I have a Kenmore model 596.58642891. A few days ago, the thru-the-door water stopped working. We could still get ice, but no water. We could hear what I believe was the solenoid, the light would come on, but no water. Using this site, we checked the water tank in the back of the refrigerator side, it did not appear to be frozen. We disconnected the quick connect under the freezer door and received water when asked. When we reconnected the water line, everything worked. The next morning the water had stopped working, again. Now, both freezer and refrigerator sides are warm (apparently the no water thing was just the start of things). We left the whole thing unplugged for 24 hours, cleaned/vacuumed everything we could get to. After plugging back in, it looked like both sides were beginning to cool. That didnt last. At the moment, both sides are warm. Regardless of where the thermostats are set, I do not hear or feel anything running inside either compartment. There was a fan or motor running underneath, but it just kicked off as I was typing this post. Thanks for any assistance.

Hi,

Its your defrost thermostat thats possibly bad, I've changed tons of them for this same issue.

Its #22 here:
http://c.searspartsdirect.com/lis_pn...0117-00008.png

It clips on the top of your evaporator coil inside your freezer, unplug your refrigerator first, then take the shelves out of the freezer then take the lower back panel off from inside your freezer.

Here's the defrost thermostat for your model you can order:
Defrost thermostat with wire harness, clip-on, L48-33 degrees
(The manufacturer has replaced part number 12017823 with this item, part number R0161088.)


The defrost thermostat also controls your evaporator fan motor above your coil, so once you replace the defrost thermostat the fan should start running again after about 20 minutes.

Just to make sure your fan motor is good, I use a volt meter to check for 120 volts at the fan motor terminals, so you may want to do that first while the refrigerator is on and running, in rare cases the fan motor may be bad.

After you unplugged it for 24 hours then plugged it in, did you hear the fan motor in the freezer blowing? If so, then its definitely your defrost thermostat thats bad.

Here's the evaporator fan motor for your model used from July 2000 through present(serial# prefix 0007):
Manufacturer's Number: W10189703



Jake

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Thanks for the quick response, Jake! After the 24 hour unplug, my wife plugged it back in. She says that the freezer was getting cold (I wasnt home). She did not specifically check to see if the fan was running, but it would have been running, I believe, unless there was some sort of passive air movement that was cooling the freezer (follow that logic?).

Additional: The plot thickens...I was away from home for several hours and after reading your reply, went into the freezer to look for the thermostat. The motor/fan underneath is running. I do not feel/hear any air movement in the freezer, but it is cold at the bottom. A freezie pop left in the bottom of the freezer (a test subject) is frozen.

The fan underneath is your condenser fan, that should be running while your compressor in the back is running.

So is your refrigerator running now? Don't turn it off, let it run, and check for frost build-up on the evaporator coil, also look at your defrost thermostat, does the top of your defrost thermostat look like its bulging at the top?

Its likely you will need to change it at any rate.

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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Well, it was running last night when I got home. I unplugged it when I started snooping around again. I did notice, however, that there was frost visible on the coil at the back of the freezer (visible thru slots in the cover at the back of the freezer, down at the bottom). I have not yet removed the cover, so I have not yet seen the defrost thermostat. Should I plug everything back in to see if the defrost thermostat bulges?

No, just remove the lower back cover inside the freezer so you can physically see the defrost thermostat.

Please leave it pulled in and running, thats the only way to tell if the frost is building up excessively.

You can unplug it just to remove the back cover if you want.

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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OK, it has been plugged in for about 20 hours. Both sides (refrigerator and freezer) are cold. I removed the lower back cover in the freezer. There is no frost on the evaporator coil. The only frost I see is on the line immediately adjacent to the defrost thermostat. I cannot tell if the top of the thermostat is bulging, but there does appear to be a cap on top that is slightly askew. I'm guessing that my current cold condition is a temporary one since I haven't replaced anything yet.

Ok,

Because you should have a thin layer of frost on all the evaporator coils.

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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I just checked again. There is a thin layer present. Leave it alone, or replace the defrost thermostat?

Let it run and check it tomorrow, but sure to put the back panel back on till tomorrow.

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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