FIXED Frigidaire FFTR2021TW5 Cooling shutting down?

[ApplianceFirst]

Model Number

FFTR2021TW5

Brand

Frigidaire

Age

1-5 years

FFTR2021TW5 is a top mount fridge. I went to help this customer about a week ago. Cooling and everything seemed fine, but the evaporator fan in freezer was not running and was starting to freeze around the evaporator cover going to fridge. I defrosted the freezer to fridge cover and ordered a new evaporator fan (there was 120v going to the fan and using a cheater cord outside the fridge it would not turn).

Installed new fan, everything is working good.

I get a call the fan is stopped again and is getting warm. I go out to look at unit and fan is in fact not spinning.

• I take it out and put a cheater cord on the new evap fan, it starts immediately.
• I check the voltage in fridge going to evap fan, nothing.
• So I go to back, and condenser fan is not on either. I unplug, check wall voltage, good.
• I leave unplugged, check compressor, good.
• Check run capacitor 15.5uF so good.
• I realize the start relay is a newer type with a mini processor board so I cannot do continuity check on that, but read to check voltage coming out of it.
• I unplug the condenser fan and plug unit back in, check voltage input to condenser fan, 120v good. Unplug unit, connect condenser fan again, and plug unit back it... boom everything kicks right on.

I get a call an hour later, the fans have stopped again. Any idea what would cause the fans to just stop? Originally it was cooling, but the evap fan just was not working. Now it appears the fans are able to work, but they lose voltage. I am not 100% sure if the compressor shuts down at this time, but it was still frosty and cold when I looked at it.

 

[Jake]

This is a very basic model, your temperature control thermostat sends 120 volts to the fans and compressor when the unit is running. That may be starting to fail, see if the customer notices if the refrigerator is dead silent when this problem happens.

Here's the temperature control thermostat for your model:
Temperature Control Thermostat 241537103


There is a video in the temperature control thermostat part link that shows you how to replace it.

 

[ApplianceFirst]

Will do thank you

 

[Jake]

Your welcome, let us know what happens.

 

[ApplianceFirst]

OK update, I was trying to figure out if the fans were turning off and staying off, like is it warm?
So I spoke to tennant directly and he said basically the best way to explain it is, it will shut off for awhile and water will leak into the fridge, maybe about an hour or two. Then it will come back on long enough to get cold again, but it gets warm enough for milk to go bad.

To me it almost sounds like it's defrosting for to long, which would also explain the fans turning off. Am I wrong here?

Refrigerator defrost timer
Part #241705102

Is what I'm thinking may be the culprit.

 

[Jake]

The defrost timer should only be into defrost mode for no longer than 30 to 40 minutes.

Next time this happens tell them to give a HARD TAP with their hand on the temperature control knob and see if the compressor and fans come on.

 

[ApplianceFirst]

Do you still think it's the temperature control? I told them to try the hard tap

 

[Jake]

Usually if the defrost timer is stuck in the defrost cycle it will not come out at all, see what I mean? Thus it will not switch back to the cooling cycle.

 

[ApplianceFirst]

This item is fixed, thanks

 

[Jake]

Was it the new temperature control thermostat that fixed it?

 

[ApplianceFirst]

Was it the new temperature control thermostat that fixed it?

Yes

 

[Jake]

Excellent, glad to hear that.

Thanks for the update!