[rena]

I have a side by side fridgidaire gallery and the centre strip that runs up and down between the 2 doors that the doors sit on when they close was getting VERY hot. At the same time the freezer wasnt that cold again. The reason I said again was about 2 weeks ago it did this and so I took the back off and cleaned it as it was filthy. When I did that the freezer got cold again and everything was fine.

This time I took the back off to see why once again the freezer wasnt that cold and the strip was hot again. I noticed the fan was not on and it was VERY hot back there. Yet it wasnt dirty as i had cleaned it before as I said. So I turned off the fridge and turned it on again and the fan went on and everything started to work again. Freezer got cold and strip cooled down. Im wondering if I have to turn the fridge on and off to get the fan to turn on what does this mean? The compressor fan turns fine when its off. No seizing.

[rena]

I just checked and it starting heating up again. I can hear a small whine in the back and I know when that is happening the fan is off again. So I unplugged and plugged in fridge, the whine went away and the fan turned on again. What the heck?

[thanhxpham]

Hi Rena, all,
My Whirlpool refrigerator ED20TQ has the same problem. Have you found any solution? Please help!
Thanks.

[rena]

No. It seems to be turning on again when I woke up this morning the freezer was cold again( it starts to warm up when this happens) and the centre strip was warm and no whine as of YET.
Im going to contact a fridge guy here in town and see what he has to say. Its gotta be a short or something. I wish someone on here knew too....

[woodchuck]

Replace the condenser fan, it's worn out. Check it here if you like.Refrigerator Repair Guide: How To Test the Condensor Fan - ACME HOW TO.com

[rena]

If its as simple as replacing it I would. The thing is its not seized. It moves around freely. I thought you only changed it when it seized or barely moved. What if there is a short somewhere and that is the reason for a perfectly good fan not to work?

[woodchuck]

I had one one time that got to where it wouldn't start on it's own. I could barely touch it and it would start. So I drilled a hole in the back so I could add some oil that worked for a while but I got tired of worrying about it and stuff in the freezer thawing. Your whining sound is probably the fan trying to start.

[gwr]

the strip between the doors has a mulium heater, this is going to get rather warm, this is to keep the moister from collecting between the doors. most brands have a switch by the thermostat that can turn on or off the heater.As for the fan replace it.

[rena]

Originally Posted by gwr

the strip between the doors has a mulium heater, this is going to get rather warm, this is to keep the moister from collecting between the doors. most brands have a switch by the thermostat that can turn on or off the heater.As for the fan replace it.

It gets hot when the fan isnt working. I guess I will do just as you say and have it replaced.