Whirlpool Top-Mount Refrigerator Forced Defrost & Diagnostic Mode - WRT5 & WRT3

Whirlpool Top Freezer refrigerators with an electronic control board do have a nifty ittle system for diagnostics and a forced defrost mode. However, they can be painfully difficult to get into.

In this video, I show you a sure-fire way to get your WRT318 or WRT518 refrigerator into diagnostics. This should work for ANY Whirlpool, Maytag, or Amana refrigerator that has this style UI/Cold Control System.

You will learn how to perform a Whirlpool Forced Defrost setup on this, as well as the fail condition mode which can show some problems that can come up with with this style refrigerator.

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[AxxinTheSupernova]

That is absolutely ridiculous. I have been fighting with this thing for months. Gave up. Thanks for posting

[mrtodd]

You get a gold star for figuring this out!

[edunchained]

This also works on an Amana ART308FFDW....FYI...thank god I was able to put it into defrost using the diagnostic cycle..I couldnt find any other way ....thanks for a great video and the information!

[jjcdrummer]

These videos are great! I recently was offered a hand me down WRT519 model. The complaint was “freezer is no longer staying cold, and the top of the inside is hot!”
Turned it off, left it open for a couple of days, shut it and turned it back on… it seemed to work OK.
I moved it, and while I had the doors off started taking it apart.
(Your other troubleshooting video was great too!)
Upon disassembly I found: Circulation fan in the freezer would not start. So there’s heat source #1. Gave it a little bump and it ran, and runs every time now.
Then, I started looking closely at the foam ducting. Near the defrost element, I noticed the foam is melted. And the plastic casing underneath the element is melted, too. So there is heat source #2.

I suspect the freezer was so packed full that it could not circulate properly. There was so much ice build up on the coils, it caused it to go into defrost and did not stop. And the ice buildup probably stopped the circulation fan.

I have not done self diagnostic to test the control board yet. But I’ve been running it all night and checking on it occasionally.
So far, it is cooling fine. The coils are icing evenly. Circulation fan is running.

Before I put the foam back in, I used some Resisto repair and seal aluminum tape to shield the parts of the foam and plastic that obviously got way too hot.

I am keeping in mind that the control board may also be bad on it, causing it to stay stuck in defrost mode. Which is something I’m going to have to figure out how to test.

This fridge is kind of sketchy, tho. Since it may be a fire hazard to continue using it unmonitored. So I am going to turn it off and unplug it before I go to sleep today. And don’t plan on letting it just run until I am confident it’s not going to burn up.

Thanks for the super informative videos! 🍻

[brendabonini]

Thank you Ben very helpful keep up the good work

[heroknaderi]

Very informative video. Keep it coming

[CroneLife]

Again, you are doing a massive public service with these videos. Can't be said enough.

[yesseniagomez]

Fantastic! Thank you! I am having issues with the freezer not getting cold at all.

[boxingbeast]

Did not see the part where you did a forced defrost. Only saw how to get into diagnostics.

[longtermgains]

Can't wait for your next video on this fridge ben! These are the bane of my existence! Numerous units like these with the glossy fronts and the handles come in from hual aways with the freezer reading negative 20 degrees and the fridge positive 24. We've tried everything even new boards. The compressor is stuck on. Best we can figure is the compressor gets grounded out but is still functional? This unit is still a mystery!

[AtoZApplianceRepair]

Dude!!! You’re the real MVP!! I’ve been struggling with these for a while!! Thank you!

[Dontleavemedimi]

Hey there thanks for all your content its been great. Say I have a situation where I have a similar fridge too cold at fresh food. Replaced the start relay as the comp would click click rhen also replaced ff thermistor. Used a data logger to track temps but it still gets too cold any suggs. No code from diags

[mushedroom]

AWESOME VIDEO....2 nights ago our wrt318 decided to stop freezing above mid 20s and our fridge is dancing around 42-47....i pulled everything out of the freezer and on the cover only the right side had heavy ice build up. i removed that but now that i think about it i probably should have removed the cover and checked for more ice build up?
i also removed the back panel and vacuumed the dust build up. the compressor was hot to the touch but not burn/scalding hot. more like warm to the touch to the point i could rest my hand on it and be fine. is this bad?

any suggestions would be great. this fridge is approx 4 years old and bought new
sadly the compressor in it is a weird chinese brand jia not the other kind i've seen on various pictures/blogs and vids.

[JorgeMartinez-dpim]

Hey Ben, thank you so much for this video. I ran diagnostics twice on my Whirlpool WRT318FZDM02 and it passed on both occasions. However food like frozen fruit and popsicles are not freezing and turning into a soupy mess. Not sure what's wrong. Also thoroughly cleaned my condenser coils yesterday. Any suggestions?

[victorchacon]

We just bought this same model and are having trouble with the freezer freezing This is our second one. Why do you think that is?

[floydbanks]

I have a question about how cold can I expect a combo refrigerator\freezer in the freezer section. My freezer only goes down to about 15 degrees, but I saw a note somewhere that on the combo refrigerator\freezers that that is about the best it can do. Is that true?

[cijojohn]

your video is great .. give lots of information. any idea how to do a forced defrost on Whirlpool model W1TXNMFWQ00 .. my refrigerator won't cool enough in freezer section its stays constantly at 30F.. Fresh food section is fine.(stays at 35-38F)

[marilyncarnier]

Woaw !!! I was able to enter in test mode but no failure code…which help to conclude that the control box is the problem ! We had an ice storm in spring …city electric network was damaged for days and some damage around the house…since then the fridge started to over cool till freezing the food …2 days ago …fridge AND freezer stopped cooling…

How can I order the control board ?

[jahfly]

Wish I'd seen this video earlier, before I bought my Whirlpool. 18 months in and it started to run continuously, gurgle continuously, and food on the lower shelves is freezing. I ran though the diagnostic sequence and no errors were shown. From this video it seems like a coolant issue? I haven't tested the thermistors yet though. I'm wondering if its worth paying a tech to come out or if I should cut my losses?

[GRestores]

Are you still selling those control boards? I checked the links in the bio and I don’t see the control board you showed in the video