Hi–5 y.o. Kenmore, model listed above. Had the fridge warm/ freezer okay issue, and after doing searches here I replaced my defrost thermostat. I wired the new one up , clipped it on and plugged in the unit before putting the back cover on. The coils are frosting over, but the fan that is supposed to blow the freezer air into the fridge part is not running. Is that thermostatically controlled, or should it start spinning when I plug it in (the fan at the back that blows on the cooling coils goes on when I plug it in)? I don’t want to put it together then have to take it off again if I don’t have to.
After some more searches, I found one post about a whirlpool fridge and one of the senior members here said the fans are wired in parallel. So, I gave the fan blades a nudge and it is now turning, though slowly. I then stopped the fan and it did not start turning again on its own–after giving it another spin it kept turning–again slowly. So, I assume the fan is getting power (I did not put a meter on it since I didn’t know if it was an AC or DC fan or where the voltage is converted if it is a DC motor–at the fan or at the circuit board–so I left it alone).
So my next question is do I assume the fan is bad and replace it or, could it be a problem with the circuit board? Don’t want to just guess again, since I had the warm fridge and some ice buildup on the back of the freezer, leading me to swap out the defrost thermostat and it apparently wasn’t the problem.
You are on the right track. The fan motor is bad and has to be replaced. This motor is simple AC motor, so you can check the voltage in case you would like to confirm it.
Hi Gene…the fan motor did the trick. Installed it yesterday and let it run overnight. I don’t have a thermometer, but the fridge is cold and the freezer is freezing. And man, you guys ship FAST! Got the part the next day!
A tip–maybe include it in the troubleshooting sticky–A bad evaporator fan motor will apparently exhibit the same symptoms as a bad defrost thermostat–I had a warm fridge and a seemingly okay freezer with a very thin coat of frost on the evaporator access panel in the back of the freezer.
So, when you remove the back panel, let everything melt and dry and make sure the ice maker loom or other wires are not interfering with the fan, and plug the unit back in. Look to see if the evaporator fan is turning–it is not thermostatically controlled and should run as soon as the unit is plugged in, along with the compressor fan. If the fan is turning, UNPLUG it and then test the defrost thermostat.
Thanks again Gene. You saved me a bundle of money on a repair call.