Amana ARB2517CSL Refrigerator Repair

I have an Amana 25 cubic foot refrigerator with a bottom drawer freezer that was manufactured in 2002. Refrigerators manufactured today are only expected to last 10-12 years. As you can see from the photo, this one is in very good condition. About ten years ago, shortly after I moved into the home, the refrigerator stopped working. Back then, I replaced the relay overload start device attached to the compressor to get it working again. A couple of weeks ago, it started having problems cooling. It was making a buzzing sound followed by a click every few minutes. This usually indicates that the start relay has failed.

I went online to order the part but found out that the original part number (W67002783) was no longer available. There were a few places that still had it, but the cost was as high as $50. The replacement part number (W10613606) was only $12 with free shipping, so I ordered one from Amazon. When the new replacement part arrived, it was an exact fit, except the capacitor was smaller in size. I installed it and the compressor wouldn't start. I then attached the old capacitor to the new relay and that worked. But, 24 hours later, it was making the buzzing clicking noise again.

I went online again and found several YouTube videos that explained how the relay device worked and how to test it. Continuity on the compressor was good and it was cooling the fridge when it did run. The relay has a 3-pin configuration to match the compressor. I checked the continuity on the relay socket and the top pin failed when doing a test to the power socket. When I checked the old relay, the connection was good. So, I attached the old relay with the new capacitor and the compressor started right up. After 24 hours, it started making the buzzing clicking noise again. This time, I noticed that the compressor was much warmer than it should be.

The cooling coils are on the bottom of this model. I routinely vacuum the front grill when cleaning the kitchen floor. But maybe that wasn't enough. I took the plastic grill off and saw that dust had collected on the cooling coils. I fashioned an old toothbrush to the end of a thin nylon rod and attached a 3-foot x 1/2" diameter hose to a vacuum attachment, then I spent about an hour doing a deep cleaning on the coils. It took some time to get all of the dust removed because there isn't much space under there. I didn't want to use compressed air because dust would have gone everywhere. By now, the compressor had cooled down and the refrigerator and relay had reset. I turned on the power and the compressor started up. After 24 hours, the compressor was much cooler than before the coil cleaning. 

There are many things that can go wrong with a kitchen appliance. But if you have cooling coils under your fridge, they need an annual deep cleaning. It can cost as much $2000 to replace a 25 cubic foot refrigerator. I would most likely have to get a less expensive 21 cubic foot unit as a replacement. None of the common brands that I researched had very good reviews for quality and reliability. I didn't want to spend $1200 for something that isn't as good as what I had. The one thing I learned was that the more features a unit has, the more things there are to fail. I was surprised how much better the fridge runs after the cleaning. Hopefully it will last a few more years.