Loud noise from Refrigerator - Kenmore Elite

[Thom Fresquez]

I have a Kenmore Elite refrigearator Model 106.51143111.  It intermittently makes a loud noise.  The noise typically occurs at night, and the sound wakes me up.  When I open the freezer door the noise immediately stops.  Also, when this occurs and I open the door, there is a gust of wind coming out of the freezer.  This gust of wind does not otherwise occur when I open the door. 

Since the noise stops when I open the freeer door, this led me to believe it was the evaporator icing up and the fan blades hitting ice around the fan.  I removed the panel at the rear inside of the freezer to expose the evaporator, and ther was no significant accumulation of ice.  Also, the fan was running quietly and there was no ice surrounding it.

Does the evaporator fan run at a higher speed at times?  If so, perhaps it heats up when it runs on high and starts making this noise.  Otherwise, does anyone have any ideas what else might be causing noise which stops when the freezer door is opened?

 

[16345Ed]

The fan motor itself maybe be failing. What kind of noise is it?

[vallen513]

Could be bad bearings on the fan motor. Check to see if the blade is hitting or rubbing against anything. Sometimes the blades will slip too far up or down on the motor shaft.