I picked this 2021 Frigidaire today and started taking it apart after I noticed a buzzing noise followed by a switch click sound that occurs every 2-3 mins. The fridge is plugged into a GFCI outlet.
Unit powers up, fan blows, compressor feels mildly warm like 1/10 on a scale for reference. The copper lines on the left side feel slightly cold. I noticed that several of the lines have corrosion on them...is this normal?
I was able to pry off the housing that contains the relay and ran an ohms test between R and S. It starts around 50 ohms for less than a second before reaching OL. I can't re-test unless I wait a minute or so. Isn't this how the PTC is suppose to behave with an overload protector?
Pin test is good:
C->R=5.4
C->S=4.4
R-S=9.5
Short to ground test is good:
C->ground=OL
R->ground=OL
S->ground=OL
12uF +-5% capacitor test is good:
12.2 uF
Amp test seems high on the sustained drop:
17-20A for moment during start
Drops to 9A and remains there until click
After click it drops to 0
Due to the age of this fridge and tests above, I'm led to believe the start relay is the culprit. The part number for it is 5304522269. Just about everywhere this is about $50. Does anyone know if an alternative replacement can be put in that's not a hard start kit? I don't see any aftermarket ones that are cheaper than OEM, so I'm wondering if I can toss in a totally different but similar start relay.
