Michelle for Model Number 596.65234403 Kenmore bottom freezer 596.65234403. frost in freezer warm box. My first thought -- a defrost problem. A repair man came out, put a loop tester around the power cord and some other type of cord to electrically outlet. Next he tells me the control board is bad and needs to be replaced. I didn't ask to see what the readings were on the tester. That was all he tested. I have a few questions -- is this the proper way to test a circuit board? Wouldn't a mechanical part (defrost thermosat) go out before a PCB? Doesn't this fridge have mechanical parts? I wasn't convinced that the board was bad and he didn't have one available so I decided to defrost the coils, let the refrigerator set all night. The next morning I plugged the power cord in and within 2 hours both freezer and box were at the right temps. That was 5 days ago and it's been working perfectly. So, can you answer my questions in case this problem crops up again. Thanks for your help.
Answer Michelle, The way to determine that it is the control board that is bad or the defrost heater or thermostat is to do a continuity test on the thermostat and heater. If they check ok then the control would be at fault. This unit does not use a mechanical timer. Read More... Answered by AppliancePartsPros.com | Tuesday, May 28, 2013