Amana side by side keeps shutting off. I replaced the defrost timer. No luck! When I turn the Freezer temp control in the back of the refigerator section the compressor kicks on and runs anywhere from 1 hour to a couple of days before shuting off completely but will restart when I turn the freezer temp. control to off and then back to
Certainly sounds like a bad thermostat to me. In these side-by-sides the norm is to have one electrical thermostat controlling the compressor based upon the temperature in the freezer compartment (there is a sensor probe which extends from the refer side to the freezer side). The temperature of the refer compartment is controlled by a mechanical thermostat which opens and closes a little door which bleeds some of the "cold" from the freezer. This cold air comes in at the top and "falls" through the refer side and bleeds back into the freezer side through a small vent hole.
i had the same problem with a Whirlpool (old one about 30 yrs. old).. wife say, no, we get a new one.. i say OK, put it in the garage and we get a new side by side.... then go and get a thermostat for the old one and put it in and it worked fine....cost about $45 for the part discount price... its still running 3 yrs. later and now 27 more years to go...
Hi,
Next time the refrigerator quits and is sitting there "dead" with the lights on, lightly tap the cold control ( temp thermostat ) knob with a screwdriver or butter knife and if the refrigerator jumps back to life the cold control may be sticking off and sometimes is forgetting to come back on.
jeff. Appliance Repair Aid
John Is the thermostat different from defrost thermostat? And would I assume correctly that the thermostat would be behind the control knob to the freezer? Thanks for your help! Dean
Dean wrote
Yes.
It is directly behind the knob *which turns the compressor on and off*. There may be another knob but that just adjusts a mechanical air damper controlling air flow between the two compartments.
You can read about how to get the proper replacement pats for your appliances in the 'Repair Parts' section of my site linked below.
Dan O.
- Appliance411.com
The thermostat I'm speaking of is the one you use to adjust the freezer temperature. The defrost thermostat, if I remember correctly, is physically attached to the evaporator in the freezer compartment and either simply disconnects the defrost heater when the temperature rises sufficiently or triggers the intelligent defrost controller to do the same thing.
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