Amana Fridge clicking

[James]

My 6 year old Amana Side-by-side has stopped cooling.

1 Fan is running.

2. Every several minutes there is a 10+second buzzing noise and then it stops.

3. Compressor is very warm to the touch.

4. Coils under fridge are room temperature.

I thought it was the PTC relay but upon inspection, this is a solid state relay. Do they go bad and can they make noise?

Any help is appreciated.
Thank you.

James

[DIY Guy]

Yes, the relay can go bad. Light switches are solid state but they go bad.

The likely problem is either a faulty relay or the compressor is difficult to start and may need a "hard start" relay to get it going.

[James]

Thanks for the reply.

The relay is inexpensive and easy to replace. I will start with this as a first step.

[James]

Well, the relay arrived today and I replaced it. It did not fix the problem. The compressor is still cutting out and this buzzing/clicking continues. Fortunately, if you turn the fridge off for 30-40 minutes, the compressor will restart and cool the food, so we are ok there.

I also found out that there are a few months left on the compressor warranty. The repairman arrives Thursday am and I will let you know the outcome then.

James

[James]

Repairman arrived today.

First he said it was the compressor and then he decided that it was the capacitor. I was not here so I do not know what/how he tested or determined this. Capacitor will be replaced on Saturday and I will advise if this works...

James