79575194400 Kenmore Freezer - Overview

This refrigerator/freezer problem had been escalating for almost a year, requiring me to frequently knock the ice buildup free with a rubber mallet. I finally decided to try to identify the problem by removing the freezer door and all of the shelves and shelf tracks (easily removed with only a phillips screwdriver). Then I removed the back plastic panel to expose the cooling coils, which were partially encased in ice. I deduced that the evaporator fan motor was failing, which blows air over the freezer cooling coils and forces the cool air up into the upper refrigerator section (which was not staying cold). I then found and ordered the fan motor from part select. Their search function and exploded drawing schematics made it easy to identify the part and part number. It seems the original part number had been superceded with a new number, which I ordered. Once it arrived after about a week, I transferred the fan blades from the old motor to the new fan motor, and after completely drying out the freezer compartment, I reinstalled all of the parts and plugged in the unit and waited. By the next day, the refrigerator was operating at peak efficiency, and the ice buildup in the freezer has not returned. I was very close to scrapping the entire refrigerator as junk, but with a little diagnostic effort and about $110 for the new motor, I have a fully functioning refrigerator again. Thanks to Part Select for a great experience.

Video makes it look easy. Kenmore refrigerator does not have "groove" along the right hand side of switch that allows for pushing down on release. Used a thin screwdriver to get under to push while holding switch edge with pliers. Kept slipping. Tape sides to avoid scratching inside of refrigerator.

Turn off power, remove upper and lower drawers (may need to open upper refrigerator doors to remove large freezer bin,) remove drawer supports (upper and lower), remove rear freezer panel (trick is to loosen 4 screws on fan bumpout to get the panel to come free from the freezer side wall), test thermistor with multimeter (should have continuity or near zero resistance across 2 orange fuse wires) before cutting zip ties, cut zip ties holding Thermistor in place, remove old Thermistor, install new Thermistor, install new zip ties, replace rear freezer panel, install upper and lower drawer supports, install drawers, turn on power, should be fixed if error code doesn't return after 6 hours.