Seems that most fridges have some sort of mechanism that cause it to close on its own if you leave it open. Mine doesn't. If you open it, it will stay exactly how you left it. The freezer's okay though. Any thoughts on how this can be fixed?
Thanks!
I used to have this problem as well - turned out the 'wife' part (this is the that part keeps your fridge stocked and the door closed) had gone bad.
If you can't get a new wife part, a simple fix is to put a cinderblock under the front of the fridge.
Using cinderblock is the right idea, but probably an overkill.
Usually, just fiddling with the pair of the threaded adjustable "feet" under the front corners of the fridge will tilt it enough in the "right" direction to achieve self closing.
You'll probably have to pull off a trim grille at the bottom front to get at them.
HTH,
Jeff
You could move to the other side of the mountain....
thoughts on
Hi,
Nope...only some do.
Make, model#, approx age??
Have you tried raising the front of the refrigerator slightly higher than the back of the refrigerator? Does the door bind at all, or does it close ok when you manually close it? jeff. Appliance Repair Aid
We had this problem. I kept trying to fiddle with the purported self-leveling mechanism with no real luck. I finally broke down and grabbed a few wood shims from my inventory (about $1 for
20 or so). I raised the level of the front of the fridge until both doors closed well on their own. This was less than one inch.I know this isn't the most sophisticated cure for the problem, but it sure was quick and worked for 29 years.
That fridge finally died last week! Total cost of repairs for 29 years was $3. I laughed when the salesman for our new fridge tried to push the extended warranty! Of course, we were extremely lucky with our old Philco fridge.
When it failed last week, I messed with it for an hour or so and could determine that (1) the timer for the defrost cycle wasn't moving and (2) even when I cycled the timer manually, the compressor wouldn't kick it. I'm guessing that I could have found a loose or corroded AC connection somewhere to explain the two problems, but the wife was rather eager to hear me say, "It ain't worth spending more time trying to get a 29 year old fridged to work. Let's go out tonight and buy a new one"
Gideon
Under the "kick plate" (lowest part of the fridge, on the front) there are often two adjsters. Allows you to crank the wheels down, front. Which tilts the fridge back a little.
Or, you can tilt the fridge back and slip something (couple layers of shirt cardboard?) under the front wheels.
The point is, the fridge is supposed to tilt back a little.
Put a screw eye into the side of the fridge door. Run a rope from there to a pulley on the wall next to the fridge. Rope goes to a five pound lead weight. Every time you open the door the lead weight rises, and the weight pulls the door closed.
This answer is less serious than most of mine, and only intended for a laugh.
A 29 year old Philco most likely was very low energy efficiency. Who can tell what was wrong? Mighta been fixable, but it's a moot point, now.
clipped
My brother still has the old Philco my parents bought when the ice box went out of fashion. 40 years old? Takes a week and a half to defrost :o)
This is Turtle.
That Round top Philco & G/E Type refrigerature were made to last a life time but the only problem was they did last a life time and got ugly and old and did not have a excuss to buy a new one because it was broken. I wished this was the story now days but making them this way would make the manufactor starve to death waiting to sell a new one.
Here is a thought here for you. To change a compressor on the 1960 model of the Philco refrigerators the charges for changing the compressor was $26.50 including compressor, freon, drier, and Labor . I think it will cost more now a days.
TURTLE
Thanks for the replies, guys. Looks like I need some lead weights and a new wife. But first I'm gonna try to slant it back a little bit - I'll see about the adjustable feet.
Take it easy, m
The frig must be properly leveled as others have said. Assuming that has been done, some, I presume most, have a cam on the bottom door hinge that lets the door descend, using the force of gravity to assist in its closing. This cam (Teflon?) can wear causing a sticky response. Replacement parts are available and the repair is a DIY project requiring a screwdriver.
SJF
I haven't seen all the responses to this post, so please forgive if already mentioned, but have you checked for accumulated gunk on the bottom hinge. That would cause it to stick open and not ride smoothly enough to close itself. I'd expect that higher hinges to stay cleaner. Just a thought. My house is not very clean and if this happened at my house I would suspect cat hair and spillage. Eileen
Thanks for all the help. I took off the bottom plate and there were two bolts sticking out on each end. I tightened them, causing the front of the fridge to elevate somewhat, and voila! the fridge closes on it's own now. Actually I may have to back them off a little bit since the door closes almost too fast. Either way, I learned something new. Thanks again!
Hi,
Don't want those eggs flying off of the door ;)
Thankx for the update!! jeff. Appliance Repair Aid
New feature... automatic scrambled egg.
Jeff, I missed you -- expected you to comment on the warm Amana refrigerator I've been servicing.
Missed the Amana fridge posting :(
Bad defrost thermostat preventing the evaporator fan motor comming on?? jeff. Appliance Repair Aid
Multiple dianosis fridge. Aren't most of them? subject line starts with "amana refrigerator" if you want to reload your messages. The short of it, not cooling. I replaced the noisy defrost timer, the motor was noisy. The evap fan was not delivering air, so it got replaced. Now, it still isn't cooling. The last two items it needed were a refrigerant recharge, and the termination thermostat replaced.
The home is about an hour drive from me, so it was a bit of road time. Fortunately, the weather is pleasant.
I think we got it this time. someone will be there on friday (summer cottage) and check the fridge for me.
I thank you for the PDF file on your web site --- printing it out as I type.
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