The short answer
On the AMAW refrigerators this complaint is far more often about air than about the cooling system: the compressor is still running, and something has stopped the cold reaching the food. 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 appliance never cycles off — It runs on and on without ever reaching the setting.
- Frost has built across the freezer back wall — A sheet, rather than the usual light dusting.
- Food at the back is frozen while the front is warm — Cold is reaching part of the compartment and not the rest.
- NEAR MISS — the appliance is silent and nothing is cold — That is a no-power or start-circuit fault and it belongs on a different page.
Causes, most likely first on this family
- Airflow blocked by frost on the evaporator — A defrost cycle that stalls rather than fails outright lets a sheet of ice build on the evaporator over weeks; the fans keep running, the compressor keeps running, and less and less air reaches the food. It leads because it is the likeliest of the set on these cabinets. The builds in this family differ only in trim, so it holds across the line.
- Condenser coil packed with dust or pet hair — This is the cause that gets worse with the season: a coil that coped through winter stops coping in the first warm week, and the complaint arrives suddenly. Second: common enough on these models to come before anything below it.
- Condenser fan not turning — Debris caught in the fan shroud is as common here as a failed motor, so look before you order a part. Third on the list, where the likelihoods start to fall away.
- Sealed-system or compressor fault — This sits last for a reason: it is the least common cause of the complaint and the only one that is not an owner repair. Last of the set listed here, and the least likely of them on this family.
- Body: What moves here is installation, up: with only a couple of builds in the family the fleet ages together, so a fitting fault explains more of these calls than wear does.
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 comes first because it matches the cause ranked first above.
- Pull the appliance out, take off the lower rear cover or the toe grille and look at the coil for a felt of dust. — Next in order, following the ranking rather than convenience.
- With the compressor running, check from the back that the condenser fan blade is turning, and turning freely. — Last of the set, and only worth doing once the others are clean.
Disconnect before you open it up
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel; a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Never bypass a door switch to keep a part running while you look at it. 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 AMAW family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| AMAW18S | amana:refrigerator:amaw |
| AMAW27S | amana:refrigerator:amaw |
| AMAW36S | amana:refrigerator:amaw |
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
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
