My freezer and refrigerator are not cooling. After looking at several things I determined that the Evaporator Fan is not working when I press the door switch and the light goes off. I have seen steps to take with other refrigerators in this forum. What is the correct procedure to troubleshoot this one? ~Thanks.
Does the compressor work?
Gene.
I’m sorry, Gene. I tinker with many things but this is my first adventure with the cooling systems of refrigerators. I honestly don’t know if the compressor is working. Could you help me with instructions or point me to instructions on how to test that with this model?
It’s pretty simple. The compressor (#725 on the diagram) is located on the back of the refrigerator, behind the cover. Touch it and if it vibrates, it’s working.
Gene.
Thanks Gene. It does vibrate.
Sounds like the evaporator fan motor has gone bad. It’s recommended by GE pros to replace it together with the main control board. Before order the parts you may want to verify if there is nothing wrong with the cooling system.
Remove the rear panel in the freezer and check how the evaporator coils covered with snow. If it’s close to 100%, then the cooling system is fine.
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The evaporator fan motor assembly [PART]AP3191003[/PART]
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The main control board [PART]AP4436216[/PART]
Here are the breakdown diagrams and Replacement parts for General Electric GSS25JEPAWW Refrigerator | AppliancePartsPros.com
Gene.
Hey Gene, you guys are great! And yes when I try to run it the evaporator coils freeze up and look like snow. It feels great to know that I will be able to make the necessary repairs. Thank you very much.
You are welcome. Keep us posted.
Gene.
Hi Gene,
I ordered the parts and you guys are great! Had them in 24 hrs. I switched the fan and the board and the freezer started cooling right away. We already have ice! Now, the refrig. side, at the beginning I was feeling cold air coming in. We went out for the night and found the refrig. side not cold at all. Any thoughts on what I can check?
Thanks again.
Gene, I took the back panel off the freezer section again. After running all night there is some frost on the coils but, I can’t say that it looks clogged. Is some frost normal?
Hi Gene. Sorry for so many entries but I’m pretty desperate here. I took out the heating element and used the multitester to check continuity. It is really odd, sometimes I touch the terminals and get O.L then I flip the function switch back and forth and I get a reading that alternates 22, 25, 29, 22 again. Other times is flashes 1,2,3 then 0. I guess, I don’t really know what I’m looking for here. Please be patient with my ignorance on these matters. Thanks.
Normally the evaporator coils should be about 100% covered with thin snow. I’m assuming the refrigerator was completely defrosted during the last repair. The time your refrigerator was running after repair is too short to blame the defrost system and testing the defrost heater at this time does not make any sense.
Check if the damper (#426 on the diagram) is open and the cold air is coming into the refrigerator.
Gene.
P.S. It takes about 24 hours to get the right temperature in the refrigerator.
Thank you Gene. To answer your questions:
- I cannot feel any air coming in through the damper.
- The frost on the coils seems to be thicker toward the bottom, with the top three or four having no frost at all.
Remove the damper and check if the door is not broken.
Gene.
Hi Gene. I’m Baaaack. Here’s what has been happening. I replaced the fan and board, the fan began working and circulating cold air. As I posted before, the refrigerator never got cold enough. I followed your advice and checked the damper door (I actually propped it open to see if it would get cold in the refrigerator part). I also checked the return behind the fresh produce drawer and no blockages. The freezer has been freezing for a week or more just fine. Making ice and everything but even with the damper door propped open the refrigerator was barely cool. Today I woke up to a puddle in front of the freezer. Things were thawing out.
I rechecked the compressor (still vibrates), my coils were not packed with ice and my fan still works. I also notice that with the fan blowing full force and the damper door open, there is very little air coming into the refrigerator side. What can I look at next? Thanks in advance!
Make sure the condenser (on the back of the refrigerator) is clean and the fan next to the compressor works.
After that if the significant part of the evaporator coils is not covered with snow, then probably the sealed (cooling) system is low on Freon.
Gene.