GE fridge suddenly went warm, lost food, but then it started again (I can’t remember if I unplugged or played with the cooling dial) for a day or so on and off. Then suddenly started working for 5 months, now completely warm and no cooling. I hear some fans running but don’t think the compressor is on or even clicking try to to come on. Does this sound like a thermostat? Both freezer and fridge have no cooling.
thanks for any ideas.
In general if the fans are running the compressor should be also, or at least trying to run. Unplug it and get the back cover off. Wait a few minutes Then plug it back in. You’ll probably hear a few clicks from the control board, then it should try to start the compressor and the condenser fan. Assuming it is on up at the front control…
If compressor starts then let it run and see what happens in a few hours.
If nothing happens in back (no fan, no compressor) you may have a bad rotary encoder (the knobs in front) or a bad board.
Also verify that the door switches turn the lights on and off as expected while you’re futzing around with it.
Door switches and lights work. Fans are running. The temperature control knob turns the fans off when switched to zero. It even seems that the doors are sealing tight. But I do not hear the compressor kicking on or even clicking trying to kick on. The capacitor had continuity. Is there any other possibility besides the compressor is kaput?
You’d need a multimeter to determine if the board is trying to power the compressor.
Down on the compressor itself behind a cover is a pair of devices that actually start it, the overload and the start device. If you can determine that the compressor is actually getting 120v then your problem is either those or the actual compressor. There are great guides online for ohming a comp out, there’s only 3 terminals and a truly dead compressor isn’t common.
Warning: unplug the fridge before messing with these as that cap can deliver a nasty jolt.