The short answer
A the 61W340 refrigerators cabinet that hums steadily and still will not hold temperature is telling you the cooling is being made and not delivered. On these models a frosted evaporator is the first thing this page would have you rule out. All but one of the causes below can be settled without a technician.
What you observe on these models
- The freezer still works and the fresh-food side does not — A split like that points at air movement rather than at cooling.
- Frost has built across the freezer back wall — A sheet, rather than the usual light dusting.
- The back of the appliance is hot and the box is not cold — Heat is being made and it is not being rejected.
- NEAR MISS — water is pooling but the box is cold — That is a drain fault rather than a cooling fault.
Causes, most likely first on this family
- Airflow blocked by frost on the evaporator — Frost across the evaporator face is the commonest reason a refrigerator runs without cooling, because the fault hides behind a panel and makes no sound of its own. Ranked first here: the commonest of the four on this family. This family is a single build, so it holds across the line.
- Air damper between the compartments stuck — The damper meters cold air from the freezer into the fresh-food side; stuck shut, the freezer runs cold and the refrigerator never does. Second, because it produces almost the same complaint from a different part.
- Start relay or compressor overload — The relay is a cheap part standing in front of an expensive one, which is why it is worth ruling in before anyone condemns a compressor. Third, because the two above account for most of what arrives with this complaint.
- Sealed-system or compressor fault — Refrigerant work is licensed work, so the value of the checks above is that they stop you paying for this diagnosis until it is the only one left. Last on this page: real, but uncommon on these cabinets.
- Body: One build, one age band: that is what moves loading and installation causes above wear causes here, where the brand-wide article ranks them the other way round.
Check in this order, and why
- Take the freezer rear panel off and look at the evaporator face for a solid sheet rather than a light dusting of frost. — It leads: the ranking puts this cause first, so its check goes first too.
- Find the diffuser vent on the fresh-food side and feel for air moving out of it while the appliance runs. — It sits here because it rules a cause in rather than out, which saves a step later.
- Listen at the compressor for a short hum followed by a click rather than a steady run. — Last, because it confirms what the checks above have already narrowed.
Power down first, then work
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel, because a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Nothing on the sealed system is owner work; those lines are under pressure. Keep the doors shut meanwhile and move perishables to a cooler: a refrigerator holds food safely at 40 °F (4 °C) or below, a freezer at 0 °F (−18 °C) or below.
Models in the 61W340 family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| 61W340 | amana:refrigerator:61w340 |
When to call a technician
Call once the vents, the seal and the condenser are clean and the cabinet still will not hold temperature: past that the checks are behind a panel. Call at once for a burning smell, a tripping breaker, or oil at the compressor.
The other faults covered for this family
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