2003 GE Arctica

[DADoES]

 
My GE PSH23SGPABS &#92 ZF405814 has gone wonky.  The compressor is warm but otherwise not running.  The condensor fan spins up briefly every 5 seconds.  There's a repeating whirring-up sound that doesn't match with the fan, maybe the compressor trying to start?  The dispenser panel (freezer door) lights flicker.  The control panel (in the fresh food section) isn't lit or may be lit very dimly.  The panel has been a bit problematic for a few months regards to the button for the ExpressThaw function (which I use weekly) for the Custom Cool drawer being erratic in response.

I'm not opposed to repairing it if the problem is something I can handle.  Is the motherboard perhaps gone bad? Or the contol panel?  I changed the motherboard some years ago, it was already a substitution at that point.

Everything has been moved to the 1997 KA topfreezer in the garage, which isn't convenient but at least is available and has (thus far) never needed a repair.

 

[kalanikaau1]

I don't think that GE appliance division was yet absorbed by Haier yet back in '03, however a refrigeration repair friend has told me to stay clear of any recent GE (Haier) refrigeration appliance.

He said that the electronic control boards on these things fail routinely, it is the main reason why I bought a Bosch fridge instead of a GE or one of it's spinoffs.

Sad to say, but it sounds as though the mobo on your fridge has gone kaput.

Besides, I don't relish the thought of having to give the chinese anymore money than I already have to...

 

[DADoES]

 
Haier bought GE in 2016.  I have no concern about that.

I like the refrigerator.

Replacement boards are available, the same substitution as when I changed it in 2010 (which was a used via eBay, $125).

I have previously done a few other common repairs on it ... water valve, ice dispenser chute solenoid, freezer evaporator fan (which may or may have been fault of the mobo at the same time).

A new board from my favorite non-eBay source is $280.

There are also send-in-for-repair services.  One choice is $139 with a 2-yr warranty.

Either is reasonable if it lasts another 14 years.

Combo52/John or anyone, is the motherboard is at least 70% chance of being the problem?

 

[kalanikaau1]

Haier bought GE in 2016

My Bosch replaced a woeful Whirlpool french-door unit, it was beset with so many issues that the insurance underwriter for the extended warranty I wisely purchased when I bought it new wrote the unit off after just 4 years in service.

The electronic display alone was replaced 3X in it's star-crossed life, not to mention multiple issues related with the sealed refrigeration system.

It redefined the term "lemon".

Another Whirlpool fridge, like a GE was totally out of the question.

 

[qsd-dan]

"There's a repeating whirring-up sound that doesn't match with the fan, maybe the compressor trying to start?"

Kind of sounds like a bad relay.

I had a 2005 GE SxS fridge that went completely dead when the motherboard crapped out. No compressor action, no interior lights, ice/water dispenser didn't work...as if the fridge was unplugged.

Hard to say if it's control panel or the motherboard. Is there a way to bypass the control board, maybe jumper it out of the circuit?

 

[cfz2882]

before digging too deep...

...do check the outlet powering the fridge is delivering enough voltage and amp capacity.

 

[combo52]

2003 GE arctica refrigerator

Hi Glenn, little hard to tell what’s going wrong. The compressor does not have a relay on it. It’s an inverter driven compressor. The inverter could be faulty when you hear that sound that does not coincide with the fan operation is the compressor vibrating a little bit. You can put an amp probe on the unit and see if the sound is the compressor trying to run as your hearing that sound. Try pulling the inverter connection off the compressor, terminals and check the windings. You’ll get the same reading between any two terminals and you should not have any terminal grounded of course, I’d be very surprised if it’s a compressor I’ve never seen a bad Embraco compressor that had an inverter it’s a very good system.

We do replace inverters on these things occasionally, and of course the main board is sometimes a problem, these were pretty good refrigerators. They were a little bit complicated and a little more trouble prone as result, but they were well built and you may get more years out of it than this. I would hope it should last 30 years at least.

 

[DADoES]

 
I did a bit of investigation.  The unit had been disconnected from power since Friday.  Connected it, the vroom-vroom-vroom sound immediately began.  Traced it to the circulation fan in the fresh food section, not the compressor.  Removed the shelves and the air diffuser on the back wall, disconnected the harness and it stopped, resumed upon reconnection.

The control panel normally illuminates when the FF door is opened (or is it lit continuously? I've never checked that) to show the current temps and function settings.  It's now blank until any button is pressed, at which it beeps and
  (a) FZ temp says -48°F
  (b) FF says -38°F
  (c) ExpressThaw indicators for 0.5 Lbs and 3 Lbs illuminate and the display says 4 Hr
  (d) then it all goes blank after half a second
  (e) the buttons don't beep if pressed again immediately
  (f) it beeps if pressed after a few seconds wait but nothing illuminates
  (g) the sequence repeats from (a) when pressing a button after a bit longer wait

Cubed and Door Alarm (usual selections), and Reset Water Filter (I haven't replaced/reset the filter in a long time) on the dispenser panel are normally lit continuously.  Now they're blinking on a 2 or 3 second repetition (all lit or off at the same time).  The dispenser panel buttons don't respond when pressed to change the settings.

The compressor was warm when I discovered the problem on Friday morning.  It's cold now after power being disconnected over the weekend.  No evidence that it's trying to start on power now.

I haven't had opportunity to do further diagnostics, amperage, voltage, and windings tests, some other ongoing concerns are in more urgent need of attention.    The refrigerator is next to the range and there's a freestanding but *heavy* island-cabinet in front of them which limits how far it can be pulled forward unless everything emptied out of the island-cabinet for moving it.  There's not much working room, just enough gap to squeeze through behind it.

Would a bad inverter board cause those symptoms?  Or is the motherboard more likely?

The plugs not connected to the board are presumably due to the substitution when it was changed in 2010 ... I've slept a couple times since then for recalling the details at the time.

 

[combo52]

When the inside evaporator motor does that Thing where the speed berries up and down, you usually have to replace the fan motor and the main board which powers the fan motor. In some cases you might get away with just replacing the main board, but we’ve had a number of cases where we do the board and ruins the new board because the fan motor is shorting.

On every case where I’ve had a bad inverter, the compressor simply does not run.

John

 

[DADoES]

 
Forgot to mention that the freezer evaporator fan doesn't run (since Fri morn), and the condensor fan doesn't run now whereas it was turning on/off Fri morning.

 

[DADoES]

 
The compressor presumably won't run if the control board per the control panel and sensors is erroneously reading the freezer at -48°F and fresh food at -38°F?

 

[fisherpaykel]

Glenn I hope you are able to get your fridge running again soon, on another subject I've sent you an email to address on your profile, Walter

 

[DADoES]

 
I decided not to attempt repair after some initial investigation.

Replaced with a WP WRS325SDHZ12, a model that has been in production for 10 years (D = 2014, and note the engineering revision being 12).  Serial date is Apr 22-26, 2024.  Delivered/installed yesterday so just about exactly 3-months from factory to my house.

 

[repairguy]

Looks good Glenn.

 

[combo52]

New whirlpool side-by-side refrigerator

Looks good Glenn, these are very goodbye. They seem to be working pretty well of late. The earlier versions of these had a lot of trouble with broken wiring, going into the freezer door for the controls, ice dispenser, etc., but they’ve redesigned the wiring so I think they’ve eliminated that problem

We just installed one of these last week for a neighbor. Definitely a better buy than a lot of refrigerators.

Did you have the GE hauled away or did you decide to try to keep it and play with it for a while, it was quite repairable, but it was a lot more complicated than this New whirlpool refrigerator.

John

 

[DADoES]

 
The Arctica was hauled-away.  I have no suitable space to keep another refrigerator.

 

[kalanikaau1]

Very nice unit, is there a particular reason why you went with a side by side?

I replaced a fully functional Frigidaire S/S with a KitchenAid french door unit because my elderly Father had a difficult time in stooping to retrieve items in the Frigidaire, it truly pained me to see him struggle.

The KitchenAid was replaced by quite possibly the worst appliance I've been saddled with, a Whirlpool french door unit.

Main refrigeration duties are now handled with a Bosch 800 series unit, sans any thru the door ice dispensing capabilities, both Whirlpool units severely struggled with that problematic feature.

I certainly hope you purchased some sort of extended warranty with your purchase or are entertaining that option, based on my experiences with Whirlpool products it would be a wise investment, very wise indeed.

Meanwhile, my 24 year old top mount Kenmore (Whirlpool) hums away as ever in performing it's duties in my patio, it just might outlast the Bosch...[this post was last edited: 7/25/2024-03:04]

 

[combo52]

Why buy a side-by-side refrigerator?

There are many good reasons to buy a side-by-side refrigerator, it’s the most convenient type of two-door refrigerator overall because you can keep the most frequently use things at a convenient height so you just open and easy to open door that isn’t huge and grab the items you want on the inside of the door or On the shelves.

Side-by-side refrigerators have a very well perfected ice and water delivery system through the freezer door, which is very convenient.

Side-by-side refrigerators have greater usable capacity than a bottom freezer fridge door refrigerator, when you have to put everything in a rolling basket, there’s a lot of space wasted on the sides and bottom, etc., around the rolling bin.

Side-by-side refrigerators like the one Glenn got are less expensive than French door bottom freezer refrigerators And you don’t have the problems with the drawer glides for the freezer and the movie that flips back-and-forth between the doors at the top on the refrigerator. A whirlpool side-by-side like Glenn bought fairly expensive. I mentioned that we just delivered one like this except it was the smaller 22 ft.³ version and that model we only sold for 1050 bucks Delivered and installed.

You should never buy a service contract on a household, appliance or similar item. Every consumer group from consumer reports to Washington consumers checkbook, has detailed appliance warranty, the highest complaint items that you can buy, it just doesn’t make sense to ensure something that you can afford to fix or replace you buy insurance on automobiles and houses because they’re so expensive if there’s a huge loss.

The average return on investment with a home owners warranty or service contract is only $.25 on the dollar you literally can get back about $.50 on the dollar playing your state lottery. It’s a much better gamble.

When you buy a service contract, you take all control away from you about who’s gonna repair it when it’s gonna be repaired how it’s going to be repaired they can use used parts, etc. not a good deal.

John

 

[mattl]

I agree with everything John said regarding SxS fridges.  For me much more convenient, I have 2.  I find it's better than having a freezer for storage.  The 2 SxS freezers hold a lot, plus the fridge section is great for food overflow during the holidays and drinks the rest of the year.

 

I'm one of the rare people that made out with service contracts.  In about 2001 I bought a 38" direct view HD TV, $2800 from Sears.  It was new tech so I bought the SC,  It expired and the TV acted up, called Sears and they suggested I buy a one year contract. The service person deemed the TV unfixable and Sears sent me a check for the full purchase price. Being the techie I am, I found the same set for sale online,  non working too. bought it, combined the two and to this day it's working fine in my basement, all 350lbs of it. +$2800

 

In the mid 90's I bought an Amana SxS fridge, really liked it.  Worked fine for 8 years then quit.  Called Sears for service, once again they suggested a contract, said OK. Service came out once again deemed it un-repairable. Sent me a check for $1300. $2800+$1300 total $4100! less about $200 for 2 SCs. Kind of think I made out, back they did not pro rate the amount, not so anymore.