Here are your parts
Parts for Kenmore Refrigerator 25374223700 - AppliancePartsPros.comIf you go to the Sears parts site they probably have actual parts breakdown diagrams. Unfortunately they do not share these with other part suppliers.
See the attachment for your tech sheet.
[COLOR="Blue"]Is this sizzling noise easily determined to a person who may not know exactly what it sounds like?[/COLOR]
Not a great way to tell if it is defrosting as it depends if water actaully drips onto the defrost heater and that may not always happen.
[COLOR="Blue"]I heard absolutely nothing in the freezer which means my timer is okay? [/COLOR]
By hearing nothing I am assuming you mean that the compressor and fans shut off, see my below blurb on troubleshooting defrost problems.
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Does this further reenforce that it is the defrost heater or thermostat?[/COLOR]
Yes it could.
May also be that the defrost drain tube is blocked or partially blocked and water from the defrost is not draining out fast enough.
[COLOR="Blue"]I have a multimeter but I don't think it has continuity as an option.[/COLOR]
If it is a true multimeter it will have the ability to read resistance (ohms) which is better than continuity. It is like comparing a gauge to an idior light in a car. I also added a blurb about meter usage at the end of this post.
[COLOR="Blue"]I finally got the back panel off from inside the freezer and there was able to chip away that big chunk of ice.[/COLOR]
Be careful when chipping in that area. The evaporator coils are just aluminum and if you put a hole in them the unit is toast.
[COLOR="DarkGreen"]Troubleshooting Defrost Problems.[/COLOR]
First remove the evaporator cover in the freezer so you can see the coils.
Do not let them de-ice.
If yes.
Manually force a defrost cycle by turning the defrost timer cam till the fans and compressor turn off.
There is usually a hole in the cover to let you do this without taking anything apart.
Now check the defrost heater to see if it is on.
Be careful you do not want to burn your fingers.
If the heater is on then the timer needs replacing, re: it is probably stalling during it's rotation so is never getting into a defrost cycle.
If not on.
Unplug the unit.
Remove the wire for one side of the heating element from the wiring and measure it for continuity, usually around 20 ohms or so.
If the heater is OK
Remove one wire to the defrost thermostat and measure it, should be 0 ohms when frozen. Note that it opens just above freezing so must be frozen to check it. Also inspect it, if it is bulged at all replace it even if it measures OK.
If both the above are OK then odds are the defrost timer contacts are toast.
Best way to test this is a live test to see if you have 120 volts across the heater/defrost thermostat combo. If not replace the timer.
[COLOR="DarkGreen"]Meter Usage[/COLOR]
A couple things to watch when measuring ohms and continuity
1. Always remove power from the machine otherwise you could blow your meter.
2. Always disconnect at least one side of any device you are checking. This eliminates the possibility of measuring an alternate/parallel circuit path.
3. When checking for closed contacts and continuity use the lowest scale (Usually 200 ohms). Then try higher scales. This scale is 0 to 200 ohms so if the device you are measuring is 300 ohms this scale would show an open circuit which it is not, you are just measuring outside the scale's dynamic range.
4. When you start always short the meter leads together. This will tell you that the meter is working and if there is any 0 offset.
There is a good STICKY at the start of this forum about it's use.
