Are you saying the two capacitors are causing the resistor to glow ?

I'm saying,

I don't have the schematic, therefore, I am guessing.

and I have never heard of an appliance junk yard.

 

I had a GE refrig that stopped cooling. I took the board out, as people said that would need replacing, and noticed one place where the solder for a connection had burned away over the years. I re-soldered it, and the fridge worked for another 2 years. Then I had to repeat the process, and it worked again. Sold that house and moved to a different one, with a GE Profile Artica. The freezer temp on that recently went up 20 degrees, so I pulled out the circuit board, and once again found a connection with solder burned off. I re-soldered it, this time adding a small aluminum piece to act as a heat sink. However, this time it appears that the solution is not working, as the freezer still hovers around 20 degrees.

 

I have a GE side by side with a motherboard, and can't get the defrost cycle to work.

I have changed the defrost heater element, the thermostat, and the temperature sensor. They - along with everything else - seem to be working fine.

There is no continuity if I unplug the compressor/defrost jack and test the leads, nor is there 120V at the defrost lead on startup.

I changed the compressor relay several years ago after a power surge, and have a spare. I'm told that the compressor relay also controls the defrost relay.

1) What's the best way to test the compressor relay to know if it's preventing defrost?
2) How can I determine what is preventing continuity in the defrost circuit?

 

Model # ?
If you have the 6"x9" 'motherboard, then you have adaptive defrost onboard and the board decides when defrost happens.
There are relays on the board that switches L1 to compressor or to the defrost relay. You cannot have both at the same time.
No point in trying to melt frost if you keep the tubing cold.
There is a compressor relay at the compressor but that is only a start relay for the compressor, unless you ave the newer 3 phase inverter controlled compressor.

There are diagnostics available that will allow you to turn on defrost for a test or any component.
Because: it ain't like the old days when the defrost ran ever 6-12 hours each day, either mechanically timed or based on compressor run time.
The newer defrost does not come on at start up. It is controlled by door switch openings, length of time the door is opened, accumulated compressor run time and some also use an ambient temp sensor to calculate defrost cycling. It adapts to your habits and can be from 8 hrs to days.

If your on vacation, the fridge is jammed pack and no one is opening the door, there is no need for a defrost for awhile. Saves energy, 500 watts for 30 minutes and no need to remove that heat you just injected into your cold fridge

Resistance from tab J9 to J7-9 should be ~25 ohms(heater and cutout), providing the freezer compartment has not the exceeded ~140 F, defrost termination cutout temp if the thermistor fails.
Before a defrost cycle can start, the defrost thermistor located on the evaporator needs to be at least 30 to 40 K or 0F
and will end the defrost cycle when thermistor is 7K or 60F. J1-4 and 5 for defrost thermistor
Defrost also needs a pre-chill time of of 1-2 hours to get the evap temp down to 0-5F before a defrost cycle and i think a defrost will also not initiate unless there is like 8 hours of accumulated compressor run time
Note that after the defrost completes, there is a 5 minute delay for the compressor and fan to allow the moisture to drain away.
After that, the compressor comes on but the circulation fan is delayed to cool the evaporator so as not to send the "warmed" air into the fresh food compartment.
So, that is why one uses the diagnostics to force a defrost to test the components as you may be waiting awile for it to happen out of the blue.
cheers.
edited a pin #

 

Thanks. I already fixed that problem. There was a bad connection to the defrost circuit.

But now I have another problem: The refrigerator side is frosting salads - even on the warmest setting. I think the freezer-to-refrigerator fan flap is not closing completely. I'll need to check that next (when I get a moment). Any other possibilities?

GSS25PGMF WW

 

Thanks. I already fixed that problem. There was a bad connection to the defrost circuit.

Nice you found the issue, but... you should have let us know so no-one need respond to your plee.
What/where, in particular, was the bad connection.?

In reference to your new problem, How old is it?
Measure for ~12-13VDC at J4 2 and 3 and for 5VDC @ J1-5 and J4-3.
The 3 caps indicated have a issue going bad. The big ones bloating at the bottom bung. Rarely the two to the right of the heat sink.
The two yellow ceramics on old boards were electrolytics and went bad . They control the fans. The big resistors to the left of those were lot smaller and would pop and require a new board if a fan went bad. They are now 3 watt.
The boards are coated and they are a pain to get out with the coating holding down the caps and soldering.


The thermistors determine the damper position. Old ones had issues .Measure the thermistors resistance at plug J1.
.pin 5 is common to thermistors and not 0V.
The FF(fresh food) is J1 pins 1 and 5.
The FF2(fresh food) is J1 pins 2 and 5. Not on all units
The FZ(freeezer) is J1 pins 3 and 5.
The EVAP(defrost) is J1 pins 4 and 5.


Otherwise the damper is a stepper motor that may be binding or the two 6287 chips on the main board are toast.
They are near the top of connector J2. first image
damper connections J3 pins 1-4 and J4-3 for common.

 

Thanks!

I submitted my question on the 22nd. I didn't think anyone would answer. The frozen fresh food issue is getting worse. At first it only happened after the defrost cycle.

My fridge is a 2002.

I did the measurements you recommended, and they met your specs.

The thermistors seem to be working. They show freezing temps on both sides. I got 18 - 20k on pins FF and FF2, 27 - 30k on FZ, and 39 - 40k on EVAP (with an analog meter). I had replaced the EVAP thermistor earlier.

What should I be checking at the damper connections?

I have had damper issues before with this unit. But shouldn't the main chip know that the fresh food side is freezing?

 

Thanks!
What should I be checking at the damper connections?

I have had damper issues before with this unit. But shouldn't the main chip know that the fresh food side is freezing?

What issues did you have before with the damper and what was down to correct it?
Is your door seal good and door seal closing properly all around ?
The damper is closed during defrost

Since your themistors appear to reflect the actual temps in the unit, the damper or the board controlling the damper may be your issue. Or the encoder that sets the desired temp is flaky.
The damper is pulsed 0-13 volts when it needs to get it to where it wants it to be based on the thermistor info. and what you have set on the display.
DC meter will read 6 volts when running.
Measure connector J3- pins 1 & 2 and J3- pins 3 & 4. for like 400 ohms. If not then check at motor. connector.
Do you have the tech sheet to get into diagnostics, you can run the damper test. If not unplug fridge and plug in. damper should run for 10-15 secs to test for voltage on j3 1 to 4 and common at j4-3
Can you determine if your damper is wide open? or moving at all from time to time? Can you move the damper manually?
Do you have a wire on pin J2-pin6?
Can you show a sharp pic of your board like the one i showed so we can see what one you have.
There have been a dozen revisions. Some physical and some software.

 

I'm back with more fridge issues. So the fridge has been working pretty well for the last 4 1/2 months, but now the freezer isn't consistently freezing AND the right side is sometimes freezing food. I think the main chip is not getting its messages or interpreting them correctly. I'm about ready to replace the main board - unless you have another diagnostic for me.

My board looks just like this one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/GE-Main-Co...GwAAOSwVCRZd52b:sc:USPSFirstClass!28731!US!-1

 

Oh, BTW, the solder on one of the compressor leads was melted, so I re-soldered it. But it didn't solve the entire problem. The compressor is working fine - when it gets the right signal. I do have a spare relay (I bought two when the first one was fried from a power surge). Would you suggest I change it before replacing the main board - or is there no chance that it is the problem?

 

Hi, I'm new here, I'm stuck right now with a GE refrigerator with an Evap fan that won't kick on.

Gss22wgmcww is my model.

Evap fan was making noise like a bearing was going bad, for some time. Then last week, the fan stopped working. First I replaced the fan, nothing changed. then the thermistor in the freezer, nothing. Pulled the main board and saw one of the 2 ohm resistors was blown, so I replaced the resistor, And still the fan won't kick on.

I tested the voltages st J3&8. And J3&4, and am getting 13.XX as I believe I should. Prior to the resistor replacement. I was not getting a reading at J3&J8.

After replacing the resistor, I really thought I was going to be up and going. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Full disclosure. I was using a power supply to try to test the fan. Applying 12v to any of the leads did nothing. At best, I made the fan twitch, but that was it. Could I have bad replacement fan? What resistance should I see when I test the fan leads? There are 4 wires.

 

Some of the current fridges don't use DC fans at all. They are variable speed fans. as in this LG fridge. So you cant test them with DC voltage.

 

Some of the current fridges don't use DC fans at all. They are variable speed fans. as in this LG fridge. So you cant test them with DC voltage.View attachment 177914

Do you have a recommendation on the next step I should take? Or is there a way to test the fan to make sure it functions properly?