I have a GE Monogram built in refrigerator. Manufacture date is February 2006. About six months ago, it started acting a little weird. Freezer side would dip below its setting of 0 degrees and slid down to as low as -11 degrees. Fridge side would slide up from its setting of 37 degrees into the low 40s.
If it was not turned off and allowed to thaw, it would go to room temperature on fridge side but stay in negative numbers on the freezer side.
The insulated copper lines from the evaporator will have ice on them in one spot. If I let the fridge thaw, it will go back to running normally for about a month and then the cycle repeats.

The first few times this happened, the overflow pan under the compressor would fill with melt water. The last time it did this, the pan stayed dry.

My local fridge and AC guy told me to check the blender door first. Pulled it all apart and watched it cycle normally.

Next step was to check the gaskets on the doors. Occasionally I could hear a whistling when the doors closed and the motor would cycle. Replaced the gaskets on both doors and tried to use silicone to improve the seal.

Next step tried was to replace the temperature sensor on the freezer side.

So far, no real change in how the fridge performs. It still works great for a month or so and then I have to turn it off for 10 or 12 hours then restart.

I would appreciate any guidance and suggestions from the Forum. I am at the point (according to my wife) where I give up trying to fix it myself and call the GE repairman.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: fgwilliams1,

I am not an appliance repair pro, but have worked on my own appliances.

Have you tested your defrost heater? I think you can get similar behavior if the defrost isn't working correctly.

On my 2003 GE side by side, it was behind the back wall of the freezer.

At 14 years old, is it time to replace/upgrade the unit? I always have thought that ten years out if a large appliance was life expectancy. Any longer than ten years is a bonus.

My reasoning behind this is that it’s like an old car. At some point investing more than the value of what I’m investing in.

quote:

Originally posted by ShouldBFishin:
I am not an appliance repair pro, but have worked on my own appliances.

Have you tested your defrost heater? I think you can get similar behavior if the defrost isn't working correctly.

On my 2003 GE side by side, it was behind the back wall of the freezer.

Same here, not a pro, but that was the first thing that came to mind.

my close to 20 year old fridge did the same, run great for a week or two, freeze up and then stop keeping things to temp. Unplug it, 24 hours later , since its in the garage, in FL, perfectly thawed and starts back up.

Installed a new temp sensor, defrost thermostat and heater, the thermostat was probably the culprit, but all three came in the kit, simple to install, done in 30 minutes and it's back cooling properly.

Funny, when I pulled the rear freezer cover I noted that the original thermostat had been replaced since the wires were cut and nutted already. Then I remember I did this probably 8-10 years ago to solve the same problem.

You can find the proper PN on the interwebs and hit Amazon with them, that's how the full kit turned up for less than the thermostat elsewhere. Yeah it's probably Whoo Hann made, but it's a 20 year old garage fridge so wth right?

When mine did that, it was the contacts on the defrost timer. I'd try that first as it is probably the easiest and cheapest to change.

quote:

Originally posted by Beancooker:
At 14 years old, is it time to replace/upgrade the unit? I always have thought that ten years out if a large appliance was life expectancy. Any longer than ten years is a bonus.

My reasoning behind this is that it’s like an old car. At some point investing more than the value of what I’m investing in.

This, 14 years is the lifespan of a unit. Just go get a new Whirlpool or Maytag......

Sticking thermostat.

Comes from someone with every major appliance being 25+ Yrs old.

quote:

Originally posted by stoic-one:
When mine did that, it was the contacts on the defrost timer. I'd try that first as it is probably the easiest and cheapest to change.

The whole kit I found on Amazon for $20...

$20 and a half hour, 4 screws and a plate, ez-peazy, bob's yer uncle, a lot cheaper than buying a new fridge...

quote:

The first few times this happened, the overflow pan under the compressor would fill with melt water. The last time it did this, the pan stayed dry.

Sounds like a classic bad thermostat thermostat and or heater, simple fixes, if you can run a screwdriver and a pair of wire cutters you can fix this...

quote:

Originally posted by Excam_Man:
Sticking thermostat.

This probably has a thermistor.

I'm going to stay out of this but guys and gals this is a built in refrigerator. It's not your usual 18 cu ft top freezer. It's also very complex, it may or may not have two separate sealed systems, one for freezer and one for refrigerator. And you don't replace built ins after 14 years of service unless you like having new custom panels made at the least or a complete kitchen remodel at the worst.

If it's a built in, which I missed, I'd have a proper service tech come out and diagnose then fix it. Have to concur with Mr. B,

Call the man

Thanks for all the input.
Being a built in, I don’t want to replace it. Price is almost doubled from when we bought this one.
I’ll give the service guy a call. Definitely time to call in an experienced guy.

Fridge update.
Called the repair company and they sent a guy out. He looked at it for 15-20 minutes, made a call to confer with his boss, and came up with a diagnosis. They decided the control board was bad. Easy replacement operation.
Fridge has run normally and all is well.
Until tonight. Started running hard again. Temp in freezer is dropping. Temp in fridge is going up. That was a nice eight days.
Back to square one.

Look for a blocked drain hose. On mine it runs down the back of the fridge.
Over time the hose gets blocked with smutz. When the coil thaws the water
has no where to go so it freezes again.

Since you said the pan stayed dry, this sounds like an option

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
Call the man

Have to laugh every time I hear that.

Looked it up, the show with that famous line aired 56 years ago, pretty amazing.




Link to original video: https://youtu.be/oa1ez7yL_T4

 
Unblocking the drain hose, and replacing the defroster components, solved many recurring problems we were having with our 18 year old side by side GE (not a built in). Mostly, the coils in the freezer area (the evaporator coils?) were freezing up, and drain water was leaking out on the floor. When the coils froze, the regular (non-freezer) side would get warmer. It's now two years since those repairs and all is running well.
 
I was able to get the defroster components, along with excellent installation videos, from eReplacementParts. Fair prices and prompt delivery.

Did the tech open up the fridge to look at the evaporator coils and evaporator fan?

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
Did the tech open up the fridge to look at the evaporator coils and evaporator fan?

He shined a light in there. Said the fan was running too slow. Control board was not sending a good command to the fan.

My money’s on the defrost timer. The part is cheap to replace usually.

Current GE Profile is 25 years old, and running well after tracking down a discontinued temp control. Wife wants to update, so we have a new Whirlpool on the way. I’d like to think this one could last at least 20 years.