The short answer
A the AFU 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 stopped evaporator fan is the first thing this page would have you rule out. The checks below are all owner-side; what they buy you is a named cause before anyone is paid.
What you observe on these models
- The cabinet is warm and the appliance is plainly running — You can hear the compressor; the air inside is not cold.
- The appliance never cycles off — It runs on and on without ever reaching the setting.
- 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
- Evaporator fan motor stopped — The motor usually announces itself first, running loud or intermittently for weeks before it stops, so an owner who remembers a new noise can rank this higher. Ranked first here: the commonest of the four on this family. One design carries every cabinet size in this family, so it holds across the line.
- Condenser coil packed with dust or pet hair — A blanketed condenser cannot reject heat, so the compressor runs longer and longer for less and less cooling until it never catches up. Second, because it produces almost the same complaint from a different part.
- Air damper between the compartments stuck — A damper stuck open gives the opposite complaint, a fresh-food compartment that freezes salad, so one fault reads as two different problems. Third, because the two above account for most of what arrives with this complaint.
- Start relay or compressor overload — An overload that keeps tripping means the compressor is being asked to work too hard, so find the cause of that load before replacing anything. Last on this page: real, but uncommon on these cabinets.
- Body: Against the brand-wide order, airflow causes move up and installation causes down: the ladder spans cabinet sizes, and the largest cabinets in it load the airflow path hardest, which is where this fault shows first.
Check in this order, and why
- Open the freezer and hold the door switch closed: a healthy evaporator fan is audible the moment the switch makes. — It leads: the ranking puts this cause first, so its check goes first too.
- Pull the appliance out, take off the lower rear cover or the toe grille and look at the coil for a felt of dust. — It sits here because it rules a cause in rather than out, which saves a step later.
- Find the diffuser vent on the fresh-food side and feel for air moving out of it while the appliance runs. — Last, because it confirms what the checks above have already narrowed.
Before you take a panel off
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel — a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Leave the door switch wired as it is: it cuts power to the evaporator fan for a reason. 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 AFU family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| AFU1504** | amana:refrigerator:afu |
| AFU1505** | amana:refrigerator:afu |
| AFU1567AW | amana:refrigerator:afu |
| AFU1567BW | amana:refrigerator:afu |
| AFU1704** | amana:refrigerator:afu |
| AFU1705** | amana:refrigerator:afu |
| AFU1767AW | amana:refrigerator:afu |
| AFU2004** | amana:refrigerator:afu |
| AFU2005** | amana:refrigerator:afu |
| AFU2067** | amana:refrigerator:afu |
| AFU2067AW | amana:refrigerator:afu |
When to call a technician
The line is the rear panel. Everything in front of it is an owner check; the evaporator, the defrost circuit and the sealed system behind it are not. Call straight away if the compressor is hot enough to smell.
The other faults covered for this family
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
