[joshlindsay]

I've got an older Jenn-air refrigerator that seems to be having problems with the automatic defrost system. A couple of weeks ago the refrigerator half was not very cold and I noticed ice in the back of the freezer. I took everything out and defrosted it. It worked really well for a while, but I can see that the frost is returning. The model number is JRSD246. I'm not afraid to tackle this myself, but I would love some pointers from the pros.

Also, an unrelated problem, but I might as well fix it if I have it away from the wall and unloaded - The icemaker has been making smaller ice and and sometimes has problems pushing the ice out. When I hooked up a new water supply line from a under sink water filter, the problem went away, but now its back. What steps would you take to troubleshoot this?

Help on either of these problems (mostly the first one) would be greatly appreciated.

[woodchuck]

The components of the defrost system are the defrost timer, defrost heater and defrost thermostat. Check them here. Refrigerator Repair Guide: How To Fix a Refrigerator - ACME HOW TO.com


On the water supply problem, check to see if replacing the line may have disturbed some sediment and partially stopped up the strainer before the inlet valve or inside the valve itself. (how is the water to the water dispenser.)

[joshlindsay]

Thanks Woodchuck, Apologies if this is a repeat, but I seem to be having some trouble posting.
Tonight I will be going into the freezer to defrost it and I'll check on those components. As I understand it, mostly I'm checking for continuity. The timer might give me the most trouble. If anyone out there could give me a heads up for pitfalls or things to watch for on this particular model, I would really appreciate it. This forum is a great resource for me. Thanks again.
Josh


The components of the defrost system are the defrost timer, defrost heater and defrost thermostat. Check them here. Refrigerator Repair Guide: How To Fix a Refrigerator - ACME HOW TO.com


On the water supply problem, check to see if replacing the line may have disturbed some sediment and partially stopped up the strainer before the inlet valve or inside the valve itself. (how is the water to the water dispenser.)

[joshlindsay]

The first thing I pulled out was the defrost thermometer and I can't seem to get any continuity out of it. I tried to measure it both room temperature and cold. Anything I should be careful of when I do this reading, or is this part usually the culprit?
thanks
Josh

[woodchuck]

It often times is the problem. You can bypass the thermostat temporarily to see if the other components work.

[joshlindsay]

What's the easiest way to test to see if the other components work?
Thanks,
Josh


It often times is the problem. You can bypass the thermostat temporarily to see if the other components work.

[woodchuck]

Turn the timer, located here part #20, JRSD246 Parts List until compressor shuts down. It should now be in defrost mode and heater should come on. The timer should stop the cycle 20 minutes later allowing the compressor to come back on. If the timer advances it's ok. If the heater don't come on it's bad.

[joshlindsay]

So, as I understand it, jump the connections to the thermostat that I think may be bad, turn the little knob on the timer until it turns off the compressor. Then check to see if the defrost heaters are warming up. Then just make sure that the compressor comes on after 20 minutes. Right? I'll give it a go.
Thanks again,
Josh

[joshlindsay]

Life keeps getting in the way of finishing this up. Thank goodness it works great for a while after a defrost. I got back to it today and changed my earlier prognosis. I thought it was the defrost thermometer, but I found that I had not tested it at a low enough temperature. It showed continuity when I left it in the neighbors freezer for a while. Then my attention went to the timer. While I was preparing the coils for another defrost today, I jumped the connections where the thermometer went and manually set the timer to turn the heaters on. As I understand it they should stay on for 20 minutes or so. After 40 minutes they were still on. Can I safely assume that the timer is bad? Is there another check I should do. Also, when I look at the part pictured here at Partselect, the timer looks a little different. Different color even. Is that a concern? Thanks again for your help on my long term project.

[woodchuck]

Yes that would indicate a bad timer. The replacement parts is often times different looking but it will work.