LG LFCS31626S refrigerator fan noise, and possibkle related issues.

[soulweeper]

@john63

How hard to you have to bang your fist on the compressor? It didn't work for me.

Can you please send me that bulletin to jsmith513716@yahoo.com

I'd appreciate it.

[soulweeper]

@john63

Would you be kind enough to email that bulletin? I'd appreciate it.

You haven't replied for a few days, did I say something wrong??

[john63]

No---not at all.

Got sidetracked with other stuff---I'll send it tonight:)

[soulweeper]

Just now, john63 said:

No---not at all.

Got sidetracked with other stuff---I'll send it tonight:)

Oh no problem......thank you. Just checking. Real life keeps everyone busy, haha.

[john63]

Service Bulletin sent...

[soulweeper]

1 hour ago, john63 said:

Service Bulletin sent...

Thank you very much!

Now, the challenge will be, who will they send. The place I bought it from isn't an "authorized" LG repair, but they do repairs. They are a few blocks away, and seem like nice people, and really went to bat for us with the first fridge. But, the owner said they don't sell that many of them, and we do live in a fairly small town. The "authorized" repair center that LG sent for a second opinion, were the ones that replaced the motherboard, and the fridge dies the next day. They will never come in my house again.

So it will be a challenge.

Oh......did you see my post a few posts back, where I described how I can almost duplicate the sound?? Maybe it will seem more obvious to you what it might be?? Only if you have a minute to check.....I know you're probaly a busy person, and you've already been very helpful. And I do appreciate it!

[john63]

It could be difficult to pinpoint the source of the noise.

It's a wait and see proposition at this point.

Good luck!

[soulweeper]

@john63

Long time no talk. Just an update, and was hoping to get an opinion.

To humor LG, I had set the freezer to 3 degrees, like they said. I knew that wouldn't do anything. You agreed as well. Anyway, before I had the chance to have the repair people from the store we bought it from come out, on a Sunday, my wife was doing some baking, and in and out of the fridge a little more than normal, but nothing that unusual, the fan started making that noise from the ice build up, only it got louder. It would come and go that day, and that evening, we got the rF error code, meaning the fan had stopped, essentially. We unplugged it, and plugged it back in, to have the fan start working again, but now sounded like a jackhammer in the kitchen. It worked that way for a while, and the code came back, and the fan wasn't working. I knew what it meant, but called LG anyway.....LIVID. This is our second malfunctioning fridge from them I won't repeat the conversation here, but I wasn't nice at all. Again, we were going to lose our food, and be without a fridge. So, on sunday night, I went and got some bags of ice about 10 o'clock, and we put perishables in ice chests.

The store we bought it from brought us a loaner, and the battle with LG began again. They tried saying the warranty on it was up, as it started with the original fridge, even though they told the store we bought it from that it had a warranty from date of delivery, which was December 23. Anyway....back and forth with them, and finally, I got a full refund, check arrived today. And we don't have to return the old fridge.

We won't buy another product from LG at all, and aren't exactly sure which fridge we will get. We really like the design and size of this fridge, and as crazy as it sounds, in some ways, hate to see it go. It's essentially like new, mint condition, and will most likely get crushed at the dump. I toyed with the idea of maybe trying to fix it. I've done repairs on all of our appliances, but it's always been, come to this forum, describe the symptoms, and someone like yourself come along and tells me which part, I get it, and replace it. Not sure if it would be as simple with this.

The freezer is still working, but no fan, and still has the rF code, obviously. I could replace the fan, but that doesn't solve the issue of why the ice built up, causing the fan to die.

So my question is....do you think it's as cut and dried as, if I replace the fan, and the motherboard, and/or defrost heater, or blank......that I could "fix" it?

We have ZERO trust in LG now, so I'm just toying with the idea. We don't like the design of anything else we've seen, as much as this one, but it needs to work properly, so it's probably just time to let it go. Just seems a shame to "throw away" this fridge.

That said......what brand(s) do you like? We're thinking Whirlpool or Kitchenaid, at this point.

Oh......and thanks in advance, and thanks for the help you've been.

[john63]

I would not give up.

Now that you've been given a full refund---you can experiment a bit before making a decision as to which replacement refrigerator to buy.

Lately---we are seeing an uptick in LG refrigerator complaints for the same symptoms.

On Nov 11th---there were 2 on the same day. One was a French door model LFXS30726S with a build date of July 2014. This model was listed in a Service Bulletin calling for a software updated Main Board. All food was removed from the fresh food compartment---then after the shelves were removed---the center multi duct cover had to be removed for access/inspection of the evaporator coils---which was encased in solid ice and heavy frost.

After a lengthy defrosting using a steamer (about an hour)---all of the ice and frost was removed. Special attention was paid using towels to soak up the water from defrosting. Failure to do so---causes a mini flood at the bottom/rear of the refrigerator due to an overflowing defrost drain tray.

Installed the new Main Board.

Done.

Follow up courtesy call one week later---so far all is good.

The second refrigerator was also a French door type---model LFX30766S with a build date of July 2016---and no Service Bulletins listed.

The symptom was frost/ice accumulation on the small "donut" shaped gaskets on the left side door. Called Tech Center---was advised to order and replace both donut gaskets. A point was make that these should installed using silicone sealant to eliminate even trace air moisture leakage at the snap-tab/base of the gaskets---which was done.

Several days later frost and ice have returned.

Second call to Tech Center results in a recommendation to replace Main Board (new part number).

The moral of all of this is that it's clear that LG is putting out proverbial fires as they pop up.

"Houston, We Have A Problem".

At the moment---little information is flowing from LG. Software re-writes seem to be the order of the day lately.

In your case---I would either empty the refrigerator and then unplug for 3 days with all doors open---or attempt to disassemble and defrost with a steamer.

If you want to do so---I can call LG Technical Assistance Dept and give them your model number---but not the same serial number (slightly different).

They may recommend an entirely different Main Board part number---software updated.

Then post that here---you can order it yourself and install (very easy to do).

No guarantee of success though.

 

 

[soulweeper]

@john63

If you don't mind, I guess it couldn't hurt. I'd be curious what they'd say.

It was funny.....well, I wasn't laughing.....but the tech from the store we bought it from came to the house, before they decided to give a full refund, and the idea was to push for a replacement. The fan being dead was a given, but the cause is still unknown. The other unknown is that loud "knock" I described in an earlier post. It's STILL making that noise, and it really is incredible how loud it is sometimes. Anyway....the tech that was here had no idea, and described it to LG Technical assistance, and they didn't have an answer. They basically told him how to put it in test mode, and told him if everything runs, there isn't anything wrong with it. I was so pissed when they told him that.....as if we're supposed to accept that noise. Besides, we had ice buildup, that killed the fan, so yes, something is wrong with it, LG pisses me off. It could be different when you deal with them, as it sounds like you are more familiar with LG refrigerators. We're in a fairly small town, and theses guys are well established, but they may just not see what you see. They pushed for it to be replaced, which was fine with me, because the store owner said he's sell it, and give us our money back. LG wanted to do a dealer exchange, where he has to buy another fridge, wait for it to come, ship the old one back, and when they get it, give him a credit. He refused to do it, as he did that on our first fridge, and it took a couple months, and just didn't think it was fair. I guess that was when they decided to give me a refund. I wasn't at all diplomatic on the phone. I told them I would call seven on your side, and get the story possibly put on tv. Who knows.....who cares, I got a refund. I felt I deserved it.

That said......I'll reply to the email, from when you sent that bulletin, and give you the model and serial number, if it's not an inconvenience.

If I attempted this, and they say it needs a new main board, how would I go about getting the specific main board they suggest, and I'd also need to order the fan, correct?

[john63]

I have the model and serial number from your earlier post.

Just cannot use the exact serial number as it is already in the system at LG.

Main Board can be ordered from a number of sources---we will cover that later.

If the fan is partially encased in frost/ice---that does not necessarily mean that it is defective---just can't start/run---until freed from the accumulation of frost or ice.

The "rF" error applies to the refrigerated fresh food compartment fan motor (milk shelf life very short).

An error of "ff" would indicate that the freezer fan motor has stopped (icemaker not working/ice cream very soft).

Is the freezer compartment currently okay?

As for the loud popping sounds---that is an unknown at this point.

Try turning off the icemaker for a few days---to see if that stops the mysterious banging noise.

Lets see what turns up after a call to the tech dept...

[soulweeper]

Yes, the freezer is still working fine. It's making ice, keeping a few things we left in there frozen.

Out of curiosity....if you change the serial number slightly, couldn't it result in the wrong info from technical assistance? I hope you know what I mean by that. Or in other words....couldn't you end up talking about the "wrong" fridge? Maybe I'm just off base with that.

[john63]

Not likely.

The model number is very specific.

Your serial number is 509KRW11772

This translates to...

Built Sept 2015

Country of origin: Korea

11772 : Eleven thousand seven hundred seventy second unit built during Sept 2015.

Change it to 11773---this would be the very next identical model refrig rolling down the same assembly line on the same day.

Easy peasy.

 

[soulweeper]

Oh wow......learned something new, haha. Thanks!

Wish you lived near by. We'd pay you to quite likely end this, haha.

My wife doesn't trust it at all, and I don't either. But they all aren't behaving like this.

[john63]

I'll keep you posted:)

[soulweeper]

Thanks!

[john63]

No updates as yet.

I've re-read the entire thread---and did not see any mention of a service tech thoroughly defrosting the fresh food and freezer compartments.

All ice/frost *must* be removed to ensure proper refrigerator operation.

 

[soulweeper]

6 hours ago, john63 said:

No updates as yet.

I've re-read the entire thread---and did not see any mention of a service tech thoroughly defrosting the fresh food and freezer compartments.

All ice/frost *must* be removed to ensure proper refrigerator operation.

 

I understand that, now, and would agree with you, based on the conversation in this thread.

With the first fridge, our concern was the loud knock it makes, and the ice build up on the back of the freezer, which you said was normal for this type of fridge, and I believe you. The tech from the store we bought it from, didn't know what the knock was, and didn't think the ice build up was normal, but didn't dive into the fridge to investigate either. When I called LG to replace the fridge, since no one knew what the noise was, they wanted a second opinion, and sent an "authorized" LG repair person, from about 80 miles away. He thought the noise(without hearing it) was possibly expansion/contraction, and probably normal, and he said that ice shouldn't be there, and had some theory about the main board talking to the defrost heater, or whatever. I figured he's the expert, so whatever he said. He ordered and eventually replaced the main board, but like you said, never defrosted it, or looked "inside" the fridge. The day after he replaced the board, it completely dies, and we lost all out food. I was lived, and called LG, and told them they were replacing the fridge, and paying for our food. They did both.

Then the second fridge started acting up, and that was when LG told me to up the freezer temp to 3 degrees, which we both know was a waste of time. Then the fan got as loud as a jackhammer in our kitchen, and stopped working on a Sunday night. Again....I was beyond lived, as this was our second LG fridge that had stopped working. I wanted it out of our house, but LG, assholes that they are, wanted someone to come out and determine if it was fixable. They authorized the store I bought it from to come out, as I sure wasn't going to have that other guy come, after the fridge died the day after he "fixed" it. My wife and have no faith in LG, and told the store that, and he said if he could get them to replace it, we should take it, and he'd sell it, and give our money back. We were ok with that idea, and that might be why when he sent the tech, he didn't take the back off, and see what was going on inside. I'm willing to bet that it looks like the picture in that bulletin you emailed me, even though our serial number isn't in the range of ones it applies to. We got our refund, and the store owner said, if we wanted him to pick it up, and bring it down to the store, they could try and fix it, and listen for that knock, and try to determine what it is, and fix that too, he would.

My wife and I feel like we could never trust it, and rightfully so, but we are a little torn....or at least I am. My wife really like the size and design of this, but doesn't trust it. I feel the same way. We found a GE fridge that we'd settle for, but it's smaller, and not designed as well. My wife actually doesn't care anymore......all the excitement is gone, but would still like this, if it worked, and she felt confident it would continue to work, but I don't think either of are are super willing to take that chance. I still think it's a shame to just throw it away. We have to decide soon, as we got our refund, and the store has given us a loaner, so.....

If anything, I "might" just tell them to stick the old one in our garage, and I might try to figure it out. Maybe it's not worth it. If my wife and I didn't like the size and design of this so much, we wouldn't give it a second thought. As far as design and size, we didn't see anything else we liked as much, so that's what makes us torn. I'm sure a lot of people would feel the same way.

But yeah......someone should have opened it up, and did a better diagnosis of what is "really" going on with it. Like I said, I don't think the people we've dealt with, have seen theses symptoms as much as you, or something......as you seem to have more knowledge of the symptoms, than either of the people that came out.

[JoeFuture]

I have a Kenmore Elite 795.74015.410 model which is made by LG. I have the "known issue" where frost builds up in the back behind the crisper drawers. A repair tech just looked at it and suggested I order a replacement main board, part # EBR78940507. He was really kind and showed me that it'd save me over 50% of the cost if I order it and install it myself. While looking it up, I found there's also a newer version EBR78940508. Can anyone tell me if it would be better to buy this version instead and if it's actually compatible with this fridge?

[Hudman]

On 10/3/2016 at 7:32 PM, soulweeper said:

We have an LG  LFCS31626S refrigerator, that has some kind of fan noise, all of a sudden, and I think it may be related to a couple other issues. Or may be not...just a guess, but there is a reason I say that.

This unit is a little over a year old, and it replaced the original, as it had issues right away, that the place we bought it from couldn't diagnose, and LG wanted a second opinion, and the place that provided the second opinion, thought it was the main board, replaced it, and the fridge died the next day, and we lost all our food. Hence the replacement fridge.

The first unit made this sometimes very loud "knock" noise at different times, and of course, never did it the couple times the repair guy came by. He thought it might be expansion/contraction, which made sense, as it does sound like when our vinyl windows make a noise when the sun hits them, only this is much louder. And at the same time, I noticed a little ice forming in the upper corners of the freezer compartment, behind the drawer, and around that vent, I guess you could say. The place we bought it from said there shouldn't be an ice at all on that back wall, but by that time, the "second opinion" people were already involved. The second person also said there shouldn't be any ice back there, but the knock noise we hear could be expansion/contraction. He said a lot of the newer units make that noise. Not sure if that's true. I find it hard to believe that in this day and age, that a noise that can easily be hear a couple rooms away sometimes, is normal. Anyway, this guy had some theory about how the main board was communicating with the defroster and whatnot.....all of which I can't remember, and was partly over my head, and he felt it was the main board. So he ordered it, replaced it, and the fridge died the next day. My conversation with LG was not pleasant at all, to say the least. I was livid. They replaced the fridge.

So......the replacement fridge makes the same loud knock noise from time to time, with no pattern, and different volume levels, sometimes very loud, so we figured maybe it's a characteristic, and the repair guy was right. Still seems ridiculous, as it's very loud at times. But another thing is......there is some ice forming in the same spots on the freezer compartment, around that vent....almost identical to the first fridge. So we're thinking a little ice in those corners must be "normal", just like the knock noise, as two different units have the noise and the ice. It's keeping the food cold, and not causing any problems that we know of, so we'll see what happens. Needless to say, I will NEVER buy an LG product again.

Now......enter the fan noise. About two weeks ago, I heard a noise that clearly sounded like it was a fan blade hitting something. I could tell it was something that was spinning, and clearly had a sound like a fan, hitting a shroud or something. It is definitely behind the refrigerator compartment, about chest high or so, and definitely not down low, and the most distinct thing about it is.....if you open the fridge while it's making this noise, the fan winds down upon the door opening, and stops. That's how you can tell that it is right behind the refrigerator compartment. You can tell it's right there, behind that back wall. If you close the door, and give it a minute, it will start up again, but not every time. It will only go so long, and stop on it's own, even if you don't open the door, but it will stop every time, if you open the door. I called the place we bought it from, and the guys still said that there shouldn't be any ice in the freezer where I described, and that it could be ice building up on that fan,and hitting the shroud, but there has to be a reason it's doing that, and obviously it shouldn't be.

So it will be up to LG as to whether or not this replacement unit is under warranty from when it was delivered, or if the replacement is part of the original warranty, so I came here to ask you folks if you think this noise, the ice, and this fan noise might all be related? And if not, based on my description of approximately where the fan is, and how it stops when I open the door, does anyone know which fan it is, and how hard is it to get to, in case I have to replace it?

Thanks for reading, if you made it this far, and thanks in advance for any input!

Remove the back bottom panel that covers the compressor fan area and slide frig back in place. This made mine whisper quiet. The panel is metal now, they used to be cardboard and causes vibration noises from cooling fan motor bracket.

[Budget Appliance Repair]

17 hours ago, Hudman said:

Remove the back bottom panel that covers the compressor fan area and slide frig back in place. This made mine whisper quiet. The panel is metal now, they used to be cardboard and causes vibration noises from cooling fan motor bracket.

Absolutely do NOT remove the rear compressor/condenser fan cover rather it is metal or cardboard - that panel is a needed part for the refrigerator to operate correctly - without it the airflow over condenser and compressor isn't correct to cool both like it is designed to do.

[john63]

12 hours ago, Budget Appliance Repair said:

Absolutely do NOT remove the rear compressor/condenser fan cover rather it is metal or cardboard - that panel is a needed part for the refrigerator to operate correctly - without it the airflow over condenser and compressor isn't correct to cool both like it is designed to do.

I 2nd that...

If that refrigerator is an LG...the sealed system will get hotter than should...increases pressure...nukes compressor (internally).

Best to wrap duct tape or similar...around the perimeter of the metal cover...and re-install.

 

[P570]

I have the LG

Model: LMXC23746S
Ser# 510KREL06604

Fridge that started making a fan noise. Determined it was the evaporator fan apparently hitting a frost buildup on the evaporator. Unplugged fridge and set a computer fan blowing room air over the evaporator for 4 hours. After this exercise the refrige was like new, no noise for about 2 months. Noise appears to be coming back.

This seems to be a problem with Samsung and LG refrigerators that has been occurring for 5 or more years. Does LG have a fix for this problem?

I address this question to John63 as he seems to be the expert on these appliances. Having to go thru this defrost exercise every 2 months is not acceptable. Paying nearly $3000 for an appliance, I would expect better reliability. 

P570

[avicarmi]

LFCS31626S S/N 509KRGG1xxxx

fridge and freezer stopped cooling, already happened three times. lots of food lost.

I will never purchase an LG product again

the evaporator (the thingy behind the back cover, with lots of coils and fins, which is responsible for transferring the "coldness" from the compressed gas to the surrounding air inside the fridge/freezer) ices up. 

the evaporator defrost heater is working, yet it does not defrost all the ice, allowing for lots of ice buildup. apparently LG has issue controlling the defrost cycle. 

but the bottom line is that when ice builds up on the evaporator fins, no cooling can be done and the food spoils.

to fix the issue you have to take the entire fridge (shelves, rails, drawers) and freezer (door, drawers, rails, ice maker) apart to gain access to the back covers, remove the back covers and manually defrost using a hair drier to remove all the ice build up. 

I am now an expert in doing this, and it "only" takes about half a day.

but all the food is already spoiled since there is no warning that the fridge and/or freezer stopped working :-(

apparently this is a common issue with LG refrigerators, not only this specific model.

other people also have issues with the drain tube freezing up (the drain tube is supposed to drain the water which the evaporator defrost heater thaws. this cause water to overflow and build at bottom of fridge and/or freezer and leak onto the floor, damaging the floor.

some people jury rigged an copper wire extension from the defrost heater into the drain hole to transfer heat from the heater into the drain hole.

LG is aware of these issues and has done nothing to address them.

three recommendations for LG: 

1- engineer a better way to detect that there is ice building up and/or make sure that the defrosting cycle is long and/or frequent enough to defrost the evaporator coils and fins

2- have an ALARM whenever the temp inside the fridge and/or the freezer is above the set temperature, to warn against spoiling food.

3- LG should engineer something to ensure that the drain holed does not ice up.  (a heat transfer copper wire as above or a separate heating element around the drain tube)

even if they do listen, I will never purchase an LG product again

-avi

[ReStoreAppTech]

I have had LG fridges that when the compressor shuts off and the refrigerant is returning back to the compressor you get a knocking noise as refrigerant is returning to the compressor. It's almost like there's moisture in the system and that moisture is freezing and as it starts defrosting after the compressor shuts off it makes that hollow sound because it's in the tubing of the sealed system. I've always thought if I see ice or anything built up on the back wall of the freezer or in the refrigerator there's almost like an air gap some place letting warmer air in and making it create that ice. This is just been my experience over the years with LG and Samsung I haven't worked on it as much as you guys have one sure but in the last 3 years I probably averaged about 50 to 75 a year that I work on in my shop. and I can only say a handful 5 to 10 made that noise and it was actually the compressor had stopped after the fridge and freezer satisfy their temperatures.