Help diagnose my refrigerator problem

[biggestmuff]

Earlier in the week, I noticed my juice didn't seem as cold as usual. I mentioned it to my wife and she said that the milk had spoiled a few days ahead of its expiration date. I checked other items and they seemed to feel a little warmer than they should. The refrigerator is already set on the coldest setting. I vacuumed the heavily dusty condenser coils, but there has been no drop in the temperature; it remains cool, not cold. I did notice today that the refrigerator seems to run constantly. In the past there would be times where the refrigerator would run silent then you could hear the compressor turn on. Now, it runs continuously.

The GE website offers no troubleshooting other than preventative maintenance actions and I can't seem to find any good sources online to aid in troubleshooting. So, here I am at hoping to get advice from the "collective".

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

your compressor is crapping out. Time to buy a new fridge.

 

[PeeluckyDuckee]

If top freezer is fine but bottom is warm, check your ventilation going to the bottom as it may be blocked with ice. May be time for a defrost.

 

[Modelworks]

If the top is cold but the bottom isn't , you got either a bad fan in the top or its blocked.
Refrigerators get all their cold from the freezer, theres nothing in the bottom part but the thermostat. It blows all the cold air from the freezer into the bottom.

Most likely the fan in the top. They often go bad.

 

[biggestmuff]

It's a side-by-side. The freezer is nice and chilly; it doesn't seem to have an issue. It's the refrigerator side that is warmer than it should be.

Fan, huh? I'll have to check the wiring schematic.

 

[Modelworks]

Side by side or top freezer .
Really doesn't matter they both work the same way, blowing air from the freezer into the refrigerator section.

If you pull off the cover on the freezer side in the back, you should see the fan.
Sometimes they rust around the center of the motor and just lock up.
If you pull it off and all the coils are covered in ice then look for a long glass tube with a coil of wire in it. Thats the heater that comes on to melt the ice and prevent it from blocking the air flow. Look at the coil in the glass carefully , sometimes they burn out and need to be replaced.

The heater is controlled by a defrost clock. The clock is located usually in the front near the floor.

Any of the items above can be replaced without too much work and a lot cheaper than calling a serviceman.

Worst case would be the compressor, but if its cold in the freezer, that is defenitely not the problem.

 

[CorCentral]

How old is the fridge?

I would'nt trust anything in it having to do with meat, etc, in the fridge part.
Toss it!