Not Cooling - HOT Mullion

[Joe B]

Model Number: 596.73503200
Brand: Sears Kenmore
Age: More than 10 years

Returned from vacation and fridge was not working.
Could hear a click-hmmmmmm-click. Assumed compressor is not starting.
Pulled the capacitor and overload relay and checked resistance.
Across the bottom 2 pins: 7 ohms
Top pin to bottom left: 4 ohms
Top pin to bottom right: 3 ohms
Incoming voltage was normal.
The capacitor seems solid.
Ah, when I shook the overload relay little metal pieces fell out. Assuming that's bad and needs to be replaced. Part #67002783 Would surely order w/ capacitor and replace both.
However, my concern comes when I find that the mullion, that vertical strip that folds to seal the French-style doors is HOT. I don't mean warm like usual. It was really HOT. I'm assuming that is part of the Adaptive Defrost Control System. In that case the ADC board might be bad.
Am I on the right track
so far?
Might all this cause the compressor to fail?
If so, can I replace the compressor myself or does it require a technician to do so?
I've talked to the one, local, appliance repairman we have in our area and he wants a bit much just to come out and diagnose. He has a reputation of telling folks to, "just go buy a new one." He talked about having to recharge the Freon lines and how the compressor replacement was $500 including parts and labor. I'm comfortable with cutting and soldering the lines but don't know about how to handle the Freon issues if they are an issue. Your help is greatly appreciated.

[Doc Ryan]

If small grey and black colored pieces fall out of the start relay & overload when you shake it, then it is bad and needs to be replaced. Sometimes when the compressor goes bad it will cause the start relay and overload to fail because it is trying to start the compressor repeatedly. The run capacitor that attaches to the start relay and overload very rarely goes bad. If the compressor is bad, it will need to be replaced by a licensed and trained technician. Depending on how much your local repair person wants to diagnose your problem, it might be worth trying to replace the start relay & overload to see if that gets the compressor up and running again.

The mullion flipper has an internal heater to keep moisture from building up. I don't have the schematic from your refrigerator but this might be powered by the control board.

[Joe B]

Ryan,
Thank you for your prompt reply and insight.
Our local "repair tech" wants $85 to come out and diagnose. He quoted $500 to replace the compressor including parts and labor. I can buy the relay and capacitor "kit" and install that but it seems it's going to take almost 2 weeks to receive it. Shame I can't buy parts locally.
Is it likely that the control board would be bad if the mullion is SO HOT and not shutting off?
If I purchase parts from you and find I don't need them, can they be returned for a refund?
Thanks again.

[Doc Ryan]

Is it likely that the control board would be bad if the mullion is SO HOT and not shutting off?

You will need to locate the schematic wiring diagram on the refrigerator to see if the mullion heater is controlled by the control board or not. It is possible that the heater might just be hotter than normal because the refrigerator is not cooling.

If I purchase parts from you and find I don't need them, can they be returned for a refund?

The relay and capacitor are both electrical parts and we do not accept returns on electrical parts.