Kenmore Refrigerator 106.8596880 cooling won't stay on?

Kenmore Refrigerator 106.8596880 cooling won't stay on? My Kenmore refrigerator 106.8596880 stopped cooling/freezing. I I bought a new thermostat control only to discovered after I installed it, that it was not an exact parts match, it fit but the dial numbering is off. The part number was the same but I found out later that this part comes in different models based on the specific unit. Anywho, the fridge started cooling so I was fine once I determined what was high, low, off, on. After about a few days, the fridge was dead silent though it had power, as the lights worked. I tapped the temperature control housing and it came on and began to cool however, I found it randomly stops cooling and I have to give it a few sharp taps to get it to start running. The fridge has an energy saver switch that I use to alert me when the fridge is not running as it should. If the light is out, I give sharply tap til the light comes on which indicates that fridge is cooling. I need to fix this problem once and for all!

Asked by: Guest | Views: 179

Total answers/comments: 3

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mcgyver89 [Entry]

"C Rob

Rep: 37

3

1"

mcgyver89 [Entry]

"If this can help some, my Kenmore refrigerator stopped running too but I discovered that by tapping on the control box inside the fridge, it would start again. Some mentioned in that case we should change the thermostat control unit but that did not make sense to me. I was not taping the control only the outer case and not that hard. So I took the two screws off only to find out I could stop and starts the fridge just by playing with the wires attached to the control. Both connectors were loose. I took needle pliers and squeezed the terminals so the connections are tight again. Voilà!

There's a video on YouTube about changing the thermostat that has the exact same control has mine. I did not took the whole thing apart. Just unscrew the two nuts and tighten the two wires ( in his case, the black and orange wire )

https://youtu.be/ySYu-umiUp0"

mcgyver89 [Entry]

Soooo its 2019 and its beginning to look like every 2 years or so the defrost timer goes on the fritz. This time I unloaded freezer then thawed with dryer but fridge still wasn't cooling properly based on nifty thermometer I now keep in fridge to monitor the temp. Its Saturday so I gotta figure out what's going on before parts stores close. I can see through coil cover that coils are iced over. After I Watch a YouTube video on how deforest timer SHOULD work I get trusty screwdriver and commenced to turn and test. I hear when compressor turns if then eerie silence. Then a pop of sorts can be heard, which I read is the heater coil kicking in. Rather than unload freezer again to see if coils are thawing the Holy Spirit gives me the idea to watch for water dripping into reservoir. Lo and behold, I can actually SEE the heater coil is red hot and I can see the ice melting. Whew, that saved an hour of time arranging frozen food! So I make a tiny mark on the defrost timer so I can watch it as it slowly turns through the cycle. Fridge is now cooling. Trusty thermometer is showing drop in temperature so it appears the defrost timer wasn't kicking on to defrost coils every 10 or so hours and the ice buildup kept the freon from doing its job. I'll keep monitoring it for a few days and if it sticks again I'll replace the defrost timer. Hope this helps someone.