ET18CKXHW01 Whirlpool Refrigerator

I troubleshot the problem by reading the electrical schematic and concluding the heating elements (defrost cables) were either defective or the bi-metal temp sensor was open. When closed the temp sensor completes the circuit for the current to flow through the heaters to defrost the cooling coils every 8 hours and then when the bimetal o ... Read more pens at 55 degrees the circuit is open and the coils are cooled because the refridgeration motor is in run mode. A timer between the motor and heater elements also was defective. The timer controls the cooling period and the defrost period. I ohmed out each part according to the spec sheet of normal resistance of parts and thus the bimetal and timer were defective. I gather a surge of some duration and amplitude affected these parts because a storm 24 hours prior to refridgerator problem had passsed through the area and the AC electrical power had oscillated several times during that event. I used hand tools to do the repair. If you are not mechanically inclined a step by step proceedure would be moot. It is a matter of disassembly and assembly paying close attention to fragile parts.

Open the door. Removed two screws holding the cover of the thermostat. There is a clip which holds the thermostat in place. Remove the clip. Take out the thermostat. Remove the thermocouple (the long grey metal with the coil at the end) which is also held in place by a clip. Replace with the new thermostat and thermocouple and clip i ... Read more nto place. Replace the screws to the cover. Close the door.

I used a flat-head screwdriver to pop out the old light rocker switch. Then, I unplugged the wires, plugged them into the new light rocker switch, and then popped the new switch into the hole. That's it! Lights began working again.