It did it again - Whirlpool Refrigerator

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Hi Allen,

We've had a Fisher Paykel Top freezer fridge for about 5 years now, the only issue we've ever had was a plastic tab that stops the door from quite closing. It was replaced twice under warranty and then there has not been an issue since.

Looking at the US website, all of the non side by side fridges seem to be the same as we have here. They dont sell the Side by Sides in Australia or NZ, so I'm assuming that they're made by someone else and rebadged.

They dont have an external condensor coil, its built into the walls of the fridge, so that eliminates the second fan and also the need to clean the dog hair off the coils.

Over here they're seen as a standard reliable brand, I'm not sure what service would be like in your area however.

Cheers

Nathan
 
Allen, if you decide to check/replace the evaporator fan in the freezer, be sure to check the defrost drain below it to see if there's a blockage.  Something as small as a pea can plug it up and get a glacier going back there, which could create the problem you're experiencing.
 
Well, the refrigerator is off. I took out the back panel and it seems the coils are cooling and the fan is not turning. So that's the problem.
After thinking about it, since it seems like such an easy fix I decided to fix this thing one last time. We've pretty much replaced everything else in the unit.
So it get's a reprieve from the dump.

The D in the model number could be an Q. That writing is on the mfg plate is small and the font style could be clearer.

I'll check the defrost drain too. We keep the inside pretty clean so the chances of anything being in there should be small. But you never know!

Parts have been ordered and now we'll just live out of an ice cooler for a couple of days.

Once again, thanks guys. I certainly do appreciate all of your help!
 
Early on when I first go my WP SS I had a severe icing problem and it seems there might have been a recall.  Anyway all the serviceman did was wrap a piece of bare #14 wire around the defrost heater coil a few times and bent it so it fit down into the defrost drain.  Never had an issue since.  might want to check that while you are in there.

 

Glad to hear it's not a major issue.
 
Now that you ordered the fan, you probably should have checked, and made sure that the fan was getting power. Not real sure on a newer Whirlpool, but a friends Amana had a similar fan problem. Turned out the limiter was bad, sometimes allowing the fan to run, and other times not.
 
I was thinking about that. I do have a meter I can use. I'll check that before I open the parts when they come. If I don't see voltage at least I can send the package back for a refund, unopened.

You know, it's not so bad living out of a large ice chest. It's maintaining a temp of 37F and we only need ice every other day.
 
Well, the fan was not the problem. After having the refrigerator turned off for about 3 days I turned it back on and let it run for about 2 hours. The coils were still about the same temp as they were when it was turned on. After messing with the fan motor, it started to turn again. But the coil isn't cooling.

Looks like it's finally new refrigerator time....
 
probably FUBAR

does sound like the refrigerant leaked out or compressor has bad valve or other
fault...
Had a 1986 fedders AC leak it's charge-a rubber vibration damper on one of the
condenser pipes crumbled,letting the pipe vibrate from the compressor and develop
a crack...with the refrigerant gone the AC sounded"funny"-compressor sounded
"unloaded"and there was a faint hissing noise from the evap coil.
 
No hissing noises, but the motor does sound like it's running easier. The compressor is running, you can hear it start up and continue running blowing cool air out from under the refrigerator.

The good thing is that I didn't unwrap any of the parts I bought for it. They are all in their original plastic FSP packs and the fan motor is still sealed in it's box. So they are going back to appliance repair parts.com.

As for the current refrigerator we are done with it. The freezer door has been rusting through under the water/ice dispenser. After all the headaches we've had with it, we'll be glad when it leaves the house.

The link leads to the refrigerator that will replace the Whirlpool. We didn't pay anywhere near the price on the GE website. The only thing I didn't like about it was the ice maker takes up so much of the freezer. But I like the fact that the door shelves can all take gallon jugs.

We looked at bottom freezers, french door models, etc. But I didn't like the fact that you had to bend down low to get any ice out of them. Plus getting older, it's a pain to have to bend over for the first hour after I awake. Old age makes you stiff. (Toggles, slap in advance). We even looked at a few conventional freezers on top models. Those were cheap. But the only brands they had in that kind were LG, Samsung and Frigidaire. I didn't want a LG or Samsung and I'm not up to date with the track record of Frigidaire refrigerators. We don't entertain as much as we used to, it's just the two of us so why do we need a big refrigerator?

http://products.geappliances.com/ApplProducts/Dispatcher?REQUEST=SpecPage&Sku=PSHW6YGZSS
 
WE had the same, exactally the same, problem with one of the two Whirlcrap S/S refrigerators we bought at work. One in the volunteer work room, one in the employees lounge. The one in the lounge had the compressor replaced twice under warranty, when the director finally said throw it out. It was replaced with a F&P bottom freezer, no more problems.

The one in the Volunteer room has never given a moments trouble. They must have just had a bad run in Mexico that year.
 
compressor brand

whirlcool,did you notice what brand of compressor your fridge has-my 2000 vintage
KM top freezer fridge has a matsushita compressor(marked "made in usa"though
japanese brand)IIRC,i heard on this site that some brazilian"embraco"compressors
have been troublesome(my '99 brazilian-made WP mini fridge-embraco compressor-has
been great though)
In any case,does sound like your fridge leaked the charge...
The japanese compressor in my '85 absocold mini fridge went bad-motor developed
short between start and run windings;would sluggishly start up,start to cool,then
trip out on overtemp-was pulling 6a when 1.5a was normal...
 
Allen/Whirlcool

 

That GE S/S look nice I hope it gives you all good long service.

 

 
 
 
Be aware those GE units have tons of electronics.  Can't say for sure about your selected model, but my Arctica has a motherboard that controls everything, all the fans (condensor and three inside) are DC-powered variable speed, the compressor is variable speed run by a separate power module, and it has a rather complex operating process regards to defrosting and such.
 
Charles, thank you for the best wishes I think we need them now...

Glen, I know I'm a little bit worried about that. But the electronics are in everything these days. Even the electronics in the WP TL electronic machines are still working. I just hope I'm not buying a lemon. One thing I forgot to check was is the ice cube reservoir removable in this new GE? I didn't check that. That was one of the thing I liked about the WP, you could take the ice bin out and take it to the sink and wash it out. The new fridge doesn't come until Tues aftn so there still is time to change our mind.
 
How badly do you need the icemaker? If you and Karen can live with trays, have you considered a simple top freezer model, maybe with the stainless steel surface. When Consumer Reports compiled the repair record, top freezer models without icemaker were equally reliable. I know its taking a step backwards but you may have to for reliability anymore.

By the way, aren't the Airbus planes all electronic, with no cables?
 
We did look at top freezer models. The store that was having the biggest sales on refrigerators only had LG, Samsung & Frigidaire top freezer models. They all could come in SS. All of them offered and ice maker as an option. We could have saved $1500 by going that route.

But we didn't want LG or Samsung and we didn't know how good (or bad) Frigidaire
refrigerators are these days.
 

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