Kenmore Elite 795.71056.014 - Sealed System?

[DontDoItKenmore]

Model Number

795.71056.014

Brand

Sears Kenmore

Age

More than 10 years

I have a Kenmore Elite 795.71056.014 refrigerator (purchased in 2013) that suddenly stopped cooling and freezing. This was left by the previous owners of the house we bought so no go on the warranty and likely is not worth it. The evaporator fan / freezer fan all work and the compressor is running. Compressor gets slightly warm and does vibrate.

However, freezer fan stays on all of the time even with the door open. Pulled power panel off the back and no green light blinking etc. I let the refrigerator stay open/defrost for several days before plugging back in and letting settle for several days. No error code shown when pressing ultra ice + freezer on ice maker. I cycled through the test modes and everything kicks on/works as expected with the exception that both freezer and refrigerator only get down to ~50-60 degrees F after 24 hours of running. Service manual is here: https://www.appliancefactoryparts.com/content/pdfs/146986-2.pdf

I took the panel off to look at the freezer coils and noticed the coils have no frost and no indication of defrost occurring. I was hoping that it was stuck in defrost mode or something that could be easily fixed but it doesn't appear so. Shouldn't the freezer fan kick off when opened and not blow air? Would very much appreciate if someone could confirm if this is fixable or the dreaded sealed system = trash issue. Thanks!!

Attaching a picture for clarity.

https://imgur.com/a/vq1Byip

 

[Dan O.]

the coils have no frost

There is frosting on the tubing leading to the evaporator coil. That indicates a refrigeration system problem which will need a professional to diagnose further and/or repair. That could be due to lack of refrigerant or a problem with the compressor. It will likely be a minimum of $150+ to repair and could be much, much more if the compressor is the cause.

Shouldn't the freezer fan kick off when opened

I do not know on your model but that has nothing to do with your cooling problem.


Dan O.