Whirlpool WPW10503278 Electronic Control Board OEM Part

A bit of research on the internet indicated the most likely problem was with the defrost system. I found the service manual for the refrigerator and was able to determine that the defrost heater and thermostat passed the self test. The refrigerator would perform a forced defrost which resulted in a cold refrigerator. More research revealed that this particular refrigerator does not have a defrost timer, instead the defrost cycle is controlled via the Electronic Control board which is also referred to as the Jazz board. Some shopping revealed Appliance Parts has a competitive price AND accepts returns if the part doesn't fix the problem. I used the Appliance Parts chat area to verify my diagnosis and ordered the part. The part arrived 2 days after ordering. Unfortunately there were no instructions, for that matter there was no documentation included. Luckily I had done further research and had an idea of how to access the Jazz PCB. The service manual had the procedure for programming the proper code for the new PCB. The Jazz PCB is in 2 pieces, but the new one came as a single piece that required breaking into the 2 pieces. This was easy enough; lay the new PCB on a hard surface with a pencil directly under the scribed break area and apply a moderate amount of pressure to break the new PCB into the proper 2 parts. Actual installation less 15 minutes plus another couple of minutes to program the refrigerator code into the new PCB. So far refrigerator is operating as expected - cold freezer + cold refrigerator.

After we moved into our new home, we realized that the freezer was very cold and the fins were frosting over, and the refrigerator wasn't cold. We had to take it apart and manually defrost it about once every 8 to 10 days. After research online, we found Appliance Parts Pros videos, which clearly explained how to fix it ourselves, a savings of at least $1,000 or more, since a new one of this size would have been in the arena of $1,200 to $2000. We ordered the three most likely parts to be bad, which were the defrost thermostat, the heater, and the control board. We first replaced the thermostat and the heater, since those parts are located behind the freezer. It took both my husband and I working together to get the heater in, but we replaced these two parts first because they cost quite a bit less, so we were hoping it wasn't the $200 control board. After about a week, we noticed that the visible fins were still frosting over. In retrospect, I would just replace the thermostat and the control board first, because they are much easier to get at than the heater/evaporator, which rarely goes bad, but now all three parts are in and the refrigerator is working great. We really appreciate the videos and the live chat help which I used once as well. (And the delivery was incredibly fast. I choose priority for delivery, but the first two parts still arrived in less than 24 hours from when I ordered it online. The heater was backordered, so took a few days longer, but still was fast on delivery.)

Toughest part of this repair is figuring out how to get things apart. Amana doesn't provide you a repair manual showing how to disengage the various plastic covers. Initially disassembled the bottom freezer compartment so I could get to the evaporator coils; they were completely frozen in block of ice, restricting air flow to the fridge above. Obviously, the auto defrost cycle had not been running, or was short-cycling. Manually defrosted. Found this link for running diagnostic tests on the JAZZ control board: http://applianceassistant.com/Refrigerator-Repair/W10503278-Refrigerator-Control-Diagnostics-Repair.php. Useful set of tests. Defrost circuit test passed, but defrost obviously not working, so suspected control (JAZZ) board [high failure item based on other reviews]. Replaced JAZZ board, but to be on the safe side, also replaced both thermistors and the defrost thermostat while I had everything apart - hence the long repair time. Appears to be working again now. Control board was actually the easiest part of the repair, once I figured out how to get to it. For others with this model: 1) Remove light cover by sliding it toward the back of the fridge; 2) remove the light bulbs; 3) Open control board compartment by using flat-blade screwdriver to disengage two plastic tabs on back side of compartment (this is the tough part); 4) Cover will hinge down and you will now see the control board (and the fridge thermistor, should you choose to replace it too); 5) Note how the old board is actually two pieces, the display being connected by a ribbon cable to the main board - when you get your new board, it will be flat - you need to very carefully separate the display along the scored line on the board to extend the display cable and orient the display properly - be very careful and support the main part of the board on a solid surface while you gently flex the display portion to separate it; 6) Disengage old board and display from holder by releasing retaining tabs one for each section; 7) Center new board on the supports and engage retaining tab; 8) Reassemble everything by reversing steps 1-4 and you're done. If you choose to replace the temp sensor (thermistor), you will need to cut the old one out and splice the new one in (wire nuts are supplied in the thermistor kit), but the control board is much more likely to be at fault based on all the reviews I have read. I ran resistance checks on both of the thermistors and the defrost thermostat I replaced, and they all checked out good - I could have just done the control board and probably solved my problem, but we don't have a backup fridge and I didn't want to disassemble everything a second time.

For Whirlpool WRF535SWHZ02, I ordered the recommended control board, AP6022400, which looks like it fits several models -- so first step, don't be freaked out if your fridge looks different from the one in the instructional video. Mine did, but the process is the same. My fridge had a humidity control, so in addition to detaching the two rectangular wire harnesses, there was a blue and red spade shaped connection for the humidity switch that detached by pulling straight back. The trickiest part of the job is dealing with the plastic tabs that hold the circuit board in place. The one for the narrower board was particularly tight. So take your time. It takes a little bit of firm finesse. Same for breaking the circuit board. Just gradually increase the pressure. Once you have the boards in, I thought reprograming it would be a hassle but it was easy. Push in the refrigerator door switch, or if your fridge is like mine, both of them. You have to press the freezer down button three times while the switches are pressed in, then you're in the programing mode -- It should display P E. Then you can release the fridge switches (those white lever things that turn the light on and off) and hit the freezer down once more and it should display 0 0. Next you just punch in the code that's on your serial number sticker. There is a line that says CODE followed by 2 numbers. In my case it was 12, so I just pushed the freezer up 1 and the fridge up 2. Once you have your code entered, hold the freezer down button until it starts flashing then shut the fridge. When I opened it, I could dial the fridge and freezer up and down to whatever settings, instead of having them both stuck at 7. If you screwed it up, you can just restart from the beginning by holding the fridge switch and pressing freezer down 3 times. One last note, if you are confronting this problem and haven't ordered the control board yet, I think it would be worth a shot to just do the programming reset process and see if that clears the issue. Again, that's hold down the fridge light switch or switches and press the freezer switch three times -- tap, tap, tap. If the display goes to P E, you're in programming mode and you'll probably not have to get a new part.

Did Google search with model number and it seems that this is a common problem with Maytag and Whirlpool refrigerators. Then I found several YouTube videos on how to fix. since I have bought many items already from AppliancePartsPros and the website is easy to find your appliance parts bought the part and arrived in two days with standard shipping. The fix actually took less than thirty minutes because of the YouTube videos help. Be warned the part is two boards but comes in one and need some gentle persuasion to snap the board along the perforated line and snaps to two boards. Installed and programmed board according to the serial plate code inside refrigerator and is working flawlessly. How to program is also on YouTube or the instruction should be in packet behind foot grille need a flashlight looow flat on floor. All is needed is a Phillips head and Flat screwdriver and some basic knowledge of the appliance. Also recommended is a good plug in surge suppressor so this does not happen again, the problem started when we had a power/ brown-out outage. They can be bought at home depot or equivalent for around $25.00.