Kenmore Refrigerator not cooling

[GGorup]

I have an older kenmore refrigerator (model # 3639762821) that I am trying to get working. The fridge runs but only cools slightly. I was hopeful that I might be overlooking something easy. Here's a list of things I've done so far:

-Everything inside and out of the fridge has been thoroughly cleaned. Fridge looks pretty much brand new.

-Icemaker was broken when I got it, so it was removed and the harness (two wire, probably 16 or 18 gauge) was disconnected. Its currently wrapped in electrical tape to protect these connectors. I am beginning to wonder if disconnecting this harness (opening this circuit) caused a problem?

-Evap fan works and blows cool

-Condenser fan is good

Compressor:

-Compressor capacitor had a very high resistance reading - it was replaced with a new identical capacitor.

-Ohm meter check on the following were all within normal limits: compressor relay, overload protector, and compressor terminals.

-Compressor is very hot to the touch while running, almost too hot to touch. The liquid line is also hot.

-I thought the fridge might be low on freon, so I bought a kit to check pressures and refill. I didn't end up adding any R134a to the system. Pressures for the lines were taken at about 70 degrees ambient. Suction line measures about 52 PSI unplugged. Suction line slowly drops to 38 PSI when the unit is plugged in and the compressor begins to run. Liquid line is about 110 PSI while running. After slightly cooling the fridge, these pressures are pretty much unchanged.

 

I might be wrong (and I've been wrong a lot so far) but these are the things that I feel like might be the problem:

*Removing the icemaker (opening this circuit) caused something to not get power that should? If so, I would hope that this might be an easy fix.

*Some sort of obstruction in the closed system?

*Something is wrong with the compressor and it needs to be replaced? 

I plan to check the compressor and see what kind of amps it's pulling during startup and while running. Is there anything else that I could check? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Slav]

On 6/19/2021 at 2:09 PM, GGorup said:

Suction line slowly drops to 38 PSI when the unit is plugged in and the compressor begins to run

The suction line should get down to around 0 PSIG when running. The 38 PSIG probably means the compressor is too weak (inefficient).

Have you looked at the freezer Evaporator Coil frost pattern? It should be covered top to bottom in a thin layer of frost. A thick layer of icy frost could indicate a Defrost Problem. A partial or no frost at all, is probably a Sealed System problem.

An Ice-maker is typically an add-on item, so it shouldn't interfere with your cooling.