Brand: GE Cafe Model Number: CFE28TSHFSS Main Symptom: Cold Freezer, warm fridge What happens & when: The fridge obviously needs a new fan to push the cold around the interior. I am concerned about the stored fault codes. I replaced a bad LCD touch screen a few months ago. Before I go replacing the fan I want to be sure of what else is going on. Can anyone tell me what these error codes are? Where can I find the code list?
Error Code (if any): 803, 506, 800, 303, 201, 112, 801, 105, 203, 105, 106
Parts or tests already tried: Entered “Service Mode” from front panel and pulled down the above stored fault codes. I ran a “47” test on the fridge section and the fan speed was 0 rpm. Again, obviously needs a new fan, but what else is bad?
Photos / video link:
For GE Café CFE28TSHFSS, those are stored service fault codes. The service manual groups them by the first digit: 1xx = fans, 2xx = defrost, 3xx = sealed/cooling system, 5xx = door/hot-water/ice functions, etc.
The ones I can confirm from the manual text are:
201 — Fresh-food (FF) defrost heater on for maximum time. This points toward a fresh-food defrost problem.
303 — sealed-system/cooling-system fault family.
506 — door-board / dispenser / hot-water system fault family.
105, 106, 112 — fan-motor fault family. The 1xx codes are fan feedback/RPM faults.
203 — fresh-food defrost fault. In this GE fault set, it indicates repeated abnormal FF defrosts; this commonly appears together with 201 when the FF evaporator isn’t defrosting correctly.
800, 801, 803 — I need to verify these separately. They aren’t visible in the searchable portion of this service-manual fault table, so I don’t want to guess.
The important combination is 201 + 203. If your complaint is fresh-food section getting warm / evaporator icing up / fan noisy or stopping, I’d pull the fresh-food evaporator cover and inspect for a solid frost/ice buildup. This model has a dedicated FF evaporator, FF fan, evaporator thermistor, defrost heater, and over-temperature thermostat.
The numbers 800, 801, and 803 are not malfunctioning error codes; rather, they are schematic part location IDs used in the manufacturer’s official parts breakdown.
If you are sourcing replacement parts, these location codes correspond to the following core components:
Part Breakdown Definitions
800 (Water Inlet Valve): The automated valve assembly that controls water flow to your door dispenser and ice maker.
801 (Main Electronic Control Board): The primary computer brain of the refrigerator that regulates cooling, defrost cycles, and display functions.
803 (Main Board Enclosure): The physical protective housing case that mounts and protects the main control board.
If you came across these numbers while navigating the digital screen’s Service Diagnostic Mode, the machine is likely tracking how many times a minor system event occurred, or you may be looking at the wrong section of the test.
To pull up actual operational error codes, follow these steps:
Enter Service Mode: Simultaneously press and hold the Water, Crushed, and Cubed ice buttons on the panel until the screen changes.
Read the Screen: The display will show tech followed by 00.
Run Code Test: Execute test 0000 by pressing any option button (except the arrow keys) to display genuine active fault codes (such as FF for high freezer temps, or CC for a warm fresh food section).
Perform a System Hard Reset
If the control panel is frozen, glitching, or showing erroneous readings, a hard reset will force the control board (801) to reboot:
Unplug the refrigerator from the wall outlet completely.
Leave the unit entirely without power for 3 full minutes.
Plug the power cord back in and allow 5 minutes for the internal communication lines to stabilize.
Thanks so much for the response. I needed to get the fridge working so had to move forward in case I needed to order parts. The errors make sense. The entire evaporator cover and everything behind it was a block of ice. I thawed it out with a low powered steam cleaner. This included everything, evaporator, fan, drain, etc. The fan immediately kicked on. The insulation on the evaporator cover was so heavy with water that the styrofoam broke in half when I lifted it out. Based on what I’ve read a poorly fitting cover can be the culprit. I ordered one this morning. The fridge has kept a consistent 37 degrees since I thawed the evaporator area. I’ll reassemble everything while the cover arrives and cross my fingers. Thanks again.
Jeffrey, I received the new part, "Ge Evap Cover Asm Ff OEM Part" Here’s the problem. While waiting for the part I had defrosted the entire evaporator area, including drain. The refrigerator then ran fine and held 37 degrees for over two full days. It also recovered from minor temp increases caused by the door being held open. However, when I installed the new evaporator cover and reassembled the shelves and bins the temp started to slowly climb. It’s now 51 degrees. It got to 41 while I had the doors open to reinstall everything. It has creeped up the other 10 degrees over about 18 hours. Any ideas?
I’m really starting to suspect some kind of air flow blockage. Did you have the old evaporator cover on and the shelves and bins out when it was holding temp?
Nope, I left the old evaporator cover off and the drawers and shelves required to remove the evaporator cover and get to the fan were left out. That was when it held temp at 37.
The evaporator fan is installed. I never removed it. I slid it out to look at it and put it back, label side up. I can hear the fan running and just to be sure I unplugged the fan power connector from the fridge back wall while the rest of the fridge was still assembled and it stopped, so I know I am hearing the correct noise. I do have one question about the smaller fan that is part of the evaporator insulation/cover assembly. I plugged it in when I reinstalled it but I don’t hear it run. Could it be bad? Could I have plugged it in backwards? I can tear this thing apart again but want to know where to look.
Sir I may have got confused on something and I do apologize. I did not notice that there is a second fan and evaporator in the refrigerator section and I was going off just the freezer evaporator and fan. Have you done anything with the fridge fan and evaporator or was that the one you were talking about all along?
I posted a detailed reply over 5 hours ago but got this response “Akismet, has temporarily hidden your post” The post still hasn’t appeared. Any ideas?
With Test 47 showing 0 RPM, I’d start by checking fresh-food evaporator fan, its wiring and connector before replacing the control board. The stored codes may be old faults, so clear them after repair and see which ones return.
