Any refrigerator repairmen out there?

[Springfield]

I have a fridge that for some reason will now only hold 32 and 52 in the freezer and refrigerator halves. Just started going up over a week period and now that is as cold as it will get. I looked at everything and the evaps are not frozen and the condenser coils are nice and clean. All fans seem to be working. This is a GE SXS with digital controls. Any good online help forums? whytelw AT comcast.net

[WILCO]

Might be your thermostsat.

http://www.handyguyspodcast.com/2592/ge-refrigerator-not-cooling-troubleshooting-and-repair/

http://www.ehow.com/how_7229411_troubleshoot-ge-refrigerator-not-cooling.html

http://forum.appliancepartspros.com/refrigerator-freezer-repair/14404-ge-fridge-freezer-not-cooling.html

[Bill*]

Or a refrigerant leak

[GRUMPA]

On something like this it's real hard to even come close to any sort of an answer unless you have the right gauges to hook up to it. There's more than a few things can can go wrong but I'll just name what I can come up with.

As mentioned above it could be a slow refrigerant leak.

Depending on how old it is and how it was put together it could be a cracked reed valve (most likely).

Plugged receiver dryer (rarely)

Plugged orifice tube (rarely)

Again without gauges it's a game of hit and miss (sound familiar?)

[Wis. Tom]

Could also be defrost timer or heater coil. Frost builds up, restricts airflow, compressor runs all the time, freezes up, never gets cold enough. Could be any of the things suggested. Sometimes the freeze up is behind the plastic panel, and you can't see the ice. Is any water running down the drain to drainpan?

[Springfield]

As I said, I looked at everything by taking all the panels off inside and out and there was minimal ice on the evaporators. I was actually hoping for lots, would have explained a few things. It could be the thermostat except the freezer AND the refrigerator are separate with separate evaporators and separate thermostats, and both sides are running too warm. I used to do commercial AC, and in my experience once you have a leak it pretty much all leaks out until it doesn't work at all. This dropped 20 deg in a weeks time(probably just the insulation at work) and has been holding a steady 24/54 for 2 weeks now. I even shut it off and let everything get warm just in case there was some ice hiding somewhere, and it came back up to the 24/54, so the compressor is working, although maybe not properly, but that is difficult to test without gauges. As to the reed valve, I suppose it could wear out/get damaged and the compressor is not working to capacity, but once again, hard for me to test. This sucks because the wife's nice stainless steel fridge is out and we put all the food into my old picked-up-for-free fridge (wife calls it my redneck fridge) that I was storing all my powder and primers in. It works great, better than any I have had, froze the Ice Cream into solid ice, even had to turn it down, but it is old and an ugly brown with hasps on it to keep people out of it, and SHMBO doesn't want it in her kitchen.

[Roosters]

There is a small fan inside the freezer that circulates the cold air from the freezer to the fridge.(not the one in the back with the compressor ) You cant see it without removing some of the inner panels from the freezer compartment. The two I fixed were in the bottom of the freezer . The fan motor was stuck on both. This lets the freezer get cold but it don’t put the cold air into the refrigerator . I messed with motor gently pulling and pushing the shaft in and out and spinning the fan with my fingers till they freed up. Turn it on to check to see if they would start. One of these is still running after 2 years the other has been about 9 months. Both of these were Beer fridge’s for buddies . Yes I was paid with Beer.

If the freezer is cold and the fridge is not more than likely it is froze over where the fan is or the fan is not working or both. Another thing they wont work right if the temperature is below 50 degrees in the house garage or whatever.

Hope this helps P.S. I’m a Beer drinker not a refrigerator repairman . . . LOL

Roosters

[Roosters]

Something else I just remembered where the fan hadn’t been running there was a lot of ice built up under the panels so I used a hairdryer to defrost that and soaked up the water with towels .

[Springfield]

Took all the panels off, no ice, all fans work. So much for the easy stuff!

[10x]

My Samsung fridge simply quite working. My Brother in law came over pulled the plug, waited a half hour, then plugged it back in. It just needed a reset....

[cbrick]

A computer chip is what regulates the pre-set temps. Since it is working with only the pre-set temps being wrong it could well be the chip (actually a circuit board). Does it run continuously or shut off when it thinks the temp is correct then start up again to keep it at the wrong temp?

Rick

[turmech]

I do HVAC work not appliance but like you said a leak would have most likely caused a sudden stop and by now not work at all. It would have also ice up if low on charge enough to effect performance but charge enough to still kind of work. I could not say it is the compressor, but GE was known (at least in the past) for not having the best compressors. They used rotary ones for a good while in the last 25 year. Of all the compressors types I have always found the rotary the worst. Not to upset anyone but GE in general has proven to be junk in my experience. At least with any made in the last 20-25 years (the old GE fridge was tough as nails).
If not the compressor you could have a dirty condenser coil (based on your previous posts you may have already ruled that out). Clean the coil under the fridge if not done so. check the fan under the fridge. see if it running and running at full speed.
I would imagine the fridge has one main circuit board which would control most everything. if the compressor,coils, fans, and charge are good I would suspect the board. Sadly the board, compressor or refrigerant charge may not be cost effective to fix.

[Randy C]

There is a guy on you tube that showed me how to check my Ge Fridge I watched his video and checked what he said, It was the thermistors in my Fridge he shows how to check them they are like little thermostats in your Fridge and Freezer they were about 5 bucks a piece I replaced all of them in the Fridge, My freezer was good but the Fridge caused my Freezer to mess up. Your Freezer is what keeps your Fridge cold with a little door in between them and the thermistors tell the computer board when too change the temperature in both open and close the door in between them.

[Randy C]

There is a guy on you tube that showed me how to check my Ge Fridge I watched his video and checked what he said, It was the thermistors in my Fridge he shows how to check them they are like little thermostats in your Fridge and Freezer they were about 5 bucks a piece I replaced all of them in the Fridge, My freezer was good but the Fridge caused my Freezer to mess up. Your Freezer is what keeps your Fridge cold with a little door in between them and the thermistors tell the computer board when too change the temperature in both open and close the door in between them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrSQz-5F1hs&feature=related

[Springfield]

My fridge is a side by side and has 2 evaporators, one for the fridge and one for the freezer, no little door. I suspect the chips on the board but it is 240 bucks so I am reluctant to replace it if i'm not sure it is the culprit. Be nice if there was a way to bypass it and see if the compressor could then cool properly. I may have to figure out a way to do that. Been too busy with work and my food is not spoiling, the redneck refrigerator is seeing to that.

[Roosters]

I found this one and it has a trouble shooting guide .


GE Refrigerator Technical Service Guide
http://appliance911seabreeze.com/PSS26MSRSS.pdf


Might be time to go shopping ?? :(

[Randy C]

My refrigerator was a side by side about 9 years old did you watch the video, thermistors are little thermostats hidden in the fridge and freezer I think there was 2 or 3 on each side they tell the computer what and when to change the temperature cold air comes from the freezer to the fridge I showed pick of the 2 that I have.

60550

60551

[Lee]

As mentioned above, pull the plug, wait 30 minutes, then plug in again. This same thing happened to one where I work. Unless you've already tried it, I vote for the reset.

[Randy C]

I was hoping to see what the problem was.

[jim147]

I missed this one but I'm always happy to help.

I love making the cold.

jim