GE GSL25JFPHBS Clicking Sound - Fan in Freezer Compartment Moves 1/4 Turn per Click

[prti660]

Side by side refrigerator not cooling --- For about 5 minutes, I can hear a clicking sound and I can see the fan blade inside the back of the the freezer moving in synch with the sound, approx 1/4 turn each click...Please help!

Thanks in advance!

[16345Ed]

Sounds like bad motor. Ensure proper voltage. If voltage good and no obstruction replace fan motor. 

[prti660]

On 6/2/2020 at 3:39 AM, 16345Ed said:

Sounds like bad motor. Ensure proper voltage. If voltage good and no obstruction replace fan motor. 

Thank you!

[DrCool299]

Hello,  if you can pull the fan, check its rated voltage, and apply a separate wire to the terminals and test the fan directly. Please be careful if it is rated 120 volts. If it is 12VDC, then hook it to a car battery. Red wire being positive and black wire being negative.

Thanks.

[16345Ed]

19 hours ago, DrCool299 said:

Hello,  if you can pull the fan, check its rated voltage, and apply a separate wire to the terminals and test the fan directly. Please be careful if it is rated 120 volts. If it is 12VDC, then hook it to a car battery. Red wire being positive and black wire being negative.

Thanks.

Really no need to go through that trouble. Test to see if fan is getting proper voltage. 

[DrCool299]

I don't think there will be proper voltage present on the fan wire because the voltage is only being applied for a second, then the relay would click, removed the voltage, that is why the fan would just turn 1/4 revolution. Either the fan is shorted and the board detects it and would remove power right away, or the board itself is the problem, would not ratein power to the relay to power up the fan. Thanks.

[WOOKIE]

Does everything else in the refrigerator work.?  If the motor is bad it could be loading down the control board.  you have 4 wires to the motor,  white - common, blue - rpm , red 13 volts, yellow should be a signal from the control board.   

Edited June 7, 2020 by WOOKIE
the speed of the motor is usually controlled by a square wave on the yellow wire. the longer the square wave the faster the motor spins.

[Vance R]

Some main boards have a lockout feature. If the board detects an issue with a load it will pull power to prevent other problems from happening.  If the fan is unobstructed it would the first item to replace. 

[prti660]

On 6/6/2020 at 6:08 PM, WOOKIE said:

Does everything else in the refrigerator work.?  If the motor is bad it could be loading down the control board.  you have 4 wires to the motor,  white - common, blue - rpm , red 13 volts, yellow should be a signal from the control board.   

Thank you. The fridge is cooling/functioning and making ice, however, the water/ice dispenser stopped working around the same time...

[prti660]

ALSO, A few days ago, I would be able to finger-flick or "help" the fan blade turn and it would resume, but today, after doing so it spins for about 4-5 seconds then goes back into clicking mode...

[Mdkoh]

Hello to all,

I know I am late to this thread but I feel compelled to respond because I too experienced the exact same problem as listed above by the OP. The fan in the freezer section would rotate in a pulsing fashion in time to a clicking sound that came from the back of the refrigerator. One thing to more, after the noise stopped the fan in question that did the momentary rotation would then start rotating at normal speed. At first I thought that the fan was defective and I was just about ready to replace it. Before I did that I pulled the fridge away from the wall and inspected the main control board. I discovered that 2 can style capacitors on the main board had started to bulge through the top of its casing. Normally the casing top is flat, in this case it appeared as though it wanted to emulate an old favorite snack food, Jiffy Pop Popcorn. If you see these symptoms you may want to take the time and check out the main board to see if the capacitors on the main board are failing. http://tutorials.lcdalternatives.com/204t/IMG_1114%20web.jpg