Need refrigerator help quick before everything melts

We have a Maytag frost free refrigerator. Pulled it out from the wall to vacuum behind and underneath. The compressor and radiator fins and fan are all in a small compartment about 1' X 2' at the bottom back, with a cardboard cover. I took the cover off to vacuum out inside but the unit was still running while I went to the garage. When I came back the fan was cycling down and it stopped and I could not get anything to start up again even by turning the refrigerator thermostat to max. The compressor was so hot I could not hold my hand on it.

Did it overheat because I took off the back cover and disrupted the air flow? Will it restart when the compressor cools down? I have unplugged it, but it seems to be taking forever for the compressor to cool off.

It's likely in defrost or you knocked a wire off for the condenser fan. Can you hear or feel the compressor cycling off/on?

Put the cover back on and plug it in, if it in the defrost mode it takes about a half hr to finish. It needs power to run timer.

crazy4coal wrote:Put the cover back on and plug it in, if it in the defrost mode it takes about a half hr to finish. It needs power to run timer.

AAaaarrrgggg. I completely forgot about the defrost timer! Crisis is over, it is up and running again. Thanks guys.

rberq wrote:

crazy4coal wrote:Put the cover back on and plug it in, if it in the defrost mode it takes about a half hr to finish. It needs power to run timer.

AAaaarrrgggg. I completely forgot about the defrost timer! Crisis is over, it is up and running again. Thanks guys.

excellent!