Kenmore Coldspot Refrigerator model 106 motor turns on and off repeatedly
#1
10-23-09, 01:56 AM
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Riverside, California
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Kenmore Coldspot Refrigerator model 106 motor turns on and off repeatedly
I have this frig that until 2 weeks ago did not have the ice maker hooked up because of no water line attatched. Now,(which I feel is coincidence) the freezer accumulates ice on the back wall inside the freezer, enough to make 5 good sized snow balls, and the motor(i think its the motor) is clicking on for three seconds and then shuts off, clicks on for threee seconds and shuts off, clicks on for three sec... you get the picture. It does this repeatedly for some time then stops, but everything is still frozen.
What could it be? I'm very capable when it comes to fixing most anything so lay it on me wizards of things.
What could it be? I'm very capable when it comes to fixing most anything so lay it on me wizards of things.
#2
10-23-09, 06:17 AM
Is this a 'frost-free' refigerator?
About how old?
How are the door gaskets?
Make sure light inside shuts off.
Are the units doors opened and closed an excessive amount, like by kids?, or left open a long time while they peer inside? And is your house humid, in CA there?
Get rid of snowy-ice and access inside rear of freezer to observe cooling coils.
Find defrost timer dial (if frost free) and manually advance it til you hear an audible click to put in defrost mode. That should stop the incessant clicking. And then see if the coils show a hint of trying to melt ice on them. You should be able to hear a sizzling sound. If you still have an analog electric meter outside, you could turn off all house breakers except fridge circuit and see how fast the meter spins. (If digital, this will not reveal anything). If it spins, and pretty fast, then your defrost heater si working. Better -if you had a watt-meter testing device, you could plug that in your fridge outlet, then plug your fridge into that, and see what wattage you get, when in the defrost setting.
Let us know if defrost works, at least when done manually.
What may have happened is defrost cycle has been failing, or, even if not a frost free fridge, everythign got so iced up from where you live, humidty perhaps, bad door gaskets maybe, accessing fridge/freezer compartments excessively - that it iced up, and now the fridge lost it's ability to cool and cycle off in a given normal time. And this then led to the failure of the start relay-overload/run capacitor device(s), attached at the compressor.
Normally, replacing just those, fixes it. But first you must address the ice/defrost failure? issue, and see what kind of mioney you want to stick into this unit, based on it's age and value.
Often if the problem is only those parts, theyh cost around what a tech's service charge is. So people buy those parts and put them in themselves, even on a gamble. But in your case, you must first find out what is going on with that defrost cycle(if you have one).
About how old?
How are the door gaskets?
Make sure light inside shuts off.
Are the units doors opened and closed an excessive amount, like by kids?, or left open a long time while they peer inside? And is your house humid, in CA there?
Get rid of snowy-ice and access inside rear of freezer to observe cooling coils.
Find defrost timer dial (if frost free) and manually advance it til you hear an audible click to put in defrost mode. That should stop the incessant clicking. And then see if the coils show a hint of trying to melt ice on them. You should be able to hear a sizzling sound. If you still have an analog electric meter outside, you could turn off all house breakers except fridge circuit and see how fast the meter spins. (If digital, this will not reveal anything). If it spins, and pretty fast, then your defrost heater si working. Better -if you had a watt-meter testing device, you could plug that in your fridge outlet, then plug your fridge into that, and see what wattage you get, when in the defrost setting.
Let us know if defrost works, at least when done manually.
What may have happened is defrost cycle has been failing, or, even if not a frost free fridge, everythign got so iced up from where you live, humidty perhaps, bad door gaskets maybe, accessing fridge/freezer compartments excessively - that it iced up, and now the fridge lost it's ability to cool and cycle off in a given normal time. And this then led to the failure of the start relay-overload/run capacitor device(s), attached at the compressor.
Normally, replacing just those, fixes it. But first you must address the ice/defrost failure? issue, and see what kind of mioney you want to stick into this unit, based on it's age and value.
Often if the problem is only those parts, theyh cost around what a tech's service charge is. So people buy those parts and put them in themselves, even on a gamble. But in your case, you must first find out what is going on with that defrost cycle(if you have one).
