I was turning on my Whirlpool refrigerator’s lights but it didn’t get cool, I got deeply intimidated at that point in time.
I searched for the problem and after trying various combinations of tests, most likely, one of three parts has gone bad: the temperature control, the compressor, or the condenser fan motor. You also may have the same issue.
If these parts are defective, you’ll need to replace them yourself. Before you start taking apart your refrigerator, make sure you have access to all necessary tools and parts; be prepared to spend about two hours completing this project; wear protective clothing and eyewear to prevent injury from spilled liquids or flying debris.
Check light control buttons on the door
If your refrigerator’s light is not working, check that you have properly reset or replaced a light bulb. If no bulb exists in your refrigerator, check that you have turned off a switch located on top of or behind your refrigerator.
Try cleaning any dust and grime off the switch to ensure it is working. If neither of these steps fix your issue, contact a professional to take care of it for you. Before calling a professional, follow the steps mentioned below.
Check temperature control settings
There are two options for adjusting how cold your refrigerator gets. One controls how cold it is when first turned on, and one that determines how long it will run at a lower temperature after initial startup.
If you set either of these too low, your refrigerator may not be getting as cold as it could be—which is where we start to see problems like your freezer section freezing food and water dispenser not working properly.
Check both settings in both parts of your fridge to ensure they’re correctly adjusted and make adjustments if necessary.
If these settings are where they should be but your fridge isn’t cooling as well as you think it should, there’s a chance that another part of the system isn’t working correctly—like a motor or sensor.
Clean condenser coils
Condenser coils are usually located behind or underneath your refrigerator. You’ll need to remove and clean them about once a year, depending on usage, frequency of use, and other factors.
The great news is that cleaning condenser coils are an easy DIY project you can complete in less than 30 minutes.
Evacuate refrigerator
If your refrigerator is not cooling but everything else seems to be working fine, check that all of your frozen foods are moved out of it.
The cold air that should be in your freezer will be lost when you open up the door and allow warm air to rush in.
That loss of cold air can make a refrigerator seem warmer than usual even if it’s not. This is particularly true of an old unit, which may not have a fan that circulates cold air very well.
Set those frozen foods in another fridge or add them to a cooler full of ice, and then try and see if things cool down in there at all; if they do, your thermostat or fan might just need replacing.
Refrigerator defrost timer
Refrigerators use a system of fans, sensors, and circuits to regulate temperature. The refrigerator’s defrost system relies on a small electronic board called a defrost timer.
This device, typically mounted on an upper wall of the refrigerator near its compressor, can fail in several ways.
If your fridge is not cooling but has been turned off for at least 12 hours and is still warm inside, it’s likely that your defrost timer has failed.
Troubleshooting an issue like this requires getting access to behind your refrigerator so that you can see how it works and how to fix it if necessary.
Remove all contents in the freezer
While you can’t fix a broken refrigerator, you can use it as a giant freezer for all your ice cream. Once you’ve cleaned out everything in your refrigerator, remove all contents from your freezer. If anything is particularly frozen, set it out to thaw first.
Doing so will prevent damage to other food items and make finding items easier later on. You may also want to remove any moisture that has built up inside or wipe down shelves with warm water and soap.
Test thermostat relay switch
When your fridge isn’t cooling but it has power, first check to see if you can get cold air at all. To do so, set a thermometer in your fridge and then turn on your appliance; if it gets colder than 40 degrees F, then you know that there is no issue with your temperature regulator.
If it doesn’t get cooler than 40 degrees F, though, unplug your fridge for a few minutes before plugging it back in—this will reset its electronics.
Check evaporator fan motor
The evaporator fan is designed to remove heat from inside your refrigerator, but if it doesn’t run, your fridge won’t be able to keep food cool. Check it now.
Before replacing any parts, turn off the power to the unit and unplug it first.
Then you can safely test whether or not your refrigerator’s evaporator fan motor is functioning by disconnecting its wire harness at both ends.
Attach one end of a jumper wire to a good ground and touch that end of that wire to each of the fan’s two terminals in turn while watching for movement in its blade assembly with an ohmmeter set on DC resistance range.
Expect resistance measured at less than 2 ohms if your fan is functioning correctly; measure infinity if not.
Also go through: Frigidaire Refrigerator Keeps Resetting to 1 Issue Solved
Watch this video to fix your fridge
Conclusion
The problem with the Whirlpool Fridge Not Cooling But Light Is On is that your refrigerator’s thermostat has malfunctioned.
You will need to replace it with a new one before your refrigerator will work properly again. Once you have replaced it, turn on your power supply and then turn off your appliance for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes have passed, turn it back on and see if it works! If not, continue to let it sit for another few hours until you can get a new part.
This is what we did after ours broke and when we turned it back on again, it worked perfectly!
Hope you will also be able to solve the problem easily without any sort of major issue.
