Refrigerator side shuts off sometimes

Hi and welcome to FixYa,

Offhand, there would possibly be 2 reason (among others) why the refrigerator side would fail or operate intermittently:

• thermostat (likely) - try adjusting it to a colder setting;
• evaporator fan (most likely) - the refrigerator side uses the cold air from the freezer to cool its area. The cold air is drawn by the fan vented through a duct or airpath. Often the fan would get frozen or simply loose its lubrication and fails to operate or run intermittent.

A simple test for the fan is to open the door, locate the door switch, while keeping the door open, press on the doorswitch, light should go off, and the fan will kick in after a minute or so. If it does not and you consider that the temp of the refrigerator is higher than as it should be, then the fan is faulty.

Pls post back result(s). Good luck and Thank you for using FixYa.

Hi there
Looks like there is a problem with the evaporator fan motor and, possibly, with the main control board.
Unplug the refrigerator before going further!

Disassemble procedure:

1. Remove the four ¼” ice maker bracket screws located at the four corners of the bracket.

2. Remove the two ¼” ice dispenser drive mounting bracket screws and remove the brackets.

3. Remove the two ¼” upper evaporator fan ductwork screws.

4. Unlock the tabs and remove the lower evaporator fan ductwork.

5. Remove the four ¼” evaporator cover screws and remove the cover.

6. Remove the two ¼” upper evaporator fan duct work screws located at the lower portion of the ductwork.

7. Using a small flat screwdriver, unlock the tabs for the ice maker and dispenser cables.

8. Slide the upper fan ductwork out.

9. Disconnect the evaporator fan wiring harness.


To test the evaporator fan motor skip to the test procedure, otherwise proceed further.


10. Remove the ¼” screw for the evaporator fan ground wire.

11. Remove the two ¼” evaporator fan bracket mounting screws located at either side of the bracket.

12. Remove the evaporator fan assembly.

NOTE: The evaporator thermistor must be replaced when replacing the fan.


The evaporator fan motor test procedure:

1. Unplug the refrigerator to reset the main control board.

2. Warm up the freezer thermistor to 70°F and set the temperature controls to middle settings.

3. Reconnect the power.

4. Check for 13 VDC from the red to the white wire and between 8 to 13 VDC from the white to the yellow wire at the evaporator fan connector.

5. If there is correct voltage for both, then the evaporator fan motor has to be replaced.

6. If the voltage is incorrect, then the main control board has to be replaced.

7. If the voltage is incorrect, check the resistance between the white to the red wire and the white to the yellow wire. If it’s less than 1K ohm, the evaporator fan motor is shorted and has to be replaced.

Best regards.

Look on the back side of the freezer section for frost. This is a sign the defrost heater has died. A simple repair. If you see frost remove the maintenence cover and inspect for ice. Remove ice and inspect heater for continuity. These newer model heater assemblys come prewired with a quick connect, replacement is fairly easy.

If you need further help, reach me via phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/dan_73bbd84fe1d95b61

I would get someone out as soon as possible to fix it before it goes all the way out,,,you dont want to have to do alot of guesswork to fix it,,,call a repairman soon