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The small fan in the photo does not turn. The small motor is "warm" to the touch.
I can replace the motor for $110.00, but if that small fan does not directly affect the unit staying at 0-5-10 degrees, then the $110.00 is a waste of money.
The fan may help in the cooling process, and defrost cycles, etc. but.....can the fan motor be the only reason this freezer is at 60 degrees inside temperature?
Nice 6 year old full size Whirpool, shame to see it die at age 6.
But, $110.00 to replace the fan motor, just to get the fan to turn, if the fan does not generate the cooling of the coils, etc.......
You need the fan. it moves the air through the coils. convection will not work by itself. as far as other issues, we can't say, there could be other issues too we are not aware off. .
Last edited by mathjak107; 01-07-2013 at 02:12 PM..
I guess I have to replace the fan motor and hope that is the fix.
If the alarm went off in the night and after x number of minute it times out and turned off, does the compressor and other cooling parts keep running and running?
Or is there some cutoff mechanism that shuts the whole thing down when the alarm is ignored?
When I discovered the water on the floor, the inside light was on.
So, it was getting power. Whether the compressor was then dead due to the bad fan motor having gone bad 18 hours earlier, not sure.
Heat causes the refrigerant pressure in the tubes to increase. Some units may have a "high pressure cut-off" switch which would turn the compressor off. Also may have a "low pressure cut-off" switch if the pressure was too low - like if there was a leak in the coils.
And some may have a temperature sensor on the compressor which would shut it off if it became too hot.
So the compressor could continue to run after the fan broke, then stop if too much pressure or too hot. Or possible it would continue to run and the compressor burn up!
I would turn it off for awhile, then turn it back on and see if the compressor starts running and those coils get warm/hot. That would mean the compressor is running and there is refrigerant in the tubing.
And I would check with a voltmeter that you are getting power to the fan. These have various controls or circuits which for some reason might not be supplying power to the fan.
If everything else is working and power is getting to the fan, THEN get a new fan.
I unplugged the freezer yesterday morning. I waited 12 hours and plugged it back in. Door closed. I go back 8 hours later, the time the manual says to start up cooling period.
The thermometer said 60 degrees, there were a small amount of ice around the copper tubing top right of the coils in the above photo.
I never heard any noise that would tell me if the compressor was running or not.
The fan motor was "warm to the touch" but not hot. The plastic fan blade did not turn.
I've removed the fan motor.
What can I do now to verify if the compressor is good.
To buy a $110 fan motor ($102 + tax) is a waste, if the compressor is burned up.
There was no odor of smoke, no fluid leaking except from thawed food. Nothing to suspect a compressor issue.
Longer answer - that is the evaporator coil. In operation, the fan would move the cold from it around the case. The fan burning out wouldn't have much if any effect on the compressor being able to get that coil down to where it would be freezing all through it. Since there is some cooling still, I would tend to suspect a high-side leak of refrigerant. The cost of repair would be more than the cost of a new unit - and - once a system is breached it is more prone to failure.
Longer answer - that is the evaporator coil. In operation, the fan would move the cold from it around the case. The fan burning out wouldn't have much if any effect on the compressor being able to get that coil down to where it would be freezing all through it. Since there is some cooling still, I would tend to suspect a high-side leak of refrigerant. The cost of repair would be more than the cost of a new unit - and - once a system is breached it is more prone to failure.
I can get a good used freezer for near the cost of the motor, that is true.
Here is a new photo. I could not remove the motor because there were 3 wires in the harness. The white and blue go to the motor. There was a black wire that wrapped around the sides of the coils and attatched to the end of a copper tube at the bottom. This black wire was not seen as having a way to disconnect so I had to cut the white and blue wire to remove the motor. In the photo the blades of the fan are broken. They do not turn smoothly and rub as they turn.
The damages to the blades is from turning fast and touching and rubbing the two screws that hold the motor to the bracket. I can hook the motor back up and maybe it turns.
The blades were not being allowed to turn.
revised: The motor has been re-installed and is turning like a new one. I'll leave it on setting 4, door closed for 8-10 hours and see if it tries to cool down.
The fan motor is ok. That at least removes that as a part needing to be replaced.
Last edited by howard555; 01-08-2013 at 01:43 PM..
Longer answer - that is the evaporator coil. In operation, the fan would move the cold from it around the case. The fan burning out wouldn't have much if any effect on the compressor being able to get that coil down to where it would be freezing all through it. Since there is some cooling still, I would tend to suspect a high-side leak of refrigerant. The cost of repair would be more than the cost of a new unit - and - once a system is breached it is more prone to failure.
Correct, with no fan running it should have turned the coil into a block of ice.
Correct, with no fan running it should have turned the coil into a block of ice.
Well in the photo at the top, the fan is not running and you see a small amount of ice near the top right = dead compressor ?
Last edited by howard555; 01-08-2013 at 02:22 PM..
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