We had a basement flood and got 6 inches of water…right up to where the relay is on the side of the compressor. Didn't notice until cleaning up that the freezer was running but not getting cold. When I checked it out, the compressor was very hot. I got what was supposed to be a compatible replacement relay and overload kit, installed it, and no joy. The compressor no longer runs hot, and though it does seem to be running, it's still not making cold. The starter relay I installed (an ER8201799) that was supposed to fit this model is visibly not the exact same relay as what came out (an 8EA14C3)…but I don't know if they're compatible anyway. The kit also came with two different overload switches that the instructions say are differentiated by the sq footage of the freezer model, (my freezer is not the size they listed for either overload). But, I've tried both with no success. I'm pretty ignorant of the relays…even though the compressor seems to be on and running…I can feel it anyway…could the wrong relay be still to blame, or is it more likely that the flood damaged something else that is less obvious?

Vibrating: yes, warm: not so much. Before I replaced the relay, it was very hot. Now, I'd say it gets warm, but it hasn't gotten hot. I've had it off and just plugged it back in so that's why it's not even warm right now.

On the one hand, nothing much surprises me…on the other hand, seems like a weird side-effect of being flooded. I should have mentioned that this freezer is just about 1 yr old. So, relatively new. What's the likelihood that the relay is not passing enough amps to get it to cold? Or could the running hot the way it did cause it to generate a leak? I would tend to agree with you that it seems like it's lost coolant, but then I don't know enough to know different either!