FIXED 106.54789801 Kenmore Elite side-by-side refrigerator compressor very hot and intermittent clicking

[Hockeyman]

Model Number

106.54789801

Brand

Sears Kenmore

Age

More than 10 years

So the fridge has started to click every now and again and was cooling up until today when I noticed the ice cream getting soft in the freezer section. First thoughts are start relay since mine has a slight rattle, sounds more like a mechanical relay movement to me but I'm no start relay expert...

I ohm'd out all pins, the over load is 0.2ohms and the relay side is OL which points to a bad WP10197427.

Tested the capacitor and it reads 12uf as marked

Tested the compressor C-S 6.4ohms C-R 3.9ohms, no shorts to the body. It was very hot to the touch so I'm assuming that's from the start relay not giving the extra oomph to start and the overload kicks it out protecting the compressor.

Anything else I should rule out? Can pick up a universal 3-in-1 tomorrow or would it be best to stick with the factory parts which are 4 days out?

Advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[rickgburton]

Can pick up a universal 3-in-1

You don't want to do that. A 3-in-1 uses a start capacitor. Your machine uses a run capacitor. A start capacitor will burn out the pc boards. A run capacitor helps the compressor run more efficiently and it's not really necessary. The compressor will run properly without it. Here's the part you need:

Whirlpool WPW10189190 Start Device Assembly (AP6016586) - AppliancePartsPros.com

This start device includes the relay and overload., WPW10189190 / AP6016586 made by Whirlpool

click.linksynergy.com

 

[Hockeyman]

Thanks for the quick response.

The local appliance guy mentioned a hard start kit would work, maybe the 4-in-1 with run capacitor is what he meant.

I'll just order the proper start device and be done with it. Thanks for your help.

 

[rickgburton]

Local appliance guy is wrong. A "hard start" refers to the use of a start capacitor. There's no such animal as a 4-in-1.

I'll just order the proper start device and be done with it.

Good idea!

 

[Hockeyman]

Update... Installed the new start device and the fridge is running like a champ again! Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!

Next little issue with fridge is the ice doesn't always fall into the bin, sometimes misses and falls to bottom of freezer. Any tips on getting them all to drop inside the bin and not have the one or two that miss every now and again?

 

[rickgburton]

Check if the plastic pieces on the ice maker are warped or broken.