ostate1
Sep 20, 2012, 10:56 AM
Model mtb2156gew matag is not cooling, upper freezer fan and lower condenser fan are both running. Compressor is not running, somewhere around the compressor there is an arcing or a snapping sound, which is not all the time. This problem just happened overnight. Any help would be appreciated.
drtom4444
Sep 21, 2012, 06:59 AM
You have a short somewhere around the start relay. You will have to look at it and test the compressor with an ohm meter. Here is a book on how to do it: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/8010163/How%20to%20use%20Test%20Equipment%20Service%20Manu al.pdf
and manuals: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/8010163/Maytag%20Refrigerators.zip
You can buy a universal start kit containing a relay and start capacitor (always get the one with a start capacitor). If your refrigerator has a run capacitor you must put a run capacitor in the circuit between start and run on the compressor. You will know what each terminal is when you use an ohm meter. The lowest reading will be between common and run, next is common and start, highest is start to run. For example: you take three readings and get 4, 6, and 10 ohms. The 10 ohm reading you know is start to run; the 6 ohm reading is common to start, and the 4 ohm reading is common to run. 4+6=10 is how it works out. The run capacitor is usually rectangular or it can be round and has only 1-5 Mfd's while the start capacitor has 200+ Mfd's. The run capacitor is wired between start and run. The replacement kit will have two wires going in and three coming out of the combination start cap and relay. You will have to cut the start and run wires and put stake-on connectors to put on the new run capacitor unless it comes with wires on it. Some of the small ones do come that way. Never wire it up without the run cap because it will burn up the compressor. Also, make certain that you clean the coils with spray soap and water from a hose nozzle before starting up this unit. Dirt is probably the reason it burned up the relay, and possibly the compressor. If the compressor reads anything to ground from a terminal it's bad.