Samurai Appliance Repair Man's Blog

If you're looking for an appliance part, use the Appliantology parts search box at the top and bottom of every page on this web site. All parts ordered through the links and search boxes at this site come with a one year return policy, even on electrical parts and circuit boards. Here's the story of someone searching for a part who was right here at Appliantology and could have quickly found what she needed by using the parts search box. Heads up to the wise!

Your Name: Mari

Your Appliantology Username, if you have one:

What would you like to talk about? Other NON-APPLIANCE REPAIR problem

Talk to the Samurai: Hello Samurai,
It seems I have that "infamous and failure-prone adaptive defrost control board" for Jenn-Air JCD2389GEW as pictured here on your website. It has the same numbers #P19-399# SIEBE APPLIANCE CONTROLS 1996. It also has various other numbers such as MAYT78245.001, ECD#100-01103-01, 20R1448-00, 60727Q, AJW4212, JWIFSN, 062707367, and also THAILAND. I would like to know which part I would need to replace this part. My "original" still keeps the freezer and ice-maker working properly, fans are turning, and refrigerator section is cool, although probably not cool enough, but it does not defrost itself. I have to manually defrost every morning and evening to keep it going. There are so many of these Part #61005988 offered for sale at a great variety of pricing, so I don't know which to choose, as they all claim to be #61005988. I contacted Jenn-Air and was told that mine was Part #61003990. I tried ordering an inexpensive generic part #61003990/#61005988, but that didn't function at all, and did not operate my fridge at all; total waste of time and effort. I had to reinstall my original part; I have no difficulty installing the part, as I know how to do it, and I am proficient at it! I guess I need an "original", but I don't know where to obtain one. Perhaps a more expensive OEM part #61005988 would work, but now I'm almost afraid to try again. The part I tried had a number on it #MA7700112254-TH#. I assume that the "TH" stands for Thailand. It certainly DIDN'T have the #61003990 or #61005988 on it. I DON’T WANT THAT PART AGAIN! It is confusing to have all these products available with the same part number and a wide variety of different prices. I've seen so-called brand new items like this for as low as $19.95. I would appreciate your input. I need a "working" part, not a make-believe part, to waste my time and effort. WHY are there so many different prices on this item???? DOES the price affect the “workability” of the product???? WHICH PART NUMBER SHOULD I ASK FOR???? I look forward to your response. THANK YOU MOST KINDLY,
Regards, Mari

Dear Mari, O dear, dear Mari,

The solution to your dilemma was staring you in the face the whole time you were at this site when you sent me your email posted above! At both the top and bottom of every page on this site, you'll see conspicuous parts search boxes where you can enter a model number, part number, type of appliance, brand, or even a part description. There's even one right here in this blog at the top of the right-hand column!

In your case, you already knew not just the model number of your refrigerator, but the part numbers for the ADC board, too. If you paste in each of the part numbers you were wondering about, 61003990 and 61005988, one at a time into the parts search box, you'll see that they both resolve to the same part number: 61005988.

Here's the replacement ADC board you need for your Jenn-Air fridge:

ADC Board



I can't emphasize enough what a powerful tool the parts search boxes are at this site!

Now for the question about where to buy the part. You also mentioned buying generic parts. One word of advice on buying generic parts: DON'T! I explain why in this issue of our award-winning newsletter, Appliantology: The Oracle of Appliance Enlightenment.

BTW, if you're not a subscriber to our newsletter, Appliantology, you're missing out! Every issue is jam-packed with Special Samurai Secrets ™ for saving money, life, and limb with your appliances. Taunt your friends and delight your enemies with your amazing new knowledge! And best of all, it's FREE! Subscribe to Appliantology today.

Another thing to keep in mind is that all parts purchased through this website carry a one year no-hassle return policy, even electrical parts that have been installed! It's insane!

Also, when you buy parts through the links and search boxes on this site, a small percentage of your purchase goes to supporting this website without costing you one penny more for the parts you order. So, if you’re going to order appliance parts anyway, how ’bout using the links on this website to ensure that the Samurai will be here the next time you need appliance repair help? Can I hear an "Amen?"

Most folks think of appliance repair as just another one of the technical trades, like a plumber or electrician. And, it’s true, there are those who practice appliance repair as merely a trade. But did you know that appliance repair is actually an ancient martial art, older than Kung Fu, Karate Do, and Tae Kwon Do all put together? Yes, my leetle Grasshoppers, I shi’ite you not. The ancient martial art of appliance repair is called Fixite Do (pronounced “fixi-tay do”). According to archeological records, Fixite Do originated in Lower Slabovia sometime during the Fermentecean era, which began right after the Jurassic era. You may be interested to know that Samurai Appliance Repair Man is a fully trained and certifiable master in the ancient appliance repair martial art of Fixite Do. The picture below is an actual live shot of the Samurai applying his art:




The Samurai Demonstrates Fixite Do

Samurai's Ichiban Law of Appliance Repair: Never replace a part unless you have proof that the part is bad.

This distinguishes the Samurai School of Appliantology from the Monkey Boy School of Appliance Repair. When I replace an appliance part, it's because I have proven that the part is bad. This proof could be something subtle, like an electrical measurement, or something simple, like laying eyeballs on a burned wire connection. It could be direct, meaning the part is getting proper input but not giving proper output. Or it could be indirect, meaning that all other parts involved in the problem check out good so it's the bad part by process of elimination. This latter technique is more prevalent in the newer appliances with electronic boards where the manufacturer either doesn't give enough information about the board's inputs and outputs or the information/schematics it does supply are wrong.

Samurai's 2nd Law of Appliance Repair: All machines break.

I don't care how much you paid, who made it, or what the salesperson told you, appliances are just another type of machine. And all machines, like everything else in the physical world (including our bodies) tend inexorably toward entropy, i.e., they wear out and breakdown. The corollary to the 2nd Law is to buy appliances that are easy to repair because, at some point during its useful life, you will be repairing it. Speaking of useful life, how long should appliances last?

Samurai's 3rd Law of Appliance Repair: Measure twice, order once.

Ok, you've diligently observed Samurai's Ichiban Law of Appliance Repair and have proven that a part is bad based on some type of objective observation. If this observation involved making an electrical measurement, such as voltage, current, or resistance, then make that measurement TWICE just to be doubly-woubly sure that you didn't make a mistake. Common mistakes in making electrical measurements include not making good contact with your probe and not removing at least one wire from the component before making a continuity or resistance measurement.

Samurai's 4th Law of Appliance Repair: Beliefs are for religion, not appliance repair.

In appliance repair, we use test instruments to quantify the problem and draw definitive conclusions about cause and effect. Hope, beliefs, and wishful thinking don't get stuff fixed, unless it's by pure, blind luck.

Samurai's 5th Law of Appliance Repair: Electronics and wet appliances do not mix.

Manufacturers love using fancy electronical boards for things that used to be done by simple, reliable mechanical switches. I see these boards fail frequently and at far greater expense than the good ol' mechanical switches. But the failure rate of these cheesy, over-priced electronical boards in the wet appliances (washer, dishwasher, ice and water dispensers on refrigerators) is excessively high. If you have a choice when buying new appliances, opt for the models with few or no electronic boards.

Samurai's 6th Law of Appliance Repair: Begin troubleshooting right at the problem.

Where else you gonna start? No water coming in your dishwasher? Start at the water inlet valve. Gas oven won't bake? Start at the ignitor. Go right to the main thing that ain't doing its thang.

Samurai's 7th Law of Appliance Repair: All leaks are visual.

Let's say your washer is leaking. You see the water seeping from under the washer cabinet. So you go online to the Samurai School of Appliantology and say, "my washer is leaking, what should I do?" And we'll tell you to remove the front panel and get some eyeballs on where exactly the leak is coming from. Same deal with your dishwasher-- remove the kickplate and peer underneath with a flashlight while it's running to spot the source of the leak. Get the picture?

Samurai's 8th Law of Appliance Repair: Fix the obvious problems first.

If you have an appliance that you think may have several things wrong with it, you have to break down the problem into smaller component problems and then fix each one. Usually, when you fix the obvious problem first, you find that it was the only problem all along. Other times, you cannot even diagnose the other problems until you've fixed the obvious one(s).

Samurai's 9th Law of Appliance Repair: Nothing kills bio-gookus like chlorine.

Just remember this next time you're dealing with a restricted condensate drain in your refrigerator. Bio-gookus loves to grow in dark, moist environments like condensate drain tubes and they'll restrict the flow the same way plaque does in arteries.

Samurai's 10th Law of Appliance Repair: Never move an appliance to make a repair unless you absolutely have to.

This is one I learned the hard way. You never know what you're gonna run into (that you didn't need to) when you move an appliance. And, worse yet, you may end up creating a new repair that you hadn't planned on. The classic example is pulling a dryer out just a few inches only to find that it had some impossible dryer vent connection that requires a contortionist/gymnast to re-attach. Oy!

Samurai's 11th Law of Appliance Repair: Raw power is dirty power.

All electricity is not created equal. Power quality varies widely from place to place. Depending on where you live, power at the wall outlets in your house could have all kinds of garbage on it. Stuff like voltage surges, sags, swells, and spikes can kill electrical and electronics equipment. In this modern era of using electronic control boards in appliances for the jobs that simple, reliable mechanical switches used to do, all your appliances should be protected by simple surge protectors at the least. Just like you wouldn't (or shouldn't) plug your computer directly into the wall outlet without using some type of surge protection, neither should you expose your appliances to naked, raw power.

Samurai's 12th Law of Appliance Repair: Neutral is not ground; ground is not neutral.

Under normal circumstances, neutral and ground should have the same, or close to the same, electrical potential. But, electrically, neutral and ground are not the same thing and serve entirely different purposes. Back in the old days, they were often used interchangeably, as with the old three-wire dryer and range cords. But, after lots of people got themselves fried or burned their houses down due to a ground fault, "They" decided it would be a good idea to respect the distinction between ground and neutral. Hence the new four-wire dryer and range connections.

Samurai's Golden Rule of Appliance Repair: Never trust customer diagnostics.

I'm too embarrassed to admit how many times I've been burned by violating the Golden Rule. You'll get some customers that are so eloquent and seem so erudite and technically proficient that you'll be tempted to accept their diagnosis over the phone (at their insistence-- to save money, of course). So when you bop on over with the special-ordered part that doesn't fix the problem, you're now in a quandary: how do you charge for this wasted repair effort and the cost of returning a special-ordered part...if you can even return it? Unless you bought the control board here, electronic boards cannot be returned once they're installed. The hard lesson is to always do your own diagnosis, no matter how much the customer insists otherwise.

Got the snow tires off the Guru Mobile today and it made The Oz Man reminisce about winter..

1. Use Only HE (High Efficiency) Detergent

And no, using a smaller quantity of conventional detergent is not the same as using HE detergent, as explained below. HE detergents are not simply a concentrated formulation of the regular stuff. Since front loaders and HE top loaders use much less water than conventional top loaders (about 12 gallons per wash load vs. about 56 gallons in a conventional top-loader), HE washers require a detergent with a whole different chemistry. You can read more about it in my magnum opus, High Efficiency Detergents, Front-Loading Washers, and the Great Unwashed.

If HE detergent is not used in these modern, low water-use washers, residue will accumulate in the outer drum and emit a foul odor. Or, as Martha, the sister of Lazarus observed, "Lord, by this time he stinketh."

"What's the best HE detergent to use," you ax? I gotta recommend Woolite Complete from the Reckitt-Benkiser folks who put on the awesome detergent training seminar for professional appliantologists at the Appliance Service Training Institute every year.




2. Run the "Tub Clean" Cycle Once a Month

Using either non-HE detergent or too much HE detergent will cause the build up of a residue called scrud (a mixture of scum and other crud). Once the Funk From Within (FFW) has taken hold inside the washer drum or tub, neither bleach nor vinegar will eliminate the odor. De-stinkification at this point involves scrud removal. You'll need to run a product called Affresh through it on the "Tub Clean" cycle. This cycle, combined with Affresh, is specially designed to remove scrud build-up.



If the washer doesn't have a "Tub Clean" cycle, then just run a hot water wash at maximum water level.

When running a Tub Clean cycle with Affresh, do not add any clothes or detergent. Just hot water and Affresh.

3. Reduce Detergent Use for Soft Water or Water Softener

Soft water will cause over-sudsing even when using HE detergent. To prevent scrud buildup, the amount of detergent used in each wash needs to be reduced to prevent forming suds during the wash cycle. If the water is very soft, as with some city waters where they soften it, the detergent usage will need to be reduced even below the recommended amount.

"But I like to see lots of suds in my washer because then I know my clothes are getting clean!"

You have to start with the understanding that the tumble action of high-efficiency washers (i.e., front loaders) produce more suds than the agitator action in top loaders. Now most of people think, “Oooo, sudsy, that’s good!” No, not good. Suds do nothing to clean your clothes and are actually an undesirable by-product of the detergent’s chemical interaction with the water.

Is it possible to know for sure what kind of water hardness you're dealing with? Ya sure, ya betcha! Just use this Maytag water hardness testing kit. You can read more about water hardness, what that means, and how it affects detergents.



General detergent guidelines for any front load or agitator-less top load washer with tub sizes 3.0 cu ft and larger is as follows (adjust as needed to eliminate undesirable sudsing):

HE: (2) Tablespoons Per Wash Load

HE 2X: (1) Tablespoon

HE 3X: (1) Teaspoon

4. Ensure Drain Hose is Installed Properly

If the drain hose is not installed properly, the unit will not drain properly. Additionally, if the washer drain hose is crammed so far down the drain pipe that it's submerged in the standing water in the pipe, it will do two things: 1) bring odors back up into the drum and 2) cause siphoning which, in turn, causes improper filling and other weird symptoms.



Never extend the drain hose more than 4 inches beyond the end of the elbow, and drain hoses should never be inserted more than 6 inches into drain.

5. Dry Door Gasket when Laundry is Finished for the Day

The door gasket on a front load washer should be wiped dry when the washer is finished working for the day. Water left in the bottom arc of the gasket is normal, since there is no suction pump attached to the gasket. However, if not dried out, stagnate water could begin to stinketh.

6. Periodically Inspect the Door Gasket and Clean Off Mildew as Needed

Periodically, check the door gasket on a front load washer for mildew buildup. If you're a bleach fan, mix 3/4 cup bleach with a gallon of hot water. Use the bleach mixture and a cloth to wipe out the gasket. (Do not use bleach alone. Undiluted bleach will damage the gasket.) Or, we've found that Simple Green works pretty good, too, and it's a little less fuss to use.

If the mildew cannot be removed, the gasket will have to be replaced. You can buy the replacement door gasket for any brand and model of front loader right here with a one year return policy. Most door gaskets you'll find here have a how-to replacement video that shows you exactly how to replace it.

7. Keep Washer Door Open or Lid Raised when Machine is Not in Use

After a cycle, small amounts of water are left in the machine. When finished with the unit for the day, dry the gasket (on a front loader) and leave the door open for a couple hours to allow the moisture to evaporate and dry out. On top loaders, just leave the lid raised.

8. Clean Detergent Dispenser Regularly

Once a week, remove the dispenser drawer and clean out the gookus in the sink with hot water and scrub brush.

9. Clean the Drain Pump Filter Regularly

Most front load washers have some type of "coin catcher" or screen for catching "gookus" -- that's a technical term we professional appliantologists use to refer to anything that ain't supposed to be there. This drain pump filter should be cleaned about once a month to prevent odors.

Remove the pump filter or coin catcher and scrub it under hot water to get all the nooks and crannies.



Accumulations of gookus on the drain filter like you see above prevents proper drainage and makes a great habitat for little stink-maker bacteria to grow, thrive, and stinketh.