes the leaks are in the walls of the fridge or freezer. My brother checked a freezer for me. The Freon leaked out and the leak was in the walls of the freezer. There was oil in the floor underneath it. I junked it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 14, 2013 Share #8 Posted May 14, 2013 Fuzzy, ill give a repair shop a call in the morning. If its too cost prohibitive then ill just have to spring for a new one. Hope the wife realizes that it may just be her Christmas present a bit earlier..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Globewalker Posted May 14, 2013 Share #9 Posted May 14, 2013 if its defrost element or thermostat in a top freezer model.. should be faifly easy to do your self if u are handy.. likely just a matter of removing the floor of the freezer to get to it. I am sure there are Youtube videos also this site is real handy.. Helped a friend repair a dryer from their videos .. had the drum out in 5 minutes.. http://www.repairclinic.com/RepairHelp/How-To-Fix-A-Refrigerator/55---/Refrigerator-not-defrosting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuddyRich Posted May 14, 2013 Share #10 Posted May 14, 2013 If you lost the defrost heater or timer. Then it could just be a build up. Turn it off for a couple of hours. Take everything out of it and defrost it completely the old fashioned way. With a blow dryer. Don't melt anything but get it all warm enough to melt all ice away form the evaporators. Dry it all out and restart. You should be able to get a month out of it before it freezes up completely again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncledj Posted May 14, 2013 Share #11 Posted May 14, 2013 Could be the defrost timer, the defrost terminator, one or both of the defrost heaters, or could even be a failed freezer fan motor. The toughest thing about working on freezers is that you really have to allow the ice to melt to be able to remove the panels and freely access the components to diagnose and replace. If you're able to unload the freezer and allow it to thaw, and if you're ok with using a basic multi-meter it should be fairly simple to figger it out and make the repair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ventureless Posted May 14, 2013 Share #12 Posted May 14, 2013 If you lost the defrost heater or timer. Then it could just be a build up. Turn it off for a couple of hours. Take everything out of it and defrost it completely the old fashioned way. With a blow dryer. Don't melt anything but get it all warm enough to melt all ice away form the evaporators. Dry it all out and restart. You should be able to get a month out of it before it freezes up completely again. This is what I did for about 6 months. I had the repair guy out once and it cost me a total of $215 for him to diagnose and replace one little $12 fuse thing. It worked for about 4 months and then did the same thing. So then I just started defrosting myself once a month and it worked perfectly after defrosting until the ice build got to thick again and would not allow the fan to blow the cold air out. Then we bought a new house and I replaced the fridge with a somewhat cheap one and began renting the home. The renters are using the old fridge as a beer fridge in the garage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dacheedah Posted May 14, 2013 Share #13 Posted May 14, 2013 In the freezer top take out the top panel. If it is thick with ice the defrost is your problem. Get a hair drier out and defrost it. If your defrost drain it could be the problem, more likely a thermostat or timer and both are cheap to fix. You can test them with an ohm meter. plenty of youtube video's or diy refrigerator repair things. Cost me about 28.00 to fix one at work doing the same thing. If you defrost it will work for a few days until iced up again and gradually get warmer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyinfool Posted May 14, 2013 Share #14 Posted May 14, 2013 I just fixed the same issue for a friend. It turned out that the fan blade was broken where it attaches to the fan motor, so the cold air could not get circulated and it would just ice up. I did a temporary fix with super glue till the new fan came in. The shipping for the plastic fan blade was a lot more than the part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 14, 2013 Share #15 Posted May 14, 2013 We made a decision....or should I say she......SHE wants a new one. And guys, we ALL know how that goes. Going today to buy a new Samsung French door fridge with bottom freezer. LED lights, some bells and whistles and it looks good. Very hard to find one that fits into a 67" high opening. Most are now 69-70". Crap, ill just have to work some overtime for a bit...thats all. Hmmmm, maybe she will buy me an iron for Fathers day. Thanks for the advice but since the unit is 16 years old and the service techs who I talked to on the phone estimated a minimum of maybe 300 or more, well its time to upgrade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 16, 2013 Share #16 Posted May 16, 2013 New fridge is in and its nice. Quiet too. Having the freezer below is weird though. Will take some getting used to. Kinda reminds me of a Gold Wing. Appliance white and quiet..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
playboy Posted May 16, 2013 Share #17 Posted May 16, 2013 We have one of those samsung units and love it. My only gripe with it is the filter for the ice maker doesn't last maybe 6 months. Which is not bad till you start pricing them. I would still try fixing the old one for the garage or patio sure is nice in the summer having one outside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 16, 2013 Share #18 Posted May 16, 2013 I would still try fixing the old one for the garage or patio sure is nice in the summer having one outside. I let them haul it away. Hell, its taking me 2 years to finish the bike. By the time I get around to the fridge ill be in a nursing home . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayceesfolly Posted May 16, 2013 Share #19 Posted May 16, 2013 Vincent: We have a Sears Kenmore refrig with an icemaker and water spigot in it, and has a filter that is $40.00 plus shipping to replace every 6 months, according to the manual. It is a second refrig (or spare, if you will), so we don't use the ice machine or water but once a day or so, The indicator light on the front turns red when it is time to change the filter and that happens every 6 months, just like clockwork. After talking to an appliance guy, he told me that they are on a timer and that is what turns the light red. It has nothing to do with the amount of water that goes thru the filter. The filters were getting quite expensive, so I found the same filter online for $19.00 plus shipping, and I also only change them when the water flow begins to slow down. Only use half the number of filters that I used to use. Check your manual and see if the filter is on a timer or if it actually monitors the amount of water you use. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eck Posted May 16, 2013 Share #20 Posted May 16, 2013 ...................... Kinda reminds me of a Gold Wing. Appliance white and quiet..... SO what are ya saying there Ruffy... you looking to buy a white one:stickpoke:.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dacheedah Posted May 16, 2013 Share #21 Posted May 16, 2013 but if the ice maker stops making ice or makes smaller ice, change that filter and it will work again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayceesfolly Posted May 16, 2013 Share #22 Posted May 16, 2013 Yes, Kevin, you are correct. I forgot to mention that. We use it mostly for the icemaker, as the refrig is in a small room next to the patio and is handy for a glass of ice when heading for the pool. We don't have to go upstairs to the kitchen for ice. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BradT Posted May 17, 2013 Share #23 Posted May 17, 2013 . Having the freezer below is weird though. Will take some getting used to. Don't take long to get used to. Had a bottom freezer for a long time and it is nice. Suppose to be a lot better efficiency as well so everyone happy . Brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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