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Kenmore is a popular appliance brand commonly sold by Sears, but Sears does not manufacture any of the appliances themselves. Instead, they source that out and have other manufacturers make their appliances for them. Kenmore refrigerators are made by a variety of different manufacturers including LG, Electrolux, GE, and Whirlpool.

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refrigerator kenmore 10651574200 fridge and freezer too warm

I thought I had this figured out as a defrost timer issue, but not so sure. Checked continuity on temp control and got infinity reading when off and .2 when turned to cold position, (suggests part is good???). When refrigerator warmed again, I turned defrost timer and fridge began chilling. I assumed defrost timer to be stuck in defrost mode. when frig warmed again, I opened doors and while preparing to turn defrost timer again to see if I could repeat the first check, it started up on its own... when working it chills and freezes well. If anyone can offer me thoughts on next steps and how to specifically check parts i'd appreciate it.

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As a followup... I pulled timer. Part is 2188375 10 hour timer. Terminals are as follows: 3 (double white wires), 4 red,

1 orange, 2 notes pink but is wired with 1 red 1 orange. I would believe 1 (white) would be common and that I would be able to get continuity when connected to at least one of the other terminals, but all show infinity reading across all terminals whether timer is in defrost mode or not. I do get continuity on 1-2 in defrost and 1-4 out of defrost. Sooo... timer is ok? 1 (orange) is somehow the common? Or is it that this timer is in need of replacement because I should be getting continuity readings only on terminal pait's with 3 (white)?

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Condenser Coils are Dirty

If the refrigerator is not cold enough the condenser coils may be dirty. The condenser is like a radiator and must stay clean in order to dissipate the heat which was removed from the inside of the refrigerator. As the coils get dirtier the refrigerator becomes less efficient, which makes it work harder to cool down. If the coils are dirty enough, the unit will never be cold enough and will not be able to cool the inside of the refrigerator to the proper temperature.

Evaporator Fan Motor

If the refrigerator is not cold enough, the evaporator fan motor might have failed. Every refrigerator has a set of coils called an evaporator. The refrigerator may have one or more evaporator fan motor(s) depending on the model and evaporator locations. The evaporator fan motor circulates the cold air from the coils thru the compartment. If there is only one evaporator it is in the freezer side. If the fan is not working, no cold air will get to the refrigerator compartment. The freezer may still get cold.

Condenser Fan Motor

If the refrigerator is not cold enough there might be something caught in the condenser fan motor blade, or the condenser fan motor might be defective. The condenser fan motor draws air over the condenser coils to cool them. The condenser fan motor is located underneath the refrigerator near the back. Pull the refrigerator out from the wall and remove the access panel to access it.

Start Relay

If the refrigerator is not cold enough, the start relay may be defective. The start relay is a small device mounted to the side of the compressor. It provides power to the run winding along with the start winding for a split second at start-up to help get the compressor started. If the start relay is defective the compressor may run intermittently or not at all and the refrigerator will not get cold enough. The start relay should be replaced if defective.

Temperature Control Thermostat

If the refrigerator does not get cold enough the temperature control thermostat might be defective. The thermostat allows power to flow through to the compressor, evaporator fan and condenser fan. If the cooling system fans and compressor are running, but the refrigerator or freezer is not cooling correctly check for an airflow or defrost system problem.

Start Capacitor

If the refrigerator isn't cold enough the compressor might be having difficulty starting. The start capacitor serves as a battery to give the compressor a little boost during start-up. If the start capacitor is burned out the compressor might not be able to start and run as often as it should. Test the start capacitor first with a capacitance meter, they don't fail often. If it's defective, replace it.

Thermistor

If the refrigerator is not cold enough the thermistor might be defective. The thermistor is a sensor which monitors the air temperature. It is connected to the control board. If the thermistor is defective the refrigerator does not cool or may cool continuously.

Temperature Control Board

If the refrigerator is not cold enough the temperature control board might be defective. The temperature control board provides the voltage to the fan motors and compressor. These boards are often misdiagnosed. Check all other components to be certain this is the cause of the problem.

Compressor

If the refrigerator is not cold enough, the compressor might be defective. The compressor is a motor which compresses the refrigerant and circulates the refrigerant through the evaporator and condenser coils. There are several other components which are more likely to be defective if the compressor doesn't work. If the compressor itself is defective a licensed professional will need to replace it.

Main Control Board

If the refrigerator is not cold enough the main control board might be defective. This is not common. Check the defrost system, cooling fans, and cooling controls first.

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My story began when my wife yelled out the screen door saying her ice cream was melting in the freezer. As you all know, the moment a freezer goes into defrost mode, it creates a minor panic. And so I began to take action. We transfered all of the frozen food in a secondary freezer and refer food in a large cooler. Next I turned off the circuit breaker and pulled out the fridge from under the cupboards to clean condenser coils and check fan motor for blockage. Got that all done and was ready to go get the ohmmeter. Since the evaporator motor is on freezer side I made a last visual check inside the freezer section and noticed the temp control was set to off!!!

Here’s where I realized that I should have taken a little bit of time to process the obvious chain of events. Earlier in the day I had noticed my beverage was unsatisfactorily warm after a long hike in the mountains, and I proceeded to turn up the temperature in the fridge. Reflecting back a few days on a comment my wife had made that the freezer was too cold because her ice cream was hard……ugh, should have been the first clue. She said she must have “accidentally” bumped the temp control in the freezer section, which I wisely provided no comment to.

Needless to say, I flipped the breaker on, plugged in the cord and turned the dial (Temperature Control Thermostat)…and voila! The fan motor kicked on. One good thing that came out of all this is that we had an excuse to clean the entire fridge and freezer out. Everything is clean (including the nasty floor) and all the food is back in place with nothing spoiled.

Just want to share my story so other folks with “hard” ice cream issues don’t get into rapid repair panic mode like I did.

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jase00 will be eternally grateful.
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