Squeaking fridge

Thread Starter

cmartinez

Joined Jan 17, 2007
8,220
So I've got this 7-year-old, two vertical doors LG refrigerator that has begun to squeak loudly... what does it mean? That it's just about to die on me, or will it still last a few more years before it makes its final ice cube? Is it the compressor, or just the fan?
Or.... maybe I have to call a qualified technician to know what's going on.

Paging @#12
 

Thread Starter

cmartinez

Joined Jan 17, 2007
8,220
No.

Keep talking Martinez. It squeaks whenever the freezer fan is blowing? It squeaks when you open the right door but not the left door? Give me some clues.
It's squeaking right now... and I'm under the impression that it's the fan. Because I can hear (more like feel) the compressor humming along just fine.
 

MaxHeadRoom

Joined Jul 18, 2013
28,619
Normally you can see the freezer fan when you open the door, should be possible to detect if this is location of the squeak.?
The compressor is a little remote from it.
Max.
 

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
The fan underneath?
Both doors open...Take off the front kick panel with a frontward jerk near the left and right ends. It's probably a snap-on. Look underneath for dust bunnies in the compressor fan. Come equipped with a wet&dry vac that can blow and a small, weak, hairbrush taped to a meter stick. 1/4 inch hex screws remove the thick paper back off the compressor and fan section.

Squeaking in the cold places? That's a different fan.
 

Thread Starter

cmartinez

Joined Jan 17, 2007
8,220
Also, a few year ago hurricane Alex hit us real hard, we were left with no clean water for a few days. The water was flowing full of dirt out of the faucet. That's when the icemaker and the water dispenser stopped working. Even though the thing has a filter, I'm sure some dirt reached the solenoid valves and stuck them for good.
 
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Thread Starter

cmartinez

Joined Jan 17, 2007
8,220
Thanks, Max and #12. I'll do that tonight... thought I'm pretty sure it's the fan outside of the fridge. Gotta go for now.
 

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
@cmartinez

Don't forget to clean the pee pan while you're under there.
It seems obvious to check the intake filters on the water dispenser solenoids. If they stick open, you have water all over the place, so they must seems stuck closed.
 

Thread Starter

cmartinez

Joined Jan 17, 2007
8,220
A few days ago I opened the freezer side of my fridge, and discovered that some things were beginning to melt! Then I placed my hands on the front edges of the thing and, especially in the frame that divides the fridge from the freezer, I discovered that the thing was very warm to the touch!

I made an urgent call to the technician that I trust the most, and he discovered that the small fan (shaded pole motor) had stopped! ... so that's where all the squeaking came from! Anyway, he gave it a small push with his finger and it started again (yes, I hate kneeling down and looking into the backs of fridges to see what's going on... it's dirty, uncomfortable and I'd very much pay someone else to do that for me)

The fan motor has been changed, and it turns out the old one failed for the same reason that all other shaded pole motor's I've seen these last few years fail. The stupid thing has bushings instead of bearings, and those bushings eventually wear out and seize. Those shameless, greedy manufacturers don't want to pay a few cents more for far higher quality... I mean, fridges used to be unusually reliable things! ... now they're becoming more like toasters instead... or are they becoming like cars? designed to last about 10 years until no more replacement parts are to be found in the market and have to be obtained from the junkyard instead?
 

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
Those tiny shaded pole motors usually have sintered bronze bushings, impregnated with oil. If you polish the shaft and maybe the hole with crocus cloth and soak the bushing in oil for several minutes...but you usually can't get any polishing cloth in that tiny hole.
You can also stuff cotton clothes dryer lint into the oil reservoirs if they seem skimpy on packing.
 

Thread Starter

cmartinez

Joined Jan 17, 2007
8,220
Those tiny shaded pole motors usually have sintered bronze bushings, impregnated with oil. If you polish the shaft and maybe the hole with crocus cloth and soak the bushing in oil for several minutes...but you usually can't get any polishing cloth in that tiny hole.
You can also stuff cotton clothes dryer lint into the oil reservoirs if they seem skimpy on packing.
I haven't throw the old one out... tomorrow I'll see if I can take it appart and check it out.

Thanks for the tip!
 

dl324

Joined Mar 30, 2015
16,845
Those shameless, greedy manufacturers don't want to pay a few cents more for far higher quality... I mean, fridges used to be unusually reliable things! ... now they're becoming more like toasters instead... or are they becoming like cars? designed to last about 10 years until no more replacement parts are to be found in the market and have to be obtained from the junkyard instead?
They just don't make them like they used to. My refrigerator is more than 20 years old and the only problem it has is a cracked door seal.

My separate freezer and second refrigerator are both 30 years old.

I replaced my old 22+ year old electric water heater about a month ago. The new one had some electronics that failed in less than 2 weeks. Manufacturer said it couldn't be repaired and the heater needed to be replaced. The replacement lasted 1 day. It has a 12 year warranty, but I need to uninstall and take to the place of purchase for a warranty replacement.

The original and replacement heaters are Rheem. I don't recommend that brand.
 

SLK001

Joined Nov 29, 2011
1,549
My mother has a Philco refrigerator that she bought in 1951 that is still in use. It is in an environment that would probably kill a "modern" unit - a garage in Oklahoma with no insulation in the walls (+110 in summer at midday). It is rusty on the outer hull and a lot of the plastic has busted, but the compressor runs as good as the day it was made. It has no fan, just cooling fins on the back and it has a completely sealed system. It will probably outlast us all.
 

SLK001

Joined Nov 29, 2011
1,549
I replaced my old 22+ year old electric water heater about a month ago. The new one had some electronics that failed in less than 2 weeks. Manufacturer said it couldn't be repaired and the heater needed to be replaced. The replacement lasted 1 day. It has a 12 year warranty, but I need to uninstall and take to the place of purchase for a warranty replacement.
What electronics are in a water heater now? I replaced my 25 year old Rheem that split a seam and flooded my house with a cheap GE unit I got from HD.
 
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