Frigidaire Side-by-side freezer/refrigerator not cooling

Frigidaire Serial #: LA22421886 Model #: FRS26H5AS Purchased: July 2002

Last night we noticed that the ice was melting in the freezer, and the freezer wasn't to temp. At the time it seemed as if this was only the freezer. It now seems that the ambient temp in the refrigerator is also below normal (suspect that the coolness still there is from recently working - problem basically just started).

I have vacuumed the entire underside, including the condenser coils (which weren't that bad), checked power, light switch operation, doors being open, water to ice-maker not frozen, etc. None of these common things seem to be the problem.

I hear the compressor come on, buzz for about 5 seconds, then shut off. This happens every few minutes or so. So, it seems to me that this may be the problem.

I unplugged the whole unit (refrigerator) from the wall, and let sit for an hour. When I plugged back in, the compressor seemed to come to life, but then quickly "clicked" and stopped buzzing.

The compressor seems to be the culprit. Is this reasonable to conclude? It costs about $130.00. Since the unit is not quite 5 years old, it is covered under warranty (or so says the manual).

How much should I expect the replacement labor to cost? Is this a job for a do-it-yourselfer (considering the need to recharge the freon, etc.)? I am a full-time volunteer, and cannot afford unnecessary costs. Of course, if I need to, I need to...

What advice would you give, please? (smart-alecs need not reply).

Thanks,

ZG

Reply to
RioRanchoMan
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I'm pretty handy, but I would pay someone to change & recharge a refrigerator compressor. The lines must be silver soldered in, they seldom have valves installed, so that must be done as well. To do that properly, you need a torch set, a vacuum pump, a set of gauges, freon (which is getting a little hard to come by) and to do it legally, a license.

Reply to
Eric in North TX

The refrigerator gets it's "cold" from the freezer.

The problem could be a start relay not working.

There are sites of the web that discuss that problem:

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Reply to
Rich256

Many fridge have a five year warranty on the sealed system. And the compressor is definitely part of the sealed system. Might be free repair, totally at their expense.

Sometimes a three in one hard start kit will get some extra time out of the compressor. But I'd do that only after calling the factory warranty guys. Cause non factory parts can void the warranty.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

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