Pro tip: stop trusting factory thermistor readings on fridges

Honestly, I used to just swap a thermistor when a fridge temp was off, no questions asked. That changed after I chased a bad reading for 2 days in a Frigidaire in Phoenix, only to find the sensor was fine but the harness had a 40 ohm drop. Now I always measure resistance at the control board end first, not the sensor itself, and I bring my Fluke 87 every single time. Has anyone else run into false readings from corroded pins instead of the actual part?

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noraroberts1d ago

OH MAN, you just hit the nail on the head with that one. I learned that lesson the hard way too, but with a GE that had a mouse nest full of corrosion right at the plug. I was ready to order a new main board until I decided to wiggle the harness and watched the resistance jump all over the place. Now I always take a reading at the board AND at the sensor, and if they don't match, I know it's a wire or pin problem before I touch a single part. That Phoenix heat will make those connector pins swell and corrode like crazy, so checking that drop is the difference between a 5 minute fix and a 2 week headache.