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On Sun, 31 Jul 2005 22:31:49 -0500, "TURTLE"
wrote:

then they still have trouble and find out
later the defrost terminator would let the defrost cycle start but
cut it off way too soon.


That could happen if the thermostat was not clamped or fastened
properly to the evaporator, and was just hanging or laying in there,
exposing itself to the radiance of the heater, but they seldom just
fall off, as the clips are stainless spring steel and do not
corrode.

Once in a blue moon, the terminator will fail shorted. In certain
models, like older Frigidaire top freezers, the damn freezer will
actually catch fire.

Otherwise, they fail open, and no defrost, period. No 33 ohm
continuity through the heater-thermostat circuit. :-)

It is a fixed bimetal element acting against a switch - I have yet to
see one open at a temperature outside its original design, unless it
was defective and out of specs when new. But then again, I have
only worked on "thousands", and not "millions" of boxes, so there's
a first time for everything.




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--
-john
wide-open at throttle dot info