Ariston MBA3842c Fridge Freezer

[jonme]

Hi, the fridge in this unit does not seem to keep a low temp, it seems to fluctuate between around 7-13 degrees, although it has been able to get to 3 degrees. The Freezer is fine.

I tried a defrost with the doors open for around 13 hours, but problem remains. any ideas?

I have noticed the compressor seems to click twice whenever it activates/deactivates, although I think it did this before the problem arose.

[kwatt]

Hi Jon,

Is it a frost free machine? Electronic control?

Sorry I’m not familiar with the model.

K.

[jonme]

Re: Ariston MBA3842c Fridge Freezer

I dont think it is frost free, although it is electronic controlled and has a led screen on the front of the fridge to set temp/different modes etc.

[kwatt]

Re: Ariston MBA3842c Fridge Freezer

If it’s electronically controlled but not frost free then it is liable to be some problem either with the electronics or the thermistors then by the sounds of it. That said there’s no guarantees with that knowing Indesit. 😉

If I were to hazard a guess with the little info I have I’d be guessing the fridge thermistor is playing up.

K.

[mkm]

Re: Ariston MBA3842c Fridge Freezer

Hi
I have a similar problem with the same machine but there is no cooling at all in the fridge compartment. I have tried joining the wires at the thermistor which should set the fridge to cool continuously? – but problem remains. How do these units work – is there a fan blowing cold air up from the freezer. If it is not the fridge thermistor what else could it be?

Mark

[kwatt]

Joining wires won’t work on a thermistor as it needs to feedback a resistance reading in order to operate. In fact, doing so may well damage the PCB. 😕

K.

[jonme]

Re: Ariston MBA3842c Fridge Freezer

Well, after about 5 visits from Hotpoint, including changing the control module,re-gassing, clearing out the pipework, they have written it off. I suspect it has to be a faulty thermistor or something simple like that but hey ho.

I’m now being offered a hotpoint replacement 🙁

[subhuman]

Re: Ariston MBA3842c Fridge Freezer

Hi,

Bought one of these second hand myself. While the freezer appears to work perfectly well, the fridge exhibits the same problem as above – it stays at room temperature. There is a fan to the rear centre of the fridge – this is not spinning.

The control panel appears to work fine – increasing/decreasing the fridge temp doesn’t make any difference. I don’t have a manual (and can’t find one on the net) so don’t really know if theres anything I’m missing…

I haven’t even begun to investigate how much it will cost for engineer/parts… is there anything I can try?

Thanks,
Antony.

[subhuman]

Re: Ariston MBA3842c Fridge Freezer

Well, I had a look this weekend and after spending an hour unscrewing I just couldn’t find a way into the unit to even see if there was a thermistor etc… to test!

There does appear to be something poking into the fridge compartment – which looks like it could be a sensor (rear right hand side at the back of the compartment – has ‘S.A.S’ stamped on it, is about an inch and a half long) – as I can’t get the side panel off I don’t know where it runs to!

PCB is located in the front above the door, all contact are clean and it sits in the connectors properly.

Would appreciate any other advice, especially if anyone has managed to open one of these before!

Thanks,
Antony.

[subhuman]

Re: Ariston MBA3842c Fridge Freezer

Done a bit more digging and have come up with the following info:

[*]Sensors are foamed in
[*]This is a common fault – the sensors seem to lose ‘range’ – a suggested fix is to connect a resistor in parallel to bring the resistance down. I don’t see how this is possible though when all I can access is the PCB connectors!

Being Merloni, circuit diagrams/wiring loom info seems to be virtually impossible to get hold of.

Any advice?

[subhuman]

Re: Ariston MBA3842c Fridge Freezer

Well, had an engineer out to have a look.

Initial diagnosis is that it needs a new divert valve… as replacing that means breaking the refrigeration system down, they’ll regas at the same time.

Thought I’d post to let anyone with the same problem know.

[blahblah]

Re: Ariston MBA3842c Fridge Freezer

I have had the same problem the last few days…. a flash looking ‘fridge’ that i may as well have been using as a cupboard it was so warm.
For starters, i bought it 2nd hand with no manual, and the bloody thing is stuck in a language i cant read on the display. Ive never been able to turn it down lower than 5 degrees on the display, which has annoyed me enough as it is, but this week its been flatout warm, the freezer on the other hand has been fine.
I cracked the shits, and took the fan out from inside the top of the fridge, thinking maybe the fan was broken, only to discover it doesnt draw cool air from the freezer, it generates it itself. I had not noticed the fan working for some time.
Frustrated with half of the buttons on the display not working either, i tore it apart, took the ‘computer’ out and tried to search for a replacement. Having no luck, i removed the chip from the board…. threw it, picked it up and put it back in again. (By the chip i mean the black one sitting above the display, looks like an old bois chip from a motherboard)
Once i put the same fan back in, and the same computer display….. it instantly started working… infact the fridge is colder than it ever was and reading from the digital thermometer i placed in it, it is cooling down to 2 degrees even though 5 is displayed on the front panel.
I am thinking that perhaps removing and putting back the chip, did something simular to clearing the bois on a computer mother board.
I did notice however, that the cable running to the display is on its way out due to rubbing everytime the door is opened and closed. Bad design.
I am now saving to buy a new fridge as i cant rely on this dodgy thing, and it WONT be another Ariston judging from the 50+ bad reviews i have read tonight on the same model as this one.

[Author]

Posts