The 61005988 defrost timer was mainly used in refrigerators marketed under the Maytag brand name. Of course, Maytag is now synonymous with Whirlpool (the current owner of that once proud company). This defrost timer is located in the ceiling of the refrigerator compartment.
When this board goes bad, the defrost cycle will be inturrupted and ice will build up between the freezer and refrigerator sections. Because the refrigerator relies on a steady flow of cold air from the freezer section, it will begin to get warm. The first thing most people notice when this happens is spoiled milk. The freezer section, however, will remain cold. You may be able to see some frost on the wall separating the two sections.
At one time, there was no choice outside of Whirlpool for this defrost timer board. Here is a link to the Whilrpool original 61005988 defrost timer.
Now there is a generic replacement that works quite well and costs a little less. Here is a link to the generic 61005988 refrigerator defrost timer board.
To make sure this is the correct defrost board for your refrigerator, click here to find parts for your refrigerator by model number.
Some refrigerator models that use this board include: JCB2388GRB , JCB2388GRQ , JCB2388GRW , JCB2388GTB , JCB2388GTW , JCB2389GRS , JCD2389GEB , JCD2389GEQ , JCD2389GES , JCD2389GEW , JCD2389GTB , JCD2389GTW , JSD2789GEB , JSD2789GEQ , JSD2789GES , JSD2789GEW , MSD2458GEB , MSD2458GEQ , MSD2458GEW , MSD2734GEQ , MSD2734GEW , MSD2756GEB , MSD2756GEQ , MSD2756GES , MSD2756GEW , MSD2758GEB , MSD2758GEQ , MSD2758GEW , MZD2766GEB , MZD2766GEQ , MZD2766GES , MZD2766GEW , MZD2768GEB , MZD2768GEQ , MZD2768GEW … among many others.
Some other part numbers for this refrigerator control board are: AP4070403, 12002104, 61002983, 61003990, 67003349.