Woke up at 2:30am last night to an electrical short smell. Tracked it back to my fridge. Pulled the panels off the back, and found that a set of wires going into a black box on the side of the compressor were fried (literally). There was a clicking noise that happened every 1-2 minutes. Compressor never kicked on.

Could this have been caused by the new water valves I installed on Friday? All the wiring on those was in good order, and they were not hot to the touch.

Is my compressor shot? Please say "no".

EDIT: The "clicking noise" described above was a single, click. It was not a soft click, but a very noticeable click.

Some pics of the "fried part" (which as it turns out is white, but looked black due to char and it being 2:30am).

This came off the left side of the compressor, and this is where all the fried wires were connected.

Hi,

No, this wouldn't have been caused by the water valves you installed, its just ironic it happened about the same time.

Unplug your refrigerator first!
If you have an ohm meter, check to see if your compressor has grounded out, put 1 meter probe on one of the compressor terminal pins and the other meter probe on the compressor casing itself, if your ohm meter shows continuity, then your compressor is shot. If not, ohm all 3 compressor pins for continuity.

Your compressor has a 5 yr. parts & labor warranty on it from Amana.

Here's the relay/overload for your model you can order, if your compressor is good:
Manufacturer part#12555902 is RepairClinic item#821744


Actually I found a complete relay/overload/capacitor assembly here for your model you can order:
Manufacturer part number 67005560 is RepairClinic item number 1159182
67005560

Jake

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Thanks for the advice.......again. I have a multimeter. Guess it's time to get the manual out and reacquaint myself with how it works.

For argument sake, let's say the compressor is shot. What's a rough estimate as to what it costs to get one replaced (by somebody since I can't do the coolant evac/recharge)?

Check your owners guide, If your refrigerator is less than 5 yrs. old, you have a full parts & labor warranty on your compressor.

If its over 5 yrs. old, it will cost more to fix it than its worth, about $600.

Jake

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Star Appliance Tech. 2 yrs. 1988-1990
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Definitely more than 5 years old. Closer to 8 years old if I remember correctly, but I will double check.

I ran the ohm meter across the pins last night and none of them registered anything on an any of the ohm test settings. I put a new battery in the multimeter, so I know it's working.

Ok, well, then your compressor is shot unfortunately.

Did you touch you meter leads together to make sure your meter is working correctly?

Jake

__________________
Appliance Repair School 1987-1988
Star Appliance Tech. 2 yrs. 1988-1990
Wards Appliance Tech. 11 yrs. 1990-2001
Sears Appliance Tech. 4 yrs. 2001-Oct. 2005
Jake's Appliance Repair Nov. 2005-present

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Yes, I touched them together, and the needle jumped across the meter.

My HVAC buddy is coming by later to drop off some other stuff, so he's gonna test the leads just to verify.
On the plus side, the Mrs is semi-excited about getting a new fridge. Not sure spending $600 to fix an 8yr old fridge is worth the effort.

Ok, yea, sorry to tell you your compressor is shot.

You can return the water valves for a full refund, then go buy a new refrigerator.

Wait check your owners manual again, some Amana models have a 10 yr. compressor warranty on them.

Jake

__________________
Appliance Repair School 1987-1988
Star Appliance Tech. 2 yrs. 1988-1990
Wards Appliance Tech. 11 yrs. 1990-2001
Sears Appliance Tech. 4 yrs. 2001-Oct. 2005
Jake's Appliance Repair Nov. 2005-present

If you need more repair advice help on your appliance, click Here

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Jake..................I'm an idiot.

Talked to my HVAC guy last night. I tested the compressor incorrectly. My multimeter does not test continuity, but I followed the instructions for testing for continuity (one lead on a pin, other lead grounded to chassis).

I tested the pins this AM (both leads on separate pins), and got ohm readings on all 3 pins. Does that change anything?