Refrigerator repair

[leland]

Anyone know someone who could fix my refrigerator in metro Detroit

 

[everythingold]

maybe

I can. What is the issue? And I live in GR.

 

[leland]

It's not cooling anymore the compressor runs all the time

 

[cfz2882]

is the fridge a frostless? if so,possible the evaporator coils have frosted up and blocked airflow or the evap fan has quit.A malfunction in the automatic defrost system can cause evaporator frost-up

 

[epixstar128]

im kinda close...

What kind of fridge is it?

 

[leland]

It's a frigidaire fpi-16b it is frost prof and is not frosted up at all now the fans work and the defrost timer cycles

 

[leland]

Update and need advice

So after thinking this refrigerator was done for I plug it in one more time the refrigerators cooled down to40° and 20° in the freezer but the compressor runs constantly what should I do

 

[DirectDriveDave]

Is your condenser possibly dirty? If it's really bad, it will not be able to dissipate heat properly.

 

[leland]

Good idea but it is absolutely clean

 

[DirectDriveDave]

Oh, something else I forgot. If it has one, is the fan for the condenser running?

 

[leland]

No condenser fan on this model

 

[beekeyknee]

Is it possible that it's low on freon? The high pressure side off the compressor should be very hot (the small line) and the low pressure side going into the compressor (the big line) should be warm. On the high pressure side where the expansion point is (where the small line gets bigger) the line should turn very cold.

 

[leland]

The high-pressure side of the compressor is hot the condenser is warm the evaporator is cold maybe the compressor is not strong enough I don't want to throw this away

 

[beekeyknee]

This is just a guess, but it's possible those lines could feel like they're at the right temperature but there's not enough freon in the system to bring the fridge down to the proper temp. The only way to tell is to vacuum out the freon and weigh it. If it doesn't have the proper charge in weight there's a leak some where and that can be a real problem. The factory label often lists the proper freon charge in weight, but it takes special equipment to vacuum the system, weigh it and refill it with the proper charge. And even if you do this there's no guarantee that it won't leak out again. They have freon detectors that sence leaks, but you have to have access to all the coils to use the detector. They can also put dye in the system to look for leaks visually. At least they do this in cars. Not sure about fridges.

The use of R12 is banned in some instances and is expensive. Explore all other remedies before going this route. Also consider that this is a closed system. Once it's opened it's often hard to keep it from leaking again. I share your want for not wanting to give up on your fridge, but some times, especially if it has this problem, there's not much of a way to save it.

 

[everythingold]

Does this have two evaporator coils? Some of these Frigidaires get complicated.

 

[everythingold]

I have r12.

 

[everythingold]

What kind of frost pattern is on the coils? Any areas more frosty that others? Is there a point where the cooling stops?

 

[leland]

Thanks every one I will check the frost pattern in the morning

 

[leland]

The coil in the front is e only one with frost onit but the whole thing feel cool I also dug out my sniffer I used when I did automotive a/c repair and it isn't finding any freon leaks

 

[leland]

Sorry about all those typos

 

[beekeyknee]

Matt is right about the frost pattern on the coils. If only part of the coils are getting cold, you've probably got a low charge. Is the circulating fan inside the freezer/refrigerator running at the proper speed? Is the air circulation inside the unit unimpeded? If the charge is right, start looking at the circulation fan and pattern.

I remember reading on a thread here in the past about these bottom freezer Frigidaires being problematic. Don't remember where.

Did some looking. Try thread # 38870 reply # 15. That might be the one I was thinking of. [this post was last edited: 6/12/2014-00:48]

 

[leland]

I think the compressor is weak can't find a freon leak with my matco freon detector here ar pictures of the coils

 

[beekeyknee]

It kinda looks like part of the coils are frosty and part aren't.

 

[philr]

I can't tell you what's the problem but you'll need to have the sealed system checked. I have a fridge that had it's compressor replaced and it works great. 

 

Here's the evaporator in my 1963 Frigidaire. This one has the original refrigerating system that's working fine. I also have one just like yours (well, a year newer) that needs work on the refrigerating system. I hope to have the money to have some work done on it soon.

 

[neptunebob]

Could it be?

If it is frostless, we had this happen, the defroster timer is stuck closed and thus, the machine is refrigerating and defrosting itself at the same time, never cooling and wasting a lot of energy. Although I do not see a heating coil there that could happen.

 

[leland]

How can I check to see if the defrost is stuck on

 

[everythingold]

Could be a blockage in the coolant line. I have had some success working them through on old machines. Turn them on and off. If it wouldn't dislodge a compressor job is needed.

If the defrost is on, just disconnect the heater, which will help you diagnose what is happening.

 

[philr]

On the picture, you can see the defrost heater isn't stuck on, because the heating coils are frosted! If it would be stuck on, you'd notice! 

 

I think you're at the point that you need to have the sealed system checked, either for low refrigerant or for a bad compressor. Be sure to call a technician that knows something about old refrigerators because most won't even bother working on that thing. The older pre-1963 models are more likely to leak from the cold plate in the refrigerator section but these don't have one. 

 

The things that are most likely to go wrong after 50 years on these refrigerators are the defrost elements, (they can work but be shorted to the ground), the various electrical heaters (drain heater, butter conditioner and mullion heaters), the compressors, the defrost timers and the fan motors. The original type defrost timers and fan motors are still fairly easy to get. The defrost element is harder to locate and it can be a pain to replace. I wouldn't be surprised if yours was already replaced as the fins of the evaporator are a bit distorted. 

 

 

 

The compressors sometimes loose their oil (and refrigerant) at the electrical connectors, if there are any traces of oil coming from them, that could be the problem. 

 

I wish you good luck with the repairs and keep us updated! I'll have to do the same with my 1965 soon... Mine doesn't even cool!

 

 

 

[everythingold]

I just fixed a GE today

It had a half frost pattern, which was caused by a bad relay. The relay kicked the compressor over, but not at full speed, or reliably, causing the half frost pattern. Replaced the relay and it worked fine.

 

[leland]

everythingold

do you think you could come check this one out