Quoted from PinballTilt:I'm no expert, I'll concede that. But every article i found says the same thing. A rattle inside the relay that sounds like pieces inside means the relay is bad.
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/test-refrigerator-relay-switch-33986.html
https://www.google.com/search?q=inside+of+compressor+relay&client=ms-android-sprint-us&source=android-browser&prmd=ivsn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj9prPltIvVAhVq04MKHQxSDI8Q_AUICSgB&biw=360&bih=512#imgrc=qJPxmUWFyxDWnM:
Care to explain your reasoning for what else a rattle sound could be?
Not the person you're responding to, but as an appliance repair tech i can shed a bit of light. Many relays used on compressors will pretty much burn and disintegrate internally when they fail. When that happens, it will sound like a maraca--you can hear all the little bits and pieces shaking around inside. However, if you were to take a new relay and shook it, you'd hear a rattling sound. That sound is coming from the overload device. I've been fooled in the past, thinking the sound of the overload rattling was indicating a bad relay. That style of overload device rattles when it's at a safe temperature, perfectly normal. If the overload gets too hot, it makes an audible click sound. If you were to shake it then, you'd hear no noise coming from the overload (until it cools back down to a safe temperature, which varies between overload devices). Here's a pic of a common relay used on whirlpool refrigerators (which contains an overload device, shown in the pic beneath)
prod_3269219802.jpg
371538-2-M-Whirlpool-4387913-Compressor-Relay-and-Overload.jpg