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Imaposer  
#1 Posted : Monday, April 15, 2013 6:37:38 PM(UTC)
Imaposer

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I have a Kenmore 106-52559100. It is only cooling when door is open. As soon as you push the door switch it cuts off. I removed the door switch from the panel and the freezer and fridge works and gets cold, but it doesn't cut off and runs continuously.

I had a power problem and used a 3000 watt inverter in my truck with a HD extension cord to power the fridge one night. The next day once I had the power fixed I discovered that the fridge wasn't cooling when reconnected to the wall plug. Started checking it out and discovered that it would come on whenever I opened the door and it cut off as soon as I closed it. Once I removed the switch everything started working again, got cold, started making ice, everything, except that it runs continuously.

Thinking I may have had a power supply issue with the inverter and fried the main circuit board, but don't want to buy an expensive part like that just to test it. Is there anything else that could cause this? Are there things I could test before replacing board?

Thanks
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richappy  
#2 Posted : Tuesday, April 16, 2013 1:52:26 AM(UTC)
richappy

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Measure freezer temperature and post.
If below zero, I would suspect a stuck relay on the microcomputer board behind the control panel. Part 8201527
To get to the board, you will need to peal off the overlay and remove the screws.
Imaposer  
#3 Posted : Tuesday, April 16, 2013 1:15:15 PM(UTC)
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Nope. it's not that cold actually. I left it running all day and just got home to check it. I don't know how accurate my infrared thermometer is at taking a reading inside the fridge since there are only white surfaces to take readings from. It reads exactly the same as my A/C digital wall thermostat when aimed at the wall of the house though, so I assume it's fairly accurate. Anyway inside the freezer I was getting reading from around 24 to 26 degrees F when aimed at the white walls. That's the best thermometer I have at the moment. Pretty sure it's not below 0 though. And that's with the setting on the "normal" default midway point of the freezer control. It seemed to cool down fairly quickly once I removed the switch and got it running, so it seems to be cooling ok. I can't say for sure if the compressor is running continuously or if its' just the fans. I know for sure that the fan inside the freezer compartment never stops unless I depress the door switch and it appears that if the door switch is left depressed nothing seems to turn on.

I never checked it before but I know now at least, that when the switch is depressed, the little indicator lights on the control panel also go out. Maybe they always go out when the door is closed but I don't know since I never pushed the button manually before I started having trouble with it. It's as if that switch just cuts everything off.

The switch in question is inside the panel that you mentioned that houses the main circuit board so I've already had the panel off a few times. With a quick search I found the circuit board available online for around $173. If I knew for sure that would fix it, it would be a simple thing to do, but I really don't have the money right now to be just buying expensive parts for nothing. Same with paying a repairman. Just buried my dad last week, and have had a ton of unexpected expenses over the last month or so and I'm broke at the moment. Of course that's always when things break, isn't it?
richappy  
#4 Posted : Tuesday, April 16, 2013 3:03:09 PM(UTC)
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Your fridg. is running all the time because the freezer temperature is too high.
Pull the freezer back panel and check the frost pattern, total heavy frost, or partial.
Imaposer  
#5 Posted : Tuesday, April 16, 2013 3:13:20 PM(UTC)
Imaposer

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Ok, I'll check that, but why would the door switch make it cut off? And I'm not sure on the temp either. It seems to make ice fine as usual and I'm not sure how accurate the infrared thermometer is on the shiny white surfaces.

What should the temp be with the setting on the middle, default temp setting? This all started Saturday after running it on my inverter through an extension cord. I know voltage supply must have damaged something... just not sure what all it could have done.

I closed the switch when I got home and it hasnt ran since. I'll pull the panel, open the switch again and let it run for while so I can check the frost pattern.

Thanks for the help. I'm lost in this stuff
Imaposer  
#6 Posted : Tuesday, April 16, 2013 4:05:56 PM(UTC)
Imaposer

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Ok, I pulled the panel and turned it back on with the door switch. It ran about 30 minutes after being off for a couple of hours or more.

I'd say it was uniform but rather than try to quantify and describe it, I'll just post a pic...

UserPostedImage

Not sure why that pic is rotated, but it should be vertical with the right side at the top. It's displaying correctly on photobucket but when it shows here it's flipped. Oh well, you get the idea anyway...

I also placed a small dark blue box in the freezer that might provide a better target for the infrared thermometer. I'll let that get cold and take another reading on it later...

Anything else I could check? Both the evaporator and condenser fans run as long as the door switch isn't depressed. Can't say for sure about compressor but I think it may be too. But this freezer also has auto defrost if that factors in in any way. I usually hear that when it operates occasionally in the past. Kinda a weird sound but that's probably not relevant anyway since it never did it very often.

Oh yeah, and the door switch I've been referring to is the fridge side. The freezer switch doesn't seem to have any effect. The freezer light also does come on any time that door is open, and regardless of the fridge door switch's condition. So, the switch isn't cutting all the power, even though it does seem to deactivate some circuit somewhere.

Thanks again for any guidance...
richappy  
#7 Posted : Wednesday, April 17, 2013 12:15:36 AM(UTC)
richappy

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I would try a new control board, you can return it if that is not the problem.
Imaposer  
#8 Posted : Wednesday, April 17, 2013 3:29:13 AM(UTC)
Imaposer

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Well, I believe the control board is A problem. Not sure if it's the ONLY problem but the whole switch thing makes me believe that it's screwed up somehow.

And I just noticed that the pic is rotated correctly now. Not sure how that works but it is a side by side and the freezer coils themselves do run horizontal and the fins are vertical.

Id' be surprised if they'd let me return a control board though. I know most places won't except returns on electrical parts, let alone something like a complex circuit board.

Can you recommend a parts vendor that offers good prices and is good to work with?

Thanks again for all of your help.
richappy  
#9 Posted : Wednesday, April 17, 2013 4:56:32 AM(UTC)
richappy

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This site has good prices and they will allow returns, rather rare for this, but true.
Imaposer  
#10 Posted : Wednesday, April 17, 2013 6:16:51 PM(UTC)
Imaposer

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Ok. Latest development... Took a temp reading again tonight and was getting readings of -3 to -5 degrees F. I stuck my meat thermometer in it yesterday too and it's also showing less than 0. I left it alone to do it's thing last night and today. When I got home it was actually not running for a while too. But still cold. Didn't think to take a temp reading till just a bit ago but it is below 0 now.

So, does this confirm its just the circuit board that needs to be replaced?
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