WRF989SDAM00 Whirlpool Refrigerator - Freezer fine- fridge not cooling

[benny12]

Model Number

WRF989SDAM00

Brand

Whirlpool

Age

6-10 years

I woke up yesterday to a warm fridge, but the freezer seemed fine. After researching I ended up cleaning/vacuuming the condensers under the fridge and pulling the draw out and using a hairdryer removing a couple pounds of ice that had accumulated on the cooling unit (evaporator?). clearly airflow was being blocked across the whole unit.

After everything was cleaned and put back together the temp was around 74. The temp has dropped, but as of this morning ~20 hours later with minimal door openings, the temp is still around 50. Should I continue to wait or is there another issue?

 

[rickgburton]

We've been seeing a lot of issues with the evaporator fan motor lately. Check if it's running. If not check for 13V at the fan motor.

Whirlpool W10633627 Motor-Evap - AppliancePartsPros.com

MOTOR-EVAP W10633627 / AP5781863 made by Whirlpool

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[benny12]

Is that the fan under the back side of the fridge behind the cardboard/insulation cover?

We've been seeing a lot of issues with the evaporator fan motor lately. Check if it's running. If not check for 13V at the fan motor.

 

[rickgburton]

Inside the refrigerator compartment:

 

[benny12]

Yeah, that was a stupid question. I found it on a schematic.

I'm not even going to bother checking the voltage... Not going to lie, I feel like an irresponsible home/refrigerator owner.

Should I empty the freezer, kill the power and let all this melt out? Am I looking at other issues or would the evaporator fan motor fan quitting cause this?

 

[rickgburton]

I'm not even going to bother checking the voltage...

You should check it. If you don't have the 13V the board might be the problem.

 

[benny12]

Is there a better way to thaw this out than unplugging and leaving the door open?

 

[rickgburton]

A hair dryer works perfect.

 

[benny12]

I got:

14 volts between the red and the striped wire
9 volts between the red and the yellow
5 volts between the yellow and the striped

Should I go ahead and buy that fan?

 

[rickgburton]

Yes