Changingthe start relay on a Whirlpool Refrigerator

[distantport]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JamesWorley]

That is what is wrong with the Frigidare Model# FRS26ZPH that I picked up from a guy who was throwing it away!

I took it apart today and cleaned it, cleaned the drain, checked the fans and found the problem with that part. The part number on the one that I have to replace is Part# 218721110 .

Now to find it at a reasonable price!

[RJC6490]

... really two minutes to move the refrigerator ... such a simple thing, like how are the wires attached to that 'starter relay' ... it's free ...

[greatgambino]

thank you so much for this video! you saved me from throwing out a 6 year old refrigerator that was hardly used. I know when u made this video you may have doubted how much value it would be, but to those of us in need of help in these difficult financial times, your video was a life saver!

[Mujahid1]

I just pulled off my start relay on my Whirlpool Refrigerator. It sounds just like the one in the video and stuff if falling out of it. It even smell burnt up. The parts stores are closed, so I'll track one of these relays down tomorrow.

[Mujahid1]

@Mujahid1 I went a parts supplier and bought a start relay, replaced it and now my refrigerator is running a champ! Thank you very much!!! I thought I was going to have to buy a new one. I love DIY videos! :)

[momof3RN2b]

Thanks a bunch for posting this video. You guys saved me the $85 service fee our local appliance repair company wanted just to LOOK at our fridge.

[caiobabe]

A bad compressor starter will cause the compressor to overheat and could possibly ruin the unit. Most repairmen DO NOT replace compressors. That fix alone is about half the cost of a whole new fridge. If you hear a clicking noise about every two to ten minutes and the compressor feels hot to the touch it would be wise to unplug the fridge so you do not cause further damage. One obvious way to know that the starter relay is bad is to remove it and give it a shake. If it rattles...it's bad.

[stopyourbitchin]

Sears guy doing a side job on you tube?

[scssimpson]

Thank you for posting this video!! I to just had the start relay go out on my whirlpool side by side and even looked to be the same exact model as in the video. Saved at least $160 for repairman cost. Part was in stock and cost $65 at local appliance store. Came in a kit with other parts I didn't need but the darn thing is up and running and the temp has already gone down!

[TheGhettoGourmet]

@scssimpson Glad you got yours repaired, but the appliance stores will rip you off as much as the repair man. The same part can be purchased online for $20 (and about $1.30 to manufacture). It's a shame manufacturer's won't repair a commonly breaking part or use better components. They want people to just buy a new fridge--or sell them a severely marked up part.

[rydwy222]

THANKSSSSSSSSSSS FOR THE VID. you saved me a ton of money!!!!!!!!

[GreyRockOne]

have they heard of editing??

[Chalupa6059]

@GreyRockOne nope, what is this thing you call editing?

[ZuffaLtdDanaWhite]

@Chalupa6059 meaning skip out all the b.s. unnecessary yip-yapping and the sad effort it takes to use 2-men to move an upright fridge lol... and get to he point.

[jab0805]

Frigidaire works the same. Thanks for the vid!

[stylingirl0204]

Where do you get a compressor? We have the exact same fridge & this just happened to us recently. Thanks to your help, we were able to figure out what the problem is but we're not sure where to buy it. We purchased our fridge at Future shop, but where can you buy the part?

[Chalupa6059]

@stylingirl0204 i'm sure theres some on ebay or at any plumbing or hardware stores.

[shredder1965]

"....oh, there's the problem. It's caught on my penis."

[combo9011]

@chalupa6059 thank u for ur video, i jus fix my frigerator !! its a good learning experience . i had to wait a bout a week for d parts though

[combo9011]

@wildlifehawaii, hey man my whirlpool frig jus broke yesterday and it d same model as d one in dis video. i atemp to fix it but relay kept clicking on and off every minute or so. i reshake it but it does d same so tomorrow i go buy a new relay anyway thanks fo d commont, u guy save me from buyin a new frig. this d first time i have trouble wit d frig

[WildLifeHawaii]

OK, Im back. it doesn't seem like 4 months, seems longer, but my relay is clicking again and fridge/freezer isn't getting cold.

I just now took the relay off, I noticed it smelled burned. Cleaned it with a spray, then lubed it again.

Its working fine once more.

So this is the third time I've saved it, even with it smelling (electrically) burnt, which would have been a strong argument in any repair mans favor to convince me to it was toast and needed replacing.

[PainMaker999]

actually on the newer refrigerators the relay is made of a metallic composite. They do wear out after a few years. You can see in this video he shakes it and states that stuff is coming out. This is a sure sign the relay has shattered. The older refrigerators have a relay made of copper and are more reliable. This guy is right the relay was dead.

[WildLifeHawaii]

Relays 'can' burn-out, though its rare, the exception.

If your fridge is kicking-on and off and you hear clicking, the relay is not burned/dead, its trying to work, but its unable to act as a magnet due to dirt/rust etc and/or a static charge from dust.

These fridge mechanical relays are easily fixable☟ Service repairmen are not taught this for obvious reasons.

If you have even basic mechanical skills you can easily fix this problem, go for it!

[WildLifeHawaii]

Listen up. The relay is just a piece of steel floating inside a plastic case. Electrical current is applied via a coil (copper wire you'll see it if you take the plastic cover off) and the floating piece is moved magneticaly to make a connection.

There's nothing to 'go bad' on a mechanical relay. Just like the starter relay on your car, dirt, carbon, rust along with a static-charge builds up on the moving piece, it won't conduct the applied magnetic charge and so doesn't move. ☝

[WildLifeHawaii]

...if you hear a 'clicking' sound, its the floating piece failing to make a connection (actually good news- its not the comp).

I just fixed my relay (Whirlpool) by taking it apart and spraying it with a teflon lube, then shaking it for about a minute. Also cleaned the dust around the relay mount.

I did this 3 years ago when i fist encountered the problem and its worked till 10 minutes ago, I just did it again, everything works perfectly again. The part alone is $50-100

Fix it yourself.