Fridge not cooling worth fixing?

When a refrigerator not cooling or freezing the repair can cost $100-$1000. Whether it’s LG, Samsung, Whirlpool, GE, Frigidaire, Kenmore or any other brand, the Sealed System is the most expensive to fix. If compressor and all fans run, you can measure the temperature of Condenser Coil, and it should be significantly higher than the room temperature. If it’s not, the fridge maybe not worth fixing.

[bgregg]

Compressors & their sealed systems used to work for many, many decades. Many thx to LG for creating the 3 year compressor. Now that's progress.

[JanineLazur]

thank you for this! it allowed me to self-diagnosis the unrepairable death of my LG fridge. The compressor was running quiet and the were fans working but the condenser coils weren't much warmer than room temp. It saved me the cost of a repairman coming out to tell me it would be too expensive to fix. I'll put that savings towards my new fridge.

[georgecoelho]

Direct and straightforward. Thank you.

[Dr.M.VincentCurley]

This was good, I did fix my refrigerator with a new starter relay, however, I do appreciate this video!

[SoulBrotherB]

Thanks heaps, after learning the test method from you i was able to understand my 3 flashing lights to lead to me to a plug on the compressor being installed incorrectly, after rotating it around to match the symbols on the old compressor the compressor now runs. I had a technician install a new compressor today and he couldnt get it to turn on, pointing me in the direction of a new main pcb board. Compressor manufacturer spun the pins around so the plug connected sits in between vertical and horizontal position. Maybe this info will help out someone else in the future. Thanks again for the detailed video

[mm]

Watch a bunch of videos and this one was the most helpful. My condenser coil is room temp 😭. Fridge is barely over 3 years. Sears/Kenmore. Sigh...

[billbyrd]

Thank you very much. You've been most helpful.

[Jim-fegl]

Thanks for all the videos. They are all very useful. Saved me alot of time and future headaches of getting it fixed then failing again. I just checked my condensor coil and it was only a few degrees higher than room temperature. The linear compressor is hot and freezer is good but fridge is not cold enough with food spoiling. Ordered a new fridge. Mine was an LG with linear compressor, LFX33975ST french door with freezer at bottom. Lasted 9 years. Was hoping for 15 to 20 years. Oh well.

[viktorr]

Hi, thank you for your work. My situation - small vine fridge overheats the overload protector after 10 seconds, taking around 9amps from the outlet before it happens, but the compressor is not humming during those 10 seconds. The condenser fan works fine, the compressor ohms seem correct - 5.3ohm, 5.1ohm and 10.4ohm. The voltage between the pins is 120v, before it shuts off. I even tried to apply the voltage directly to S pin for a sec, and then to R pin but again there was no humming/vibrating by the compressor.

[ChrisRakoczy]

Damn. Compressor is nicely warm, but coils are around ambient room temp. It's not good news, but at least this video was clear and detailed enough for me to know what the reality of my situation was before paying a service tech to come tell me it's dead.

[BenBen-euwx]

My fridge would cool to 60 and freezer to 40. I watched multiple videos and tried all the tips. All said and done, no change. Fans work, coil is clean and so on. Still won’t cool to where it should be. Everything is clean now and sounds normal but still won’t work. My LG French Door was built in 2017 and I called in my claim in Oct of 2022. Clearly out of warranty.

Without an argument, LG is sending someone out this week (parts and labor included) at no charge. They will also reimburse me for food spoilage (take photos of the waist).

[tburton]

So many LG problems. I am another victim. 5 year old sealed system linear compressor stopped cooling both fridge and freezer. Cond fan is running, evap fan running, compressor running but cond coil is room temp. Coil was a little dusty. Ran diags and ThinQ reports no problems. Great diagnostic tool. LG closed on Sunday, great.

[nhvuqrb]

LG has a 10 yr manufacturer warranty just u might need to pay the labor for a new compressor. There's a sticker inside the left of fridge call and give em all the info they can guide you.

[mikeschiavoni]

I replaced my icemaker and pump valve in a 2004 kenmore side by side. It made two rows of ice cubes then stopped. The next morning i checked around and the fridge was not very cold and the compressor was very hot. Im worried i moved it too much or plugged it in too soon after quick repair. It all went so well, so confused about what happened. Going to unplug it for 24 hrs, unplug the ice maker and put old broken icemaker valve back it and see. But i have a feeling turning the ice booster on killed the old compressor somehow, especially when.the icemaker appears to have stopped working mid cycle and the line is frozen.

[ddrhazy]

LG quoted me $630 to have a tech come out to replace the compressor. Fridge was bought in Dec 2016 for ~$1300 after tax. Not sure if repairing is worth it. LG got a good scam! I had an old Frigidaire that lasted ~18 years before I gave it away and only because the door gasket would not form a good seal when closing the door. My LG French door didn't even last 7 years.

[CZAR-OF-SARCAZM]

Repairman said not worth fixing. I solved the problem by buying a 10.1 magic chef (my back up fridge)... and ordering a whirlpool side by side.

[tolevelup]

I noticed the compressor and fan in the back of my fridge works. My fan inside the fridge works when I do the test but it stops working after testing . How hard is is to replace the fridge evaporator fan?

[BRZZN]

If it’s not blowing air inside the fridge what’s the problem ? Where is the fan located that blows air inside the fridge

[sondinh]

Great information. I have a 12 years old LG french door that's not cooling. Ferrezer is at 30 degrre F and fridge is 42 - 44 F. The compressor is very hot and condenser is 130 degree F. Is this too hot.

[adambaddock]

Hi there, very informative and useful videos, thanks! A quick question if you have time - I have a 2017 LG that previously stopped cooling both compartments and was warranty repaired in late 2021. Suddenly I'm having another different cooling issue. My freezer section, set to 0F tends to hover between 10F - 25F. My fridge, set to 36F, runs between 46F and 51F. I cleaned the condenser coil but got no change. When I take the temperature of the condenser coil, it hovers around room temperature so it makes me think there is a major issue. If it adds any more context, using the test modes on the PCB, everything seems to be mechanically running correctly and LG's "Smart Diagnosis" isn't finding anything wrong.