253.54369409 Sears-Kenmore - spontaneously stops freezing/cooling (seasonal?)

[derinj]

Model Number

253.54369409

Brand

Sears Kenmore

Age

More than 10 years

Hi folks, this side-by-side fridge of ours lives in the garage for food overflow and recently the freezer side stopped working, then the fridge side stopped cooling. I took the back panel off, checked the compressor (vibrating, warm to the touch, but not overheating), condenser fan (running fine), cleaned the coils and surrounding area from lots of lint and dog hair. After that the fridge side appears to be working, but the freezer is still not.

Removed the inside back panel in the freezer and noticed the evaporator fan was cycling on-and-off about every second, no frost on the coils, but there was a build-up of ice on one of the coil lines that goes into the back of the fridge (not sure what this is called, send line?). I unplugged the fridge to let that defrost, then plugged in again and waited 24 hours -- no luck.

Currently it looks like this (pic), no frost on coils, evaporator fan runs continuously, but there's a slow build of frost/ice on this same line. I don't know what the black stuff on the coils is, but it feels like electrical tape that got too hot and melted or some kind of goop, I wondering if this is the issue? (Also, is the defrost thermostat in the right place? Wasn't sure).

Incidentally, the exact same thing happened about a year ago, but I couldn't devote a lot of time to fixing it so just blew out the coils/bottom part in back and eventually it all started working, but here we are again. Someone told me the ambient temp outside of the fridge makes it act like this, but I'd never heard of that before (?). Any thoughts appreciated, thanks!

 

[Jake]

Hi,

Removed the inside back panel in the freezer and noticed the evaporator fan was cycling on-and-off about every second

Its the ADC board, but its no longer available from the factory:
5303918476 Adaptive Defrost Control Board


Here's another member that had that same issue:

FIXED - FRS26H7CSB2 Evaporator fan cycles on and off

The Evaporator fan (in the freezer) cycles on and off sometimes. on about a 1 second rate. It will do this for hours. Other times it runs fine. Both freezer and Fridge are maintaining correct temperatures, for now, obviously this won't last. This has steadily gotten worse over a period of about...

www.applianceblog.com

no frost on the coils, but there was a build-up of ice on one of the coil lines that goes into the back of the fridge (not sure what this is called, send line?)

Suction line. That indicates a sealed system problem.

I don't know what the black stuff on the coils is, but it feels like electrical tape that got too hot and melted or some kind of goop, I wondering if this is the issue?

The manufacturers will sometime use a piece of permagum (plumbers putty) around the cap tube and muffler where refrigerant enters the evaporator. It's an added layer of sound protection to keep the sound (if any) of refrigerant boiling (gurgling) to a minimum. You can leave it off without any problems or you can warm it up to room temperature and remold it around the same spot.

--->Its better to leave it off, in case it drips down again.

 

[Jake]

Someone told me the ambient temp outside of the fridge makes it act like this, but I'd never heard of that before (?).

Here's our main thread on this question, and Pegi at Sams has a good solution: garage refrigerator questions

Also you can do what Rick says here:

How do I make my refrigerator work in the garage if the Garage Kit (5303918301) is not compatible?

A few weeks ago I purchased a Frigidaire FFTR2021QS6 for the garage to provide additional refrigerator and freezer space. I was told by multiple people it was not "garage-ready", and that it would not operate properly in temperatures below 55 degrees. However I could use the Garage Kit (Part...

www.applianceblog.com

 

[derinj]

Thanks for the assist Jake, I've been monitoring it the past week and after a second unplug/defrost it appears the fridge side is working fine (cools well, adjusts with changes to the temp gauge). The evaporator fan is no longer cycling on-off (running continuously when it does kick on that is), so does that mean the ADC board should still be good? The suction line is frozen again but it's spread and appears like it wants to try and work through the coils (see pic). I guess this still means a sealed system issue, so maybe the compressor? But if it's the compressor would the fridge side still work well? Or maybe I can try unplugging/defrosting again? The freezer side is about as cold as the fridge side.

Thanks for those posts on ambient temp, the weird thing with ours is it works fine all through the winter, but then goes south when the temperatures started rising for spring. I don't know, probably coincidental? Anyways, is the next step to bring a tech out or anything else I could try? Thanks!

-Derin

 

[Jake]

The suction line is frozen again but it's spread and appears like it wants to try and work through the coils (see pic). I guess this still means a sealed system issue, so maybe the compressor?

Yes, that's a sealed system issue.

But if it's the compressor would the fridge side still work well?

Just barely.

Or maybe I can try unplugging/defrosting again?

No, its a sealed system issue, that wouldn't help.

Thanks for those posts on ambient temp, the weird thing with ours is it works fine all through the winter, but then goes south when the temperatures started rising for spring. I don't know, probably coincidental? Anyways, is the next step to bring a tech out or anything else I could try? Thanks!

Yes, as spring and summer are coming it will only get warmer in both sides.

The sealed system consists of the compressor, condenser, evaporator, heat exchanger, filter/drier and refrigerant.

Common problems with a sealed system are bad compressors, refrigerant leaks, and system restrictions.

Sealed system repair costs will often exceed the machines value.

 

[derinj]

Thanks Jake! Looks like it's time to say farewell to this one, much appreciated!

 

[Jake]

Glad to help!