Whirlpool Defrost Issue - FIXED

Weird noise coming from your fridge? Does your Whirlpool Refrigerator have defrost issues? Do you have a ton of ice built up in the back of the freezer?
In this video I show you how to replace a $10 relay vs. spending hundreds on a new circuit board.
We have a Whirlpool WRF736SDAM13 French Door style refrigerator that had a catastrophic defrost failure. After replacing the thermostat and the issue still present, I did a deep dive into what the problem may have been.
Circuit board repair credit: www.stevenrhine.com/?p=3778
Relay used: www.ebay.com/itm/162511919453
QuikChip: www.amazon.com/dp/B015YL1FFS?...
Tech sheet: www.dropbox.com/s/wb18uu5rpjs... Tech Sheet.pdf?dl=0

[@JustinBrewerME]

Had replaced the big relay a couple of months ago to get my fridge cooling again but then every 2-3 weeks it kept freezing up like you described. Had no idea about the diagnostic mode. Test 6 failed and I had another relay from the previous repair kit I had bought. Swapped it out and test 6 passed. I was almost about to buy a new fridge. I think you just saved me a lot of money. Thank you!

[@BMHomeServices]

Happy to help!!!

[@user-hv3wz1ee4z]

Great Post.. Fixed my Whirlpool also but we had the exact model number..The US equivalent of the relay in the video is G5Q-14-DC12... I bought them through Mouser Electronics part number 653-G5Q-14-DC12 and received them within 2 days. So you dont have to wait on part to come from China... Installed part and all is good. Thanks for the video.

[@hagood01]

Man, thanks so much to you and Stephen Rhine for this. I had tested my thermostat and heater and came to the same conclusion of a bad board, then ran across Stephens article. I was having a hard time de-soldering the relays and came across this video. I took your suggestion and ordered some Chipquik and it worked like a charm. Now I'm up and running with nothing out of pocket, waiting for my relays from China to get the lights back. Thanks to both of you for saving me at least $600 !

[@Mecambrea77]

I read all the comments, but I haven’t hear anyone complaining to whirlpool for using cheap relays on their refrigerators, whirlpool use to be the best appliance manufacturers, that’s the reason I have a non electronic whirlpool refrigerator. All that technology is prone to more issues, and I would like to add something, when you test a defrost thermostat it might check ok , but when the heater come on , it might not resist the load and open prematurely, so every time I have a defrost issue I replace the defrost thermostat

[@DaivG]

Same refrigerator, same problem for about the last 6 months. Ordering the relays now to fix it without needing to regularly manually defrost the freezer myself. Thanks for making this video!

[@jerryboree433]

Thank you for this video. I had the exact same issue I was troubleshooting. The relay you linked worked like a charm and my whirlpool is defrosting normally again! You saved me hundreds of dollars!

[@zaatarsumac9364]

I like people like you, who use their Brain . Thanks.

[@sdoggie]

Hey man…I appreciate you taking the time to do this… I just replaced my thermistor for the same reason but I suspect my board relay may be bad actually after watching your video. Thank you so much for putting this info together with the links to buy it. I’m about to plug it in and test and hopefully it’s fixed but if not…I’m going straight to relay. Cheers.

[@lanlantheman]

MANNNN! You are awesome!! Thank you for the help! Glad I found this!!

[@Rhine_Labs]

Thanks for the Breadcrumb.. Also Face the fridge pop the right top corner cap you will find a set of schematics. Steven L Rhine

[@clinicadental5234]

Thank you for sharing information

[@Mecambrea77]

I read all the comments, but I haven’t hear anyone complaining to whirlpool for using cheap relays on their refrigerators, whirlpool use to be the best appliance manufacturers, that’s the reason I have a non electronic whirlpool refrigerator. All that technology is prone to more issues

[@ramonperera6218]

great video and explanation! Didn't you have to reprogramm the board ? I am installing a new board on a WHIRLPOOL model WRF555SDFZ which have no code in the label, so I don't know if I have to reprogramm it or not. I would greatly appreciate it if you give me some advice on this. I am doing the job tomorrow and asking all around for some information on what to do. Thanks in advance, Ramon Perera, Miami

[@alexcasas5780]

The test for the defrost sensor should change from 02 when hot to 01 when frozen . 02 doesn’t necessarily mean the board is faulty.

[@grimmysnr1]

I am not sure if you are still monitoring this video or not, but does this relay also send power to the heating element? I ran test 6 and get Bimetal closed, but it still doesn't defrost and I get no power to the wires going to the heating element. One thing was to test wattage with a kilowatt meter during the defrost and get 345w but I only get around 14 watts during the defrost cycle. It seems like the heater is just not getting power to from the power supply.

[@JonathanSundy]

How did you find a thermostat? This fridge only sells it joined to something else. What thermostat did you buy?

[@scottcrowley2061]

Nice!!

[@exibuchay1695]

So I have a slightly different model, the board is very similar but I don't seem to have a K7.

[@briandodds]

How do I find the Tech Sheet for my side by side that works find for days then lets both sides get to 59º for some reason...

[@hbasavar]

I have a Whirlpool but different model WRT318FMDM00. I do have a defrost issue where evaporator coils are freezing up. Both fan and the thermistor are good. If I go to diagnostics, and turn on the heater mode (manual defrost mode)... the coil is heating up. Is the relay good in that case? I don't believe these models come with a timer. What else can I look into?

[@cvr24]

I have a fridge with the exact same issue. This model does not have a mechanical timer. The timer is solid state on the mainboard and, if it goes bad, there is no fix other than complete board replacement from what I can discern.

[@hbasavar]

@@cvr24 Thank you for your response. I will stop looking for that timer component :). I concur with. your opinion except it might be possible to just replace only the component that is bad on the board ... just as in this youtube video. Only we need to know what the component is responsible there. I will try to remove the board and see for any obvious signs of it. In the mean time, I am resorting to a manual defrost.... which is working fine at the moment.

[@richpaprocki]

Hemanth, what did you end up doing to solve your freezing up issues? I am working to fix this myself, as this stuff is all new to me. Did you replace just the relay?

[@JonathanSundy]

Thanks to this video and the article linked I was able to fix my fridge with this same issue. Grateful to have only spent like $30 instead of $700. One tip I picked up is that you can skip cutting the thermostat out to test it. If you run diagnostic test 6 and it’s an 02 while the freezer is frozen, the next step is to use a continuity tester on the main board as described in the linked article. This will show the true state of the thermostat, and if they disagree, my understanding is that your relay is bad. Which is a much quicker diagnostic than cutting out wires or even opening the back of the freezer. Also, follow the guidance and get chipQuick and a solder sucker. It worked a charm and seems necessary. Wish I could buy OP a beer.

[@billcoleman8854]

I also appreciate this! I just (erroneously ) replaced my evaporator fan motor, foolishly thinking the noise it was making was bad bearings in the motor. Finding that big ice buildup growing into the blades clued me that my problems weren't over. I should have suspected the heater, as that is usually the problem on fridges. After this, I went into the diagnostic mode, #6, (for the heater) and it came up with error code 03, which I believe is a Short. This is not indicated on the Tech Sheet, but on other items 03 is a short, hope this is a correct assumption. So I just ordered a Heater, #WP12729128 so when it gets frozen up again, I will have the heater ready to go.