Things are getting weirder and weirder. My original post is at the bottom. 

I have received the replacement relay and capacitor today.

Installed them (it was a 2 minute job). 

Plugged in the fridge. 

The compressor happily started working normally, mildly vibrating and
indicating in all respects that it is running fine. 

Happy after 2 minutes, I turned off the fridge, and reinstalled the
rear insulated covering panel and ground.

Plugged in again and I HEARD THE SAME OLD DREADED BUZZING SOUND. Now,
the compressor motor would not start again! It busses fomr several
seconds and the relay clicks and turns it off.  

I am completely puzzled as to why exactly it turned on once, but would
not turn on again. 

Any idea?

i


On 2010-08-31, Ignoramus20906 <i...@NOSPAM.20906.invalid> wrote:
> I have an electronic Kenmore refrigerator 596.50013100. I bought it
> from a private party over a year ago and it has been working great
> until now. It seems very well made, overall. 
>
> Yesterday it started beeping and displaying a strange trouble signal:
>
>           http://igor.chudov.com/tmp/Kenmore-Trouble.jpg
>
> It is right above the word "Kenmore", is red and looks like a crossed
> lock and an exclamation.
>
> The temperature in the unit has been rising since then and clearly, it
> is not cooling anything. Right now both freezer and fridge are at 46
> degrees F. 
>
> I tried calling Kenmore, but could only speak to dummies who are
> forbidden to give any diagnostics.
>
> My question is WTF does this sign mean? It is meant to tell me
> something. 
>
> Thanks
>
> i

...
>Happy after 2 minutes, I turned off the fridge, and reinstalled the
>rear insulated covering panel and ground.
>
>Plugged in again and I HEARD THE SAME OLD DREADED BUZZING SOUND. Now,
>the compressor motor would not start again! It busses fomr several
>seconds and the relay clicks and turns it off.  
>
>I am completely puzzled as to why exactly it turned on once, but would
>not turn on again. 
>
>Any idea?
>
Did you try cursing and kicking? That's my normal solution to this
type problem. Its never helped, but I keep trying it anyway.

Karl

No doubt someone mor knowledgable will have something to add here, but
it sounds like the compressor is trying to start against a load. How
long was it unplugged while you were replacing the cover? I imagine it
should be unplugged at least three ininutes, and probably five.
However, I'd also imagine that there would be a timer of some sort to
prevent short-cycling. Of course, the thermal protection in the motor
would kick in eventually, but my air conditioner, for example, simply
will not run the compressor for a few minutes after you plug it in if
it had been running just prior to unplugging.

Anyway, I'd suggest that you let it rest a few minutes and then try
again.

On 9/2/2010 8:03 PM, Ignoramus28169 wrote:
> Things are getting weirder and weirder. My original post is at the bottom.
>
> I have received the replacement relay and capacitor today.
>
> Installed them (it was a 2 minute job).
>
> Plugged in the fridge.
>
> The compressor happily started working normally, mildly vibrating and
> indicating in all respects that it is running fine.
>
> Happy after 2 minutes, I turned off the fridge, and reinstalled the
> rear insulated covering panel and ground.
>
> Plugged in again and I HEARD THE SAME OLD DREADED BUZZING SOUND. Now,
> the compressor motor would not start again! It busses fomr several
> seconds and the relay clicks and turns it off.
>
> I am completely puzzled as to why exactly it turned on once, but would
> not turn on again.
>
> Any idea?
>

Take the cover back off and see if anything changes? Mebbe fridge got 
shoved into the wall, and the cover got bent, and is making something 
not work?

I'm no fridge expert, but when something stops working when you put the 
lid on, that tells me the lid is somehow binding something up or 
shorting something out.

-- 
aem sends...

Ignoramus28169 wrote:
> Things are getting weirder and weirder. My original post is at the
> bottom.
>
> I have received the replacement relay and capacitor today.
>
> Installed them (it was a 2 minute job).
>
> Plugged in the fridge.
>
> The compressor happily started working normally, mildly vibrating and
> indicating in all respects that it is running fine.
>
> Happy after 2 minutes, I turned off the fridge, and reinstalled the
> rear insulated covering panel and ground.
>
> Plugged in again and I HEARD THE SAME OLD DREADED BUZZING SOUND. Now,
> the compressor motor would not start again! It busses fomr several
> seconds and the relay clicks and turns it off.
>
> I am completely puzzled as to why exactly it turned on once, but would
> not turn on again.
>
> Any idea?
>
> i
>
>
> On 2010-08-31, Ignoramus20906 <i...@NOSPAM.20906.invalid>
> wrote:
>> I have an electronic Kenmore refrigerator 596.50013100. I bought it
>> from a private party over a year ago and it has been working great
>> until now. It seems very well made, overall.
>>
>> Yesterday it started beeping and displaying a strange trouble signal:
>>
>>           http://igor.chudov.com/tmp/Kenmore-Trouble.jpg
>>
>> It is right above the word "Kenmore", is red and looks like a crossed
>> lock and an exclamation.
>>
>> The temperature in the unit has been rising since then and clearly,
>> it is not cooling anything. Right now both freezer and fridge are at
>> 46 degrees F.
>>
>> I tried calling Kenmore, but could only speak to dummies who are
>> forbidden to give any diagnostics.
>>
>> My question is WTF does this sign mean? It is meant to tell me
>> something.
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>> i


The lit symbology indicates that the internal temperature doesn't agree with 
the set point.  From your description, I'd say that the compressor has an 
internal problem (stuck valves, galled bearings, dessicant particles in the 
compressor, etc).  Most consumer grade refrigeration compressors aren't 
servicable, meaning that you need to get your checkbook warmed up for a 
sizeable deduction from your bank account.

That said, there are a couple things for you to do.  First, remove the back 
cover, leaving the ground wire unconnected, and see if it kicks off again. 
If it continues to run, connect the ground wire to the chassis. If it kicks 
off when you connect the ground wire, then you have to find out where the 
ground fault is. Most likely, that will be inside the compressor.  Don't use 
it in this condition; it is a lethal weapon without the safety ground 
connected.
If you have an AC clamp meter, measure the current on the hot wire going 
into the compressor.  It should kick up to 10A or so when the compressor 
starts up, and quickly dropping down to its normal running current of a few 
amps.  If the current stays high after a few seconds, that means that it 
isn't starting normally.  The overcurrent relay tripping in a few seconds 
indicate that fact.  In any case, the compressor is highly suspect.

-- 
David
dgminala at mediacombb dot net

On 09/02/2010 05:14 PM, rangerssuck wrote:
> No doubt someone mor knowledgable will have something to add here, but
> it sounds like the compressor is trying to start against a load. How
> long was it unplugged while you were replacing the cover? I imagine it
> should be unplugged at least three ininutes, and probably five.
> However, I'd also imagine that there would be a timer of some sort to
> prevent short-cycling. Of course, the thermal protection in the motor
> would kick in eventually, but my air conditioner, for example, simply
> will not run the compressor for a few minutes after you plug it in if
> it had been running just prior to unplugging.
>
> Anyway, I'd suggest that you let it rest a few minutes and then try
> again.

We had an older fridge that'd do this any time the power blinked -- and 
we live out in the boonies.  We learned to unplug it for a few minutes 
and plug it back in.

-- 

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Do you need to implement control loops in software?
"Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" was written for you.
See details at http://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html

On 2010-09-03, Karl Townsend <k...@embarqmail.com> wrote:
> ...
>>Happy after 2 minutes, I turned off the fridge, and reinstalled the
>>rear insulated covering panel and ground.
>>
>>Plugged in again and I HEARD THE SAME OLD DREADED BUZZING SOUND. Now,
>>the compressor motor would not start again! It busses fomr several
>>seconds and the relay clicks and turns it off.  
>>
>>I am completely puzzled as to why exactly it turned on once, but would
>>not turn on again. 
>>
>>Any idea?
>>
> Did you try cursing and kicking? That's my normal solution to this
> type problem. Its never helped, but I keep trying it anyway.
>

That is always my preferred approach. Sometimes it works.

i

On 2010-09-03, Ignoramus28169 <i...@NOSPAM.28169.invalid> wrote:
> Things are getting weirder and weirder. My original post is at the bottom. 
>
> I have received the replacement relay and capacitor today.
>
> Installed them (it was a 2 minute job). 
>
> Plugged in the fridge. 
>
> The compressor happily started working normally, mildly vibrating and
> indicating in all respects that it is running fine. 
>
> Happy after 2 minutes, I turned off the fridge, and reinstalled the
> rear insulated covering panel and ground.
>
> Plugged in again and I HEARD THE SAME OLD DREADED BUZZING SOUND. Now,
> the compressor motor would not start again! It busses fomr several
> seconds and the relay clicks and turns it off.  
>
> I am completely puzzled as to why exactly it turned on once, but would
> not turn on again. 
>
> Any idea?

Oddly enough, after waiting for a while, it started fine and is
cooling down at an acceptable rate.

i

> i
>
>
> On 2010-08-31, Ignoramus20906 <i...@NOSPAM.20906.invalid> wrote:
>> I have an electronic Kenmore refrigerator 596.50013100. I bought it
>> from a private party over a year ago and it has been working great
>> until now. It seems very well made, overall. 
>>
>> Yesterday it started beeping and displaying a strange trouble signal:
>>
>>           http://igor.chudov.com/tmp/Kenmore-Trouble.jpg
>>
>> It is right above the word "Kenmore", is red and looks like a crossed
>> lock and an exclamation.
>>
>> The temperature in the unit has been rising since then and clearly, it
>> is not cooling anything. Right now both freezer and fridge are at 46
>> degrees F. 
>>
>> I tried calling Kenmore, but could only speak to dummies who are
>> forbidden to give any diagnostics.
>>
>> My question is WTF does this sign mean? It is meant to tell me
>> something. 
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>> i

>
> Oddly enough, after waiting for a while, it started fine and is
> cooling down at an acceptable rate.
>

Get a refrigerator thermometer (kitchen stuff department of stores), then 
keep an eye on the temperature.

If there was a lot of water which came out from having it off while you 
fixed it, and this happens again in a month or so, suspect the 
defrost/heater/timer.

Ignoramus28169 wrote:
> Oddly enough, after waiting for a while, it started fine and is
> cooling down at an acceptable rate.

As someone else said it won't start if it is under a load. It has to
rest before being plugged in again.

We have a little device that looks like a cheap surge protector that 
will not turn on unless it has been off for four minutes. 

Geoff.

-- 
Geoffrey S. Mendelson N3OWJ/4X1GM
To help restaurants, as part of the "stimulus package", everyone must order 
dessert. As part of the socialized health plan, you are forbidden to eat it. :-)