MT45 Engel Fridge Freezer won't stop freezing / running

[CapnK]

(This post written specifically to be easily findable via search engine, since I could not find this info myself, thought it might help others with similar issues.)

If you have these symptoms, I recommend that you read this entire post before getting to work - you will want to have your thermistor in place and your Engel running to test it. Wait to remove the thermistor entirely from your Engel until _after_ determining it is bad, and when you have the replacement in-hand! Otherwise, your beer will get warm while it is shipped to you...

To test the thermistor, you need only remove the plug marked yellow in the attached image (below) from its plug, and check the resistance there at the plug-end of the wire with a multi-meter.

This past week or so my Engel fridge freezer started working *too good* - even on the lowest setting, my beer was being frozen in the bottle.

:o  CALAMITY!!!  :o

The little bugger has been running all the time, nonstop, and won't turn off unless I put the switch all the way into the Off position.

I pulled it somewhat apart this AM to check wiring and such, do some trouble shooting and figure out how to make it work all better.

To remove the switch and have some access to the 'guts', you need to remove 1) the 2 screws at the top back of the unit, and 2) the 4 screws holding on the hinges. At this point you can pry up the dark colored top of the rear of the machine, where the switch is located.

To remove the switch itself, you need to peel back a bit of the sticker around the switch area; there are 2 screws there which mount the switch to this piece.

After playing with the switch itself and inspecting it, nothing seemed wrong, so the symptoms pointed to an issue having to do with temperature detection.

There is a wire which comes into the cold compartment from the back of the machine that has an evaporative thermistor on it for temperature detection. It is under the white plastic panel at top rear center; remove this panel by pulling out the two white "buttons" on the top edge, loosening the two screws which hold it at the back of the machine, and gently prying it out from under the edges of the cold plate inside the cold compartment.

Once that panel is removed, you'll see a black wire housing which angles down towards a small screw to the right. This screw attaches a small white plastic holder for the thermistor to the cold plate. Loosen or remove that screw, and you can then pull the thermistor from this holder. Trace the thermistor wire back, you will need to cut a cable tie or two, and you'll see where it ends in a small white 2-prong plug. That plug has a lock-release tab on the *bottom* of it, where you cannot see it. Pressing that you can remove the cable from the Engel.

Using a multi-meter, check the resistance at that plug *when your machine has thoroughly chilled the cold compartment*. A YouTube video I saw about GE house fridges mentioned 16.3k Ohms as proper for their resistors, so I figured it will likely be around that for the Engel. Seeing only 5k Ohms on mine, I called Engel US, and the Engel tech I spoke with said was far too low. He also stated that thermistor failure was fairly rare, that he only sees ten or a dozen bad ones per year out of the 4-5K units they ship in.

They are sending me a replacement; the part number is "6055  054  10X9". I will test it on arrival to find out what the proper value should be. Cost for the part was $14 or so, just over $21 w/shipping.

I think if I was going to take off to far flung places away from easy shipping, I would add one of these to my spare parts bin.

In attached image, thermistor wire & plug-in point is yellow, the power switch is at the red position, and the 2 blue wires, well, they do something else. :)

[Captain Smollett]

One more thing a fridgeless boat does not have to carry / deal with.






























{ducks}   ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[Frank]

do I detect just a "hint" of sarcasm there??    ;D :o :o ;)

But....you are correct!!

[CapnK]

Yabut when I finish the/a repair, I get to have a COLD drink... :D

[Cyric30]

hay any ideas on the power consumption of this type fridge.?

[CapnK]

Thermistor came in yesterday, mounted this AM & she's working better than ever.  :)

Cyric the specs for it say it draws 0.8-2.3 amps.

[Cyric30]

thats pretty good, and is 12v...so could be run solar pretty easy as well,