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?
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.