Where is the defrost timer on my maytag fridge gz2626geks

Hi,

Check out these tips...they can help you figure out what is going wrong with your refrigerator and why it is not cooling

Refrigerator not Cooling or Fridge not Cooling

How to Defrost Refrigerator Defrost Timer Problem

Water Running in refrigerator from Freezer

Refrigerator or Freezer not Cooling or Getting Cold

heatman101

It sounds like your defrost circuit is having a problem. Once frost builds up on the coil in the freezer compartment, air can no longer be pulled though the fins and circulated into the fresh food compartment. You notice things start to warm up. Eventually, the freezer suffers from the same lack of circulation and contents begin to soften and melt.

The defrost circuit consists of 4 main parts. They are: 1) defrost heater, 2) defrost terminator or sensor in series with the heater, 3) defrost timer and 4) wiring between the previous 3 parts.

The defrost heater is found in the compartment that houses the coiling coil. The defrost terminator or sensor is clipped or otherwise secured to be kept in physical contact with the cooling coil itself. The defrost timer may be located anywhere the manufacturer decides - a popular spot is in the toe space on the bottom of the fridge. The wiring, well, that is between all the parts. Chances are the wiring is fine - as would be the connectors to the individual components.

The defrost timer runs about 8 hours. About 20 - 30 minutes in that 8 hour period the defrost switch operates. This consists of switching power away from the compressor (so it shuts off) and to the defrost heater and defrost terminator. The heater is just a relatively small value heater that warms the compartment to melt any frost or ice from the cooling coil fins. It will be powered for up to 20 - 30 minutes by the timer or less - if the defrost terminator senses a rising temperature on the coil. This means that the heater will be on for either 20 - 30 minute OR until the defrost terminator gets warm enough.

If the timer is stuck - and never moves to the 20 - 30 defrost cycle, the frost on the coil will never melt away. If the timer does work, but the heating element has failed, the frost will never melt away. If the defrost terminator has failed open (preventing the power from getting to the heater), the will not work to melt the frost off the coil. If there is a loose, missing or damaged connection between the wiring harness and these components, it won't run as expected either.

Make sure there is continuity through the heater. When cold (below freezing) the terminator should also have continuity. Many are designed to open around 50 degrees F - so if you warm it up, you should see the continuity go away. The timer needs power to run, and will send power to either the compressor or defrost heater - never both at the same time. Check with power disconnected. Use care checking live circuits - and only work live circuits when you need to check for presence of power - otherwise, unplug!

I hope this helps. Please rate this reply - thanks!

Hi,

Check out these tips...they can help you figure out what is going wrong with your refrigerator and why it is not cooling

Refrigerator not Cooling or Fridge not Cooling

How to Defrost Refrigerator Defrost Timer Problem

Water Running in refrigerator from Freezer

Refrigerator or Freezer not Cooling or Getting Cold

heatman101

Hello,
Not cooling is a fridge repair job that you can do without the help of a professional. Often the fridge has a frost-free failure, or the compressor is faulty but there are many other reasons for a fridge not cooling properly.
Step 1 - Find the Problem

Your first job is to locate the source of the problem. Consider each of the following:

* Gaskets - Make sure the gaskets/seals are not torn and are sealing properly.
* Evaporator fan - Make sure it is working. If it is now working you may have a problem with the fan motor. Check for power to the motor and also examine the fan switches around the door (not all fridges have these switches).
* Air damper - Sometimes the air damper will not open up to allow the cold air from the freezer part to blow into the fridge section.
* Condenser coils - Check to see that the condenser coils don't have a dust build-up and that the condenser motor is working.
* Compressor - Make sure your compressor is working with on and off clicking noises.

Step 2 - Frost-Free Failure

This is the most common cooling problem in fridges. Expose the evaporator coils by accessing the panel in the freezer section. The coils in the freezer section can sometimes get clogged up with frost. This can stop the evaporator fan motor from blowing cold air around, or cause the fan to hit it and stop, or become noisy. The defrost timer can be a bit tricky to find but it is usually located behind the back bottom corners of the fridge, although they can sometimes be found in the ceiling of the fresh food section, or behind the cold control cover.
Step 3 - Find the Timer

When you find the timer, turn the wheel-like screw slowly with a screwdriver until the fridge shuts off. The refrigerator is now defrosting. If you find that the fridge starts now, you will need to replace the defrost thermostat and the defrost timer.
Step 4 - Volt Test

If the heaters do not come on, use a volt meter to ohm test the defrost heater or volt test for 120 volts to the heater. You can bypass the defrost thermostat if you haven't got power to the defrost heater to check if the defrost heater will come on. To bypass the thermostat, join the two wires together. Replace the defrost thermostat and the defrost timer if the heater comes on now.

If there is a ticking or squealing noise in the defrost timer, or it seems hot to touch, replace it.

Many fridges have and inline fuse on both sides of the defrost heater. You will need to replace the whole heater if one of those fuses blows. Check these fuses with a volt meter if the defrost heater doesn't work.

A quick check if you have a cooling problem is to inspect the evaporator coils. If there is a build up of white snow on the coils, this indicates a frost free problem; if there is balled ice on part of the coils with the rest bare, this indicates a system problem, like a problem with the pumping compressor.

Hope this helpout in solving the problem.

Hello,

Insufficient cooling is a fridge repair job that you can do without the help of a professional. Often the fridge has a frost-free failure, or the compressor is faulty but there are many other reasons for a fridge not cooling properly.
Step 1 – Find the Problem

Your first job is to locate the source of the problem. Consider each of the following:

* Gaskets - Make sure the gaskets/seals are not torn and are sealing properly.
* Evaporator fan – Make sure it is working. If it is now working you may have a problem with the fan motor. Check for power to the motor and also examine the fan switches around the door (not all fridges have these switches).
* Air damper – Sometimes the air damper will not open up to allow the cold air from the freezer part to blow into the fridge section.
* Condenser coils – Check to see that the condenser coils don’t have a dust build-up and that the condenser motor is working.
* Compressor – Make sure your compressor is working with on and off clicking noises.

Step 2 – Frost-Free Failure

This is the most common cooling problem in fridges. Expose the evaporator coils by accessing the panel in the freezer section. The coils in the freezer section can sometimes get clogged up with frost. This can stop the evaporator fan motor from blowing cold air around, or cause the fan to hit it and stop, or become noisy. The defrost timer can be a bit tricky to find but it is usually located behind the back bottom corners of the fridge, although they can sometimes be found in the ceiling of the fresh food section, or behind the cold control cover.
Step 3 – Find the Timer

When you find the timer, turn the wheel-like screw slowly with a screwdriver until the fridge shuts off. The refrigerator is now defrosting. If you find that the fridge starts now, you will need to replace the defrost thermostat and the defrost timer.
Step 4 – Volt Test

If the heaters do not come on, use a volt meter to ohm test the defrost heater or volt test for 120 volts to the heater. You can bypass the defrost thermostat if you haven’t got power to the defrost heater to check if the defrost heater will come on. To bypass the thermostat, join the two wires together. Replace the defrost thermostat and the defrost timer if the heater comes on now.

If there is a ticking or squealing noise in the defrost timer, or it seems hot to touch, replace it.

Many fridges have and inline fuse on both sides of the defrost heater. You will need to replace the whole heater if one of those fuses blows. Check these fuses with a volt meter if the defrost heater doesn’t work.

A quick check if you have a cooling problem is to inspect the evaporator coils. If there is a build up of white snow on the coils, this indicates a frost free problem; if there is balled ice on part of the coils with the rest bare, this indicates a system problem, like a problem with the pumping compressor.
hope this helpout........

Hello,

The most common fridge "not cooling" problem is a frost free failure. Remove the access panel in the freezer section to expose the evaporator coils. If the coils in the freezer section get plugged up with frost, this frost will block the evaporator fan motor from blowing the cold air around. The fan blade can also hit this frost and either become noisy or stop altogether. Locating the defrost timer can be tricky....they are often hidden behind the back bottom corners of the fridge at the bottom, in the last few years the timers have been located in the ceiling of the fresh food section, and some behind the cold control cover. Once you locate the defrost timer, slowly turn the screw like wheel in the middle of the defrost timer with a straight screwdriver until the fridge shuts off. You are now in defrost. If the defrost heater(s) comes on now, replace the defrost timer and defrost thermostat. If the heater(s) does not come on, you can ohm test the defrost heater for continuity or volt test for 120 volts to the heater(s). If you have no power to the defrost heater(s) you can also bypass the defrost thermostat to see if the defrost heater will come on, join the 2 wires together to bypass the defrost thermostat. If the heater now comes on, replace the defrost timer and defrost thermostat. If the heater itself is bad, defrost the fridge with a hair dryer, replace the defrost heater* and defrost thermostat. If the defrost timer seems "hot" to the touch or is noisy ( like a ticking or screeching noise )...replace it.

*One new safety device added to refrigerators in the last few years has been a in-line fuse added to both sides of the defrost heater. If one of these fuses let's go, you must replace the whole defrost heater, as it comes as an assembly. If the defrost heater does not work, you should check for one of these fuses being open. Check it with a volt meter or ohm meter.
On a frost free refrigerator, the cooling coils should be in the freezer section. On a SxS style refrigerator the coils will be behind a cover on the back wall. On a freezer on top style the coils could be behind the back wall or under the freezer floor. Removing the cover and exposing the evaporator coils could be a valuable tool. Seeing what the cooling coils looks like may help split your not cooling problem. Totally covered coils with white snow is a frost free problem. and the rest are bare is an indication of a system problem. Example picture one, example picture two, example picture three. System problems may be a leak in the refrigeration tubing, an inefficient not 100% pumping compressor.

Hope this helps...

Hello,

Your first job is to locate the source of the problem. Consider each of the following:

* Gaskets - Make sure the gaskets/seals are not torn and are sealing properly.
* Evaporator fan – Make sure it is working. If it is now working you may have a problem with the fan motor. Check for power to the motor and also examine the fan switches around the door (not all fridges have these switches).
* Air damper – Sometimes the air damper will not open up to allow the cold air from the freezer part to blow into the fridge section.
* Condenser coils – Check to see that the condenser coils don’t have a dust build-up and that the condenser motor is working.
* Compressor – Make sure your compressor is working with on and off clicking noises.

Step 2 – Frost-Free Failure

This is the most common cooling problem in fridges. Expose the evaporator coils by accessing the panel in the freezer section. The coils in the freezer section can sometimes get clogged up with frost. This can stop the evaporator fan motor from blowing cold air around, or cause the fan to hit it and stop, or become noisy. The defrost timer can be a bit tricky to find but it is usually located behind the back bottom corners of the fridge, although they can sometimes be found in the ceiling of the fresh food section, or behind the cold control cover.
Step 3 – Find the Timer

When you find the timer, turn the wheel-like screw slowly with a screwdriver until the fridge shuts off. The refrigerator is now defrosting. If you find that the fridge starts now, you will need to replace the defrost thermostat and the defrost timer.
Step 4 – Volt Test

If the heaters do not come on, use a volt meter to ohm test the defrost heater or volt test for 120 volts to the heater. You can bypass the defrost thermostat if you haven’t got power to the defrost heater to check if the defrost heater will come on. To bypass the thermostat, join the two wires together. Replace the defrost thermostat and the defrost timer if the heater comes on now.

If there is a ticking or squealing noise in the defrost timer, or it seems hot to touch, replace it.

Many fridges have and inline fuse on both sides of the defrost heater. You will need to replace the whole heater if one of those fuses blows. Check these fuses with a volt meter if the defrost heater doesn’t work.

A quick check if you have a cooling problem is to inspect the evaporator coils. If there is a build up of white snow on the coils, this indicates a frost free problem; if there is balled ice on part of the coils with the rest bare, this indicates a system problem, like a problem with the pumping compressor.
hope this help.....

Since you are getting frost in you frost free refrigerator, tell me that the defrost circuit has a problem. It is made of a defrost timer/module, defrost heater and defrost thermostat. What should happen is that the defrost timer should periodically turn off the compressor for about 30 minutes and turn power to the defrost heater via the thermostat. The heater is attached to the evaporator coil and melts any frost build up on those coils.

It sounds like the defrost circuit has not been working for a while because the ice build up is not allowing the air to circulate around the coils to cool the refrigerator. The typical failures to the defrost circuit are the defrost timer motor fails to advance, or the defrost heater burns out. Hope this helps you.

The fridge gets its cold air from the freezer through a vent(damper) between the freezer and fridge.The fan in the freezer blows air through it. Make sure this fan is running. You may have to hold the door switch in for it to run. There is a flap you adjust with the fridge temp. control. Make sure it's opening and closing when you adjust the fridge temp.
The problem could be the electronic control if you have one or the mechanical linkages.

If the evaporator coils behind the back panel of the freezer are icing up because of auto defrost failure that will stop the circulation of cold air and eventually affect the freezer too.

check defrost timer, defrost heater, defrost thermostat. In most newer models the timer has been replaced by an electronic control board. If the heater and thermostat are ok it’ll be the control.

You can turn the defrost timer till it clicks and everything shuts down. The heater should now come on. If it does, replace the timer. If it doesn't, check the heater and defrost thermostat. Turn the timer again till everything starts back up to end the defrost cycle.


Your evaporator coils frost up in normal use and every eight hours or so the entire unit shuts down and the defrost heater comes on to melt the frost. This cycle last about 20 minutes. The melted frost drips into a drain pan and through a drain tube to the drain tray under the freezer/refrigerator where it's evaporated by the condenser fan.

Look to the freezer for your problem. Frost free refrigerators are cooled by air from the freezer compartment. If the freezer cooling coil freezes up air flow to the refrigerator is lost. Look for signs of frost on back wall of the freezer section.

Located the defrost timer, turn the clutch head screw clockwise SLOWLY until you hear one audible click. The system will then be in the defrost mode. During the 18-22 minutes of the defrost cycle heaters are energized and defrost should take place. If defrost happens and the timer does not restart into the cooling mode, rotate the screw one more time SLOWLY to the second click and the system will restart in the cooling mode. Replace the timer in this case.

If the timer restarts the cooling after the defrost period and defrost does not happen your problem is in the defrost heaters or defrost thermostat. They are located inside the back wall of the freezer on the cooling coil.