[Gene]

Hi Jim,

Check the DC voltage to the motor. Power off and back on the refrigerator. Make sure the compressor is on. Wait from 10 to 60 seconds for the fan voltage to kick in, and then check the fan voltage. The average reading is 9 VDC. If you get 3 seconds of voltage every 10 seconds for the 5 fan power up cycles, then the main PCB is good. Otherwise replace the main PCB.

- The main PCB Part number: DA41-00104M

Here are the breakdown diagrams and Replacement parts for Samsung RS2556SH REF - SXS | AppliancePartsPros.com

Gene.

[JimMitchell]

Hi Gene. Well, the new evap fan is working after all...just took some time to reset I suppose.

Unfortunately, I'm seeing some temp variances in both the frig and the freezer sections. The temp reading stabilized on the frig side, and has been at 34 degrees for about 8 hours now...however...I thought the milk, etc felt a little warm as it had moisture on the outside of the plastic container, so I put in a thermometer on the top shelf and it reads 55 degrees, or a 21 degree variance. Surely this isn't normal?

A short while after replacing the frig side evap fan, the freezer started having issues.

It was set at '0 degrees' for a couple of hours and was operating fine, then suddenly it seemed to 'turn-off' and warm up to 20+degrees rather quickly. I've never seen it do this before. I opened the door, held the door button closed and verified that the freezer side evap fan was working properly, thinking it might have the same issue as the frig side. The fan was working.

I removed the food, opened up the evap cover and the evap was NOT frozen over, just typical 'frost' on the coils.

I gave it a few minutes, cleaned up everything and replaced the food, (making sure that there was plenty of room for air-flow in the rear of the compartment), and replaced the evap cover. I set the temp to 0 degrees and turned on the 'Power Cool' and it cooled down to 0 degrees after about 3 hours of the door being closed. It's stayed that way for a few hours now, however I'm worried that it will do this routine again. Also, I just took the internal freezer temp with the thermometer and it's only 32 degrees yet the display reads '0' and is NOT flashing.

What do you think might be the issue? A temp sensor or the control unit (PCB) possibly? I'm not sure how the thermistors work, but could they be the problem? Obviously the control panel is NOT reading the correct internal temps of either side.

Thanks again for your help!

Jim

*Update: it's now the next morning (10+ hrs later) and the frig side is at 43° (top shelf) and 38° (third shelf) on my internal thermometer, so the variance vs. the display (which is still set at 34°) is only 9° and 4° respectively. The freezer is down to 0° on my internal thermometer (top wire shelf) and 0° on the display, so the freezer side seems to be ok for now. Are these typical variances for the frig side?

**Update #2: later in the evening, several hours later, I cleaned/dusted the coils in the rear of the frig and replaced the cover and pushed it back into place. Almost immediately, the frig temp display started blinking. I let it sit for about 3 hrs, then did a reset by powering down the frig for 10 mins, then plugged it in. Got error code '3'. Temp VERY gradually went down to 41° over a few more hrs, then this morning about 11:00am it was back into the 50's, and is now at 61°. Internal temp on my thermometer is at about 55° on the 2nd shelf. I'm pretty convinced at this point that there's a problem somewhere in a temp sensor, thermistor, PCB. What do you think?

***Update #3: the frig side has continued to go UP & DOWN in temp over the last 15+ hours. It will go up to 65° stay there for a few hours, and then down to 38°, and then do it all again.

****Also, any idea on the bulb issue? Could it just be the lamp holder for some reason? Wiring harness? Do those go bad sometimes? It's such a simple piece of equipment I almost can't believe it would go bad.

[obrien4321]

Super thread!

Original Problem: freezer is fine, refrigerator won't cool adequately (won't get below 40F)
Equipment: GE ZISB48DYB (48in built-in, side-by-side)

Observations: Evaporator coil looks OK (very light frost); evaporator fan runs; return air intakes in refrigerator not blocked. Checked return air duct with forced air (from hair drier); return path to evaporator seems clear. Damper (into fridge) seems open. Controls set to 4 (freezer) and 9 (fresh food). Freezer at 0F; refrigerator at 42F.

Observations (perhaps odd): Thermodisc (in fridge section) shows continuity at 0F and at 72F. Part seems to have been replaced; bears markings "37T21 29902 7327 L190-50F" We've tried operating w/o the disc. Fridge seems to be slightly cooler (typically 40-42F) w/o disc, maybe 42-44F with disc. Probably just the occasional heating effect of interior light (works with disc, not w/o).

Queries: First, is there something obvious we should be checking? Gut says we've got an air flow into fridge problem, but can't find. Second, is the thermodisc a problem? Seems useless if it provides continuity throughout entire thermal range, but doesn't seem to affect operation much (whether in or out). In any case, part OEM WR50X108, aka AP2071253, is discontinued. What to do?

[Gene]

Hi Jim,

Perform the self-diagnostics as described in the Service manual (page 32). You have to register there to download the service manual.

Gene.

[Gene]

Did you clean the condenser coils? Make sure the fan next to it is working properly.

With such temperature setting the damper should be fully open. Is it?

- The damper assembly Part number: WR9X513

Here are the breakdown diagrams and Fresh food section replacement parts for General Electric ZISB48DYB Refrigerator | AppliancePartsPros.com

Gene.

[obrien4321]

Originally Posted by Gene

Did you clean the condenser coils? Make sure the fan next to it is working properly.

With such temperature setting the damper should be fully open. Is it?

- The damper assembly Part number: WR9X513

Here are the breakdown diagrams and Fresh food section replacement parts for General Electric ZISB48DYB Refrigerator | AppliancePartsPros.com

Gene.

Thanks Gene. Damper was apparently not fully open at 40F. In fact, I pulled it out last night, ran refrigerator without damper installed. Fridge quickly cooled down below 40F and I noted that damper (sitting on shelf of fridge) was almost fully closed by 40F, even at the most fully open ("9") dial position. Ordered replacement from AppliancePartsPros last night; should have it tomorrow.

Damper is just two-years old, and service tech (who replaced it then) said it was fine. Go figure.

Condenser coils have been cleaned and condenser fan running. I presume the thermodisc with "L190-50F" markings is a red herring? ... or does that strike you as odd?

David

[Gene]

David,

I'm positive that the damper is the culprit. I don't think there is something wrong with that thermodisc.

Keep us posted.

Gene.

[skitty4gzus]

Our RCA refrigerator is no longer getting cold. I went through a couple different checks. Checked to see if the drain tube was blocked, it wasn't. Cleaned off the dust and everything off the condenser area under the fridge, pulled the back panel off the inside of the freezer to access the evaporator, I heard it start to defrost and no large amounts of ice buildup in the freezer. The time i noticed was last thursday. On tuesday the fridge door was left open while we were at work and I noticed the fridge doesn't cool down at all anymore, and the freezer is taking quite a bit longer to freeze ice cubes. Also, the evaporator fan doesn't spin at all I don't believe. Is there anyway to force it to spin, could this be the problem? Is the evaporator fan wholly responsible for getting cold air into the refrigerator? We don't have the money for a new fridge even though we need one. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you! RCA MTX18GRBR

[skitty4gzus]

I pulled the freezer evap. cover off while fridge was on. fan wasn't running. i gave it spin start by hand and it started running and stayed running. will check fridge in the morning to see if it cooled down any. At that point would it be as easy as replacing the fan?

[Simon / APP Team]

Hi.

You should replace the evaporator fan motor

Part number: WR60X190

Let the fridge to defrost for 12 hrs with doors open (unplug it). Because the door was open for a vile there is the chance that the air ducts are blocked with snow.

Here are the breakdown diagrams and Replacement parts for General Electric MTX18GRBRAD Refrigerator | AppliancePartsPros.com

Thank you. Post the results.

Simon.