Hi guys...very informative forums. Interesting and scary info.

My problem: My 1.5 year-old Maytag Performa PTB195LGRW refrigerator turned into an incubator about a week ago. I returned after a 3-day absence to find the freezer compartment warmed to 80 degrees. Equally warm in fresh-food compartment. Light comes on, fan runs, but no cooling. After throw-out and cleanup, here's what I find: Leave unplugged overnight, plug it in...after 20 minutes or so, cool air is blowing in the freezer. After 2 hours the temp falls to about 20 degrees. But after 8 or 10 hours it's back up to 80. Fan in freezer runs most of the time, but sometimes it stops and the unit is silent, like totally dead...but still have light when I open the door. Now and then I hear a noise...kind of a squeal or a "chirp"...hard to describe...lasts maybe 2 seconds, then silent again. The fan in the freezer seems to cycle on and off independently of this squealing noise.

My guess is that the compressor is trying to start but can't get going...because it's shot? Or maybe a bad relay?

Possible clue: taped to the back is a bit of paper that looks like an old-style cash register print-out. It says "134a 3 oz. oil 5 oz." It shows what I take to be a time and date stamp, in July of '04...which is about 8 months before I bought the unit. Makes me wonder if this is really a new unit?

More info: I bought this from the Lowe's store in Dubuque, Iowa on March 17, 2005. It was marked "clearance." But it was clearly sold to me as a new unit with a standard warranty...1 year full warranty and 5-year limited warranty on major components. But when I tried to schedule service for the unit, I ran into trouble...the unit seems to have no serial number, at least none that I can find. (Providing a serial number is step 1 in getting service...no SN, no comprende...) There is a sticker in the freezer that states the dimensions and capacity, and this sticker lists a model number. But the normal factory sticker giving the model and serial numbers is missing. (The Maytag web site gives detailed directions as to where to find this sticker, and shows an example of what it should look like...and I have had Maytag people on the phone while I looked for it, telling me exactly where and what to look for...but it's just not there.) Another disturbing thing is that when I give them the model number (PTB195LGRW) they tell me it's not a valid model number. I have also had the cover off of the compressor compartment, but none of the numbers I found in there are the serial number. However, I have entered the model number at several online appliance parts vendors, and they have it as a Maytag model, listing the whole range of parts.

Also (long post, sorry), I live way out in the sticks...and I am now deeply regretting my decision to go for the cheap deal at a big-box retailer instead of paying a little more at a small appliance dealer in a town 15 or 20 miles away. The saleman at Lowe's has tried to help me, but it seems that all he can come up with is sending out a Maytag-certified repairman from Dubuque, which is 45 miles away, 90 miles round trip. (Any guesses as to what I will have to pay just for the mileage?) Anyhow, if I can get him out here...and if he can find a serial number...and if he finds that I have a bad compressor that's covered under my "limited warranty"...I think I'm still likely to end up with a $200-$300 bill to fix what started out as a $400 refrigerator.

So...am I screwed here or what?

Any thoughts appreciated,

Thanks

Rocksguy

Just a bit more...last night I took off the access panel to the compressor compartment and laid on the floor for a while, listening. This is after the unit was on for about 24 hours. The sound which I previously described as a squealing noise now sounds more like a humming noise...it comes on roughly every 2 minutes and lasts about 5 seconds, then cuts out with a distinct click--this last sound I take to be the relay shutting it off. The "black dome thing"--the compressor?--is hot--hot enough that I can only keep my hand on it for maybe 5 seconds.

I don't know how warm the dome would be in a normally-functioning refrigerator, but this one seems to be getting excessively hot. If the problem was a defective relay, the compressor would not be hot, right?

Would anybody disagree with my conclusion, which is that the compressor unit is the problem?

Thanks

Rocksguy

Here is a link to the clicking sound:
http://www.applianceaid.com/refrigerator.html#clicking

If the compressor is bad, go to the Lowe's store where you bought it from and talk to the store manager and let him/her know what has transpired, they will likely work with you on it.

Your sealed system/compressor is covered for 5 yrs. parts and labor.

Jake

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