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ApplianceGuru.com: The Samurai Appliance Repair Forums > Do-It-Yourself Appliance Repair Help > The Kitchen Appliance Repair Forum > GE Refrigerator on the fritz (GSS22WGMD) |
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| GE Refrigerator on the fritz (GSS22WGMD) | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Mon Oct 19th, 2009 05:34 pm |
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1st Post |
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meesterblack Senior Apprentice Appliantologist
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Woke up this morning with a puddle of water/goo under the fridge. Then I got that feeling.... you know the one.... OH $&#@ me -- what now!! This hasn't been my month/year, but I digress already. GE model GSS22WGMD builder-grade fridge came with the house. Initial infrared thermometer test showed about 37 degrees on the freezer side and about 59-60 degrees on the fridge side. Not good. Tore everything down and found nothing truly obvious (i.e. frost buildup, etc). Probably the most prominent thing to mention is the lack of any frost at all on the coils in the freezer. Condenser fan is running. I heard the compressor running earlier, but is off now for unknown reasons. Evaporator fan is also running as best it can it seems. Me thinks that I be in for some real trouble, but alas I must also admit I am not much of a refrigerator repair man. I understand the operation completely, but am lost on the troubleshooting end (I seek wisdom from those much more knowledgeable than I !!). My sincerest pleas to those whom may know which direction that I should proceed next. 
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| Posted: Mon Oct 19th, 2009 05:47 pm |
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2nd Post |
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RegUS_PatOff Fellow, Academy of Sublime Masters of Appliantology 
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meesterblack wrote: ... but alas I must also admit I am not much of a refrigerator repair man... relax, loosen-up your belt, let your pants slide down a little, and yes, you too can become a refrigerator repair man service manual link PM'd
____________________ RegUS_PatOff http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPAY2LsKVEw my video production: “Easter Seals Walk With Me” (also in HQ) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EBiLyYXMiA Upon leaving this Earth "Do you want the Smoking or Non-Smoking section ?" |
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| Posted: Mon Oct 19th, 2009 05:48 pm |
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3rd Post |
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meesterblack Senior Apprentice Appliantologist
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Gracias, oh great one.
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| Posted: Mon Oct 19th, 2009 08:07 pm |
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4th Post |
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meesterblack Senior Apprentice Appliantologist
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Okay, I am beginning to see my fate here, but I am holding off losing hope. Ran through the flowchart steps in the service manual. Ran a test with the freezer warmed up to 70 deg. F+. Plugged back in and compressor kind of sputtered the first few times it tried to start up. In fact, I heard the relay kick on -- then sputter sputter sputter -- then a few seconds later it would kick off. Ran this test about three times. After the third time the compressor cranked up and stayed on (for all I can tell -- it is warm to the touch and vibrating ever-so-slightly as I would expect). I show 120v at the connector as prescribed at the manual which supposedly feeds the compressor. The end of the flowchart, based on how far I've gotten, indicates I need to give it 24 hours to stabilize. That's great... and it seems like it is beginning to cool.. but I have a few observations. First, using my infrared thermometer I am measuring the bottom half of the evaporator coil as it begins to frost up. I am yet to see any temp readings below 5-10 degrees. The first blast of air when I open the door is about 55-60 deg. Sound normal so far? I am guessing that the coils ought to be running a little colder, but I could be all wrong there. I have also observed that the coils are frosting up a bit (normal I'd guess?) and have started from the bottom of the coil and are frosting up slowly over time from the bottom to the top of the coil. Insights? Many thanks... 
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| Posted: Mon Oct 19th, 2009 09:55 pm |
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5th Post |
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RegUS_PatOff Fellow, Academy of Sublime Masters of Appliantology
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The Compressor Start Relay may be bad ... after an hour or two of the Compressor running, the Evaporator coils should be evenly frosted ... WR07X10025 click on picture 
____________________ RegUS_PatOff http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPAY2LsKVEw my video production: “Easter Seals Walk With Me” (also in HQ) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EBiLyYXMiA Upon leaving this Earth "Do you want the Smoking or Non-Smoking section ?" |
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| Posted: Mon Oct 19th, 2009 10:28 pm |
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6th Post |
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meesterblack Senior Apprentice Appliantologist
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Hmmm.. it's been a few hours and only about 1/3 of the coils are frosted over. I suspect you are correct. I checked to see if the compressor is running again just now and it is not, even though the freezer compartment should still be cooling. I unplugged for a while and plugged back in to re-test. Compressor relay engaged and compressor seemed to be trying to start up (gurgling a little), sounded like it was straining a bit (a bit of an electrical hum) and then would disengage. Heard this happen twice in first 2 minutes. After about 4-5 minutes, I heard it re-engage again and now compressor seems to be running. Interesting that it would take a few attempts for the compressor to get started -- I imagine that is not normal. Signs of a compressor going bad? how can I do a direct test of the compressor to verify it is indeed a flaky/faulty relay? Thanks..  Last edited on Tue Oct 20th, 2009 12:19 am by meesterblack |
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| Posted: Tue Oct 20th, 2009 12:37 am |
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7th Post |
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kdog Fellow, Academy of Sublime Masters of Appliantology 
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Sounds like the relay in the muthaboard may be the culprit, you need to check voltage at the compressor pins during this cutting in/out to see if the power being supplied to the compressor is being interrupted
____________________ Can Ye spare some 'cutter me brutha ? http://web.me.com/zenzoidman/kdog/ |
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| Posted: Wed Oct 21st, 2009 02:38 pm |
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8th Post |
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meesterblack Senior Apprentice Appliantologist
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kdog wrote: Sounds like the relay in the muthaboard may be the culprit, you need to check voltage at the compressor pins during this cutting in/out to see if the power being supplied to the compressor is being interrupted You might be on to something. For the first 24 hours after I discovered a problem, I tested and tested. I ran thru the service manual flow chart to see if I could get the compressor started. In that 24 hour period, I did notice once that the compressor turned off and never came back on. So I started all over again (warmed the freezer thermistor to 70 deg. and plugged back in). For the last 24-48 hours, it seemed fine. Occasional temp checks revealed the freezer compartment was getting into the <10 deg territory or colder and the fridge side was in the low 30s like it should be. Went to bed last night and freezer was at -7 deg. Woke up this morning and freezer was 41 deg, fridge 44. Compressor not on. Opened up the motherboard panel in back. Touched the motherboard relay for the compressor -- very warm. Everything else not nearly as warm. I thought I might have recovered and everything was fine, but alas... not for me. Going to go buy the PTCR relay today as suggested. I do have one concern, however. How can I tell whether it is the PTCR relay or the relay on the motherboard that is failing?
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| Posted: Wed Oct 21st, 2009 04:05 pm |
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9th Post |
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RegUS_PatOff Fellow, Academy of Sublime Masters of Appliantology
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meesterblack wrote: ... How can I tell whether it is the PTCR relay or the relay on the motherboard that is failing? ... kdog wrote: ... you need to check voltage at the compressor pins ...
____________________ RegUS_PatOff http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPAY2LsKVEw my video production: “Easter Seals Walk With Me” (also in HQ) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EBiLyYXMiA Upon leaving this Earth "Do you want the Smoking or Non-Smoking section ?" |
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| Posted: Wed Oct 21st, 2009 07:55 pm |
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10th Post |
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meesterblack Senior Apprentice Appliantologist
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RegUS_PatOff wrote: meesterblack wrote:... How can I tell whether it is the PTCR relay or the relay on the motherboard that is failing? ... Well, I feel a little stupid then. I'd already done that and am getting 120v at the motherboard to the compressor, so I am going to take a wild guess that wasn't the problem. Just finished swapping out the relay. Now for the long wait to see if it is going to come on like it is supposed to over time or not. I am guessing the only way to really verify that it is fixed is to just wait, correct?
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| Posted: Wed Oct 21st, 2009 08:14 pm |
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11th Post |
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RegUS_PatOff Fellow, Academy of Sublime Masters of Appliantology
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turn the temperature colder ...
____________________ RegUS_PatOff http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPAY2LsKVEw my video production: “Easter Seals Walk With Me” (also in HQ) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EBiLyYXMiA Upon leaving this Earth "Do you want the Smoking or Non-Smoking section ?" |
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| Posted: Wed Oct 21st, 2009 11:26 pm |
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12th Post |
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meesterblack Senior Apprentice Appliantologist
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Update: Came home from picking up my son from preschool -- freezer in 50s, fridge in 50s. Decided to start compressor test over again... opened up freezer side and warmed up thermistor with a hairdryer (from a distance, of course) and unplugged fridge from wall. Plugged back in and from what I can tell, compressor was running when I started the test. Most notable thing is that it sounds a bit quieter than in the past. In my head, I'm thinking that the compressor has given out or the freon is gone. I mean, in the past when I heard it running -- I *heard* it running. Earlier I suspected it was not running and pulled it back from the wall, took the rear panel off and touched it just to see. Sure enough, it was jigging back and forth as if it was working, but like I said not nearly as loud as I remember. Fast forward a few hours. Freezer still in the 50s, same with the fridge (for obvious reasons). FYI, just to be sure I tested the voltage to the compressor from the motherboard and got 120v again as it should be. Any other ideas or am I screwed? Last edited on Wed Oct 21st, 2009 11:27 pm by meesterblack |
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22nd, 2009 12:44 am |
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13th Post |
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RegUS_PatOff Fellow, Academy of Sublime Masters of Appliantology
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post a picture of the Evaporator Coil after it's been running a few hours ...
____________________ RegUS_PatOff http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPAY2LsKVEw my video production: “Easter Seals Walk With Me” (also in HQ) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EBiLyYXMiA Upon leaving this Earth "Do you want the Smoking or Non-Smoking section ?" |
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22nd, 2009 03:08 am |
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14th Post |
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meesterblack Senior Apprentice Appliantologist
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Here it is. Doesn't look good. Every now and then I will hear a little refrigerant passing through the lines, but then nothing -- and no frost. Temperature stable in the high 50s in the freezer. Attachment: coil.jpg (Downloaded 41 times)
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| Posted: Wed Oct 28th, 2009 04:24 pm |
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15th Post |
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meesterblack Senior Apprentice Appliantologist
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bump... I am going to make a wild guess and say that I believe the sealed system has lost its freon. I don't have the gauges to check or a freon sniffer, but it seems pretty evident to me. Tried everything in the repair manual as far as diagnostics. Everything seems to be running as it should - fans, compressor, etc. At the beginning of my troubleshooting, the fridge did manage to cool down to normal temps. Then after letting it sit for a while, it started to get warm again. Now it does nothing. With compressor running, it sounds like it has barely anything to move through it. As best as my memory serves, with the compressor running with a full system charge it was a lot louder. The only thing I have not done is test thermistors, but even so I would imagine that if the compressor is running, the refrigerant ought to be circulating and cooling the coils. The picture above is that of the unit running with the compressor on for a fair amount of time. No frosting at all now. Just want someone to confirm my logic. Is it dead?
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| Posted: Wed Oct 28th, 2009 06:38 pm |
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16th Post |
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Samurai Appliance Repair Man Fermented Grand Master of Appliantology 
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If the compressor and the condenser fan are both running, and your picture was take after the fridge had been running for a hour or so then the bells do indeed toll for your less-than-dearly departed refrigamerator 'cuz it's done shat the bed-- that's how we professional buttcrack engineers refer to sealed system problems.
____________________  If I've helped you with your repair, please consider supporting my flavorite charity: http://beer.fixitnow.com |
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| Posted: Sun Nov 1st, 2009 07:53 pm |
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17th Post |
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Volkemon Master Appliantologist 
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Never to dispute the master, but a band aid may work... I used a Line Tap Valve (Johnstone #B12-410)(Wagner QTM-1J) to allow access to the low pressure line. Using my 134a gauges from the auto world, I took off the quick release adapter and found the end of the hose fit well on the line tap. Even had the piece on the end to depress and open the valve stem. (On my buddies gaugeset, we had to reverse the line to find the end with the piece to depress it...go figure..) With the compressor running, I added 134a until the low side was running 7-10 psi. Then using an automotive leak sniffer, I found the corroded joint that was leaking. Turned off the frige, recovered the 134a (I suppose a lesser equipped person would bleed it out....) and used JB weld on the leak area after cleaning and roughing up. Recharged the frige, and it had worked well for over 6mo now... fingers crossed. The guard shack mini frige was not cooling either, did the tap and charge. Never did find the leak, but it is still working months later also. For what it's worth! If you are in dire need, this may help. Good luck!
____________________ Onward and Upward! |
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