TM20D-P73500-31W Amana Refrigerator - Instructions

Based on internet research, determined that the problem was likely the defrost timer or the thermostat that's clipped to the cooling coil behind the freezer. Once before, a repairman had replaced the thermostat only, so that was my first repair. Still not working right, so I replaced the timer as well, and everything's working. I opened up the old timer switch and found the contacts were burned, partially arced.

If you have a similar problem, replace both parts. Only about $15 apiece

Very easy repair. Remove 2 nuts that keep timer cover on regrigerater. Remove 2 screws that hold timer to cover, unplug wires from timer. Install new timer.

With guidance from this web site, I was able to repair this myself very easily

This is the easiest repair to perform, figuring out what was wrong took a little longer. I have the bottom freezer Amana refrigerator and the defrost timer is just behind the bottom front grill, removing four screws and plugging in the new timer took maybe 15 minutes. To find out what was not working correctly I removed the panel covering the coils in the freezer and it was totally frozen up, this is why it stopped making ice and wasn't keeping things cold. I defrosted the coils and checked the resistance of the heater to make sure it was working, it was fine so it was the defrost timer.

Removed the kick plate then removed four screws and unplugged the old timer. Plugged in the new part and replaced cover and kick plate.

The repair was relatively simple.
The hard part was diagnosing the problem. Two of the sheet metal screws were hard to get at.
The online support helped in isolating and fixing the problem. The frig works fine again.

Removed and Replaced

I ordered the defrost timer and then read a couple of repair history stories. The timer was fairly easy to install. Then I advanced the small knob until I felt a "click". The covers were reinstalled inside the freezer. And the appliance is normal. Plug and Play. I learned that the timer is for the activation of a heater in or under the freezer"s aluminum fin assembly. Alot of folks don"t know that a refrigerator gets it"s supply of cold air from the freezing compartment. Everybody is happy. Thanks

Past experiences told me it was the defrost timer. Turned the timer wheel, the compressor came on and that told me the timer wasn't working correctly. I ordered the timer and put it in.

still does

yup

I found the condenser fan was not working so I bought a new condenser fan kit and installed it. Fixed!

We described the problem of the freezer and refrig not keeping cold and with the suggested parts to order and the amazing videos to follow my husband repaired it. We have one part we ordered for temperature control (RO16088) and are waiting to see if it needs to be installed. What a joy it was to hear the sound of ice cubes being made. The refrigerator went out during very hot weather. Thank you again for your wonderful help and videos. Paul and Mary Jo

I removed the back cover on the freezer cabinet and discover that the evaporator coil was cover with froze and ice. I then though that one of the three component of the automatic defrost system: timer, thermostat or heater coil has stopped working. I measure the resistance off the heater coil and obtained a 54 ohms reading so that was good. I did not did a very good job with troubleshooting the timer and thermostat since I conclude that the timer was bad. I ordered and changed the timer but turned out that the faulty component was the thermostat which I replaced and the refrigerator started to work like a charm :)! The harness was not exactly the same so, I has to cut and strip two wires and reconnect; beside that everything was fairly easy to do. Thank you!

Moved fridge out from wall, unplugged power cord. Laid on floor, removed 6 screws from cover. Removed one threaded bolt to allow assembly to slide out. Removed special nut, and took fan off. Removed 3 motor mounting bolts. Unscrewed 2 wire nuts, and untwisted wires. (option 1, no ground) Vacuumed entire area around motor. Used 3 bolts to mount motor to holder assembly, and special nut to install fan. Stripped wires back about 3/4 inch. Twisted two wires together CW, and installed new wire nuts. Slid motor assembly back into slot,(keep wires away from blades) and used one threaded bolt to secure assembly. Reinstalled cover plate with 6 screws. Plugged power cord in to test air flow (out through cover vents). Moved fridge back into place. The loud whirring noise did not stop for a day; then quiet!