GE fridge not holding temp

[bluejay]

I've finally gotten around to starting work on our vintage fridge (thanks in part to having to tear down our stove over the winter to do some repair work).  The fridge will hold temps for roughly 2-3 days and then just stop.  Is this the cold control or the defrost timer?  The fridge is a GE TC464WM from '63 I believe.  Has anyone had to do repairs to similar models of this vintage?  Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Lastly, does anyone know what the panel surrounding the butter conditioner looks like?  I know it's cosmetic, but it's driving me crazy!

 

[turquoisedude]

I think the 'W' in the model number may indicate a 1962 model.

 

I'll be watching this thread closely - my '64 runs all the darn time, freezes the fresh-food section, but doesn't deep-freezer the freezer....  

 

[hooverwheelaway]

Check out our thread from last year when we were having issues with our fridge warming up..

Trouble in refrigerator paradise...

As many of you know, we have a 1964 Frigidaire Deluxe bottom-freezer refrigerator in our kitchen. It's been chugging along, keeping our foodthings cool since Robert found it back about 10 years ago. It's a little noisy when it runs, but we don't fault it. It's the perfect fridge for our...

www.automaticwasher.org

 

[bluejay]

I checked when it was still running and it isn't building up ice.  It runs fine for a few days and then just stops and thaws and doesn't restart.  I gave the undercarriage a pretty thorough cleaning when we first got it, as it was pretty choked up with dust and grime.  That improved the running, as it would only stay cold for a few hours initially, but it still doesn't hold the temp for more than a few days.  Could the compressor simply be overheating and shutting off?

 

[combo52]

Problems With Early 60s GE Frost Guard Dual Evaporator Refs

Hi Paul, you have what sounds like a classic weak compressor, was it ever changed before on your ref?.

 

Hi Jason, if the ref is shutting off completely [ everything except inside lights ] it is most likely a bad cold control, this is easy to test, just bypass the CC and the ref should run constantly, let it run a few days like this, the freezer should go below -10 F and the ref should go below 20F running constantly if the sealed system and compressor are any good.

 

John L.

 

 

 

[rp2813]

My first thought was the cold control.  Then I saw the picture showing the thumbwheel dial and that was that.  This particular type of cold control seems to be failure-prone.  The same type on my '57 Combination went bad, only in the opposite way -- the fridge kept running constantly.

 

I got a new replacement universal fit cold control from Larry at Modern and have had no trouble since it was installed.

 

Run John's bypass test and see what happens.  With any luck, your fridge will run continuously and you'll know it's the control and not something terminal like the compressor.

 

Keep us posted!

 

[arbilab]

Little explaining why the CC would stick every x days. But if the compressor were bad it would never reach temp much less hold it. Compressor overtemp resets in a matter of minutes.

But when it comes to clockwork DF timers, they're a lot like range clocks. When they get old they can run a few days, stop a few, run again. Find the thing-- typically behind the kickplate-- and pull one of the motor wires. There is a manual knob, turn to assure the compressor is enabled. If the problem disappears, there's your answer.

 

[combo52]

Problems With Early 60s GE Frost Guard Dual Evaporator Refs

CCs can and do stick off randomly, on this ref if the defrost control sticks the compressor keeps running, it is what defrosts the coils with the heat that it moves in a heat-pump fashion.