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Hello, I have a GE side by side model#: "gss22sgmcbs" and the refrigerator side is not getting colder than 50 degrees. The freezer side is cold and I know that all of the fans are working. I have watched the damper door try to open but it immediately closes. Does this mean that there is a problem with the damper or is it the thermistors? Could it be the encoder board? I read that GE refrigerators that where made from 2002-2005 have had reports of faulty thermistors: GE Refrigerator Repair Guide. However I am not sure what year my Refrigerator is. How can I find out? Thanks for your assistance!
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Measure the stabilized freezer temperature and post
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Even though they had a bad run on thermistors I rarely see the one in the fresh food fail because it isn’t exposed to moisture as much as the ones in the freezer (especially the one on the evaporator). But I can tell you that yours was most likely made when they were using the faulty thermistors so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to change them. The problem with the faulty thermistors was that the sealant they used wouldn’t properly seal enough to keep the moisture out. Once moisture got into the thermistor it would send a faulty signal to the main board. With that being said the thermistor could cause this problem but I would look at the fresh food door first if the freezer temperture is ok. If the temperature in the freezer is normal take a look at the fresh food door and see if it looks lower than the freezer door. If so adjust the door back up and see if this corrects your problem. The door has an adjustment screw at the bottom of the hinge. GE Refrigerator Repair Guide
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@richappy - The stabilized freezer temperature is 5 degrees Fahrenheit - I have it set to the coldest setting.
@applianceman - It seems that the freezer thermistors are working fine. When I close the refrigerator door I can see the light turn off. Does this mean that the door is not the problem? Also - is there anyway that the encoder board could be bad?
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Originally Posted by: tsloan777 
@applianceman - It seems that the freezer thermistors are working fine. When I close the refrigerator door I can see the light turn off. Does this mean that the door is not the problem? Also - is there anyway that the encoder board could be bad?
I am pretty sure the encoder board is not your problem. The fact that the light cuts off when the door is closed doesn’t rule out the door for sure. Sometimes the door gets to a point where it just does touch the door switch this makes the switch make sometimes and sometimes not. If the door switch is not making the damper will close which explains the damper trying to open then closing. Therefore if the door drops down the switch will work sometimes and others not so you will end up with the damper open for a short time then closed. This may not be your problem but this is always the first thing I check when the freezer is fine and the fresh food isn’t. [FONT='Times New Roman'] Five degrees is actually a little high but it doesn’t seem high enough to cause the fresh food section to get above 50 degrees. Right now I believe you’re your problem is the fact that the damper is closing too much/too long. It could be 5 degrees from door openings and/or a recent defrost cycle. Normal temperature is around 0 degrees. [/FONT]
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If I were to hold down the door switch all the way by myself with the refrigerator door open should the damper door open right away or does it take a few minuets? The refrigerator door does not look lower than the freezer door.
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Yes it should open pretty quickly (within 3 minutes). Note that both door switches have to be pressed because both doors being opened will cause the damper to close.
If this is what happens you may have a bad thermistor (the one next to the damper).
If the doors are level then this is not your problem.
The problem could be unrelated to the damper, lets go back to the freezer being a little high.
Do you see ice starting to form on the back wall of the freezer? Remove the back wall of the freezer and describe what you see. Is there heavy frost? No frost? Or light frost along the coils?
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Okay. I stood there holding both the freezer and refrigerator door switches for over 3 minuets and the damper door never opened. I checked the coils. Looked evenly frosted and not too frozen. This must mean that the refrigerator thermistor is most likely my problem.
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I just checked it again and when i opened the door of the refrigerator I saw the damper door open (I took off the cover so I can see the damper door directly) - it closed 10 seconds after the door was kept open.
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An even coat of frost on the coils is what you should see so we are back to the damper.
The freezer door switch is working (turning the light out) right?
Since the door switch seems to be working all that is left is the damper, the thermisor or the main board. Since I do believe your model did have the faulty thermistors that would be the first thing I would replace.
I am almost sure (don’t hold me to this one) the damper should open when the refrigerator is first plugged in no matter the thermistor reading. I think that is how the board knows where the damper is. I am not 100% sure on this but you can unplug the refrigerator for a few minutes then plug it back in to see if the damper opens. If it does then the damper is fine.
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