My 24 year-old GE refrigerator needs compressor

[philcobendixduo]

I had my "old school" repairman come out today to check out my 1987 GE 23Z top freezer refrigerator as it was not cold enough in the freezer (lowest temp shown on my temp. monitor was 15 and highest was 28).
Also, frost would build up on the back wall ONLY on the far right side of the freezer.

When he removed the back panel of the freezer interior to see the coils, he confirmed that because there was ice buildup on only the right side of the coils, that meant the compressor was "weak". He tells me it would be hard to find someone (he won't do it) to replace a compressor on a refrigerator that old and that "I'd gotten way more years out of it than most do".

This refrigerator has probably been "dying" for years as the compressor runs all the time except when defrosting.

I really LIKE this refrigerator and don't want to to go out and buy a new "5 year" refrigerator (aren't they all like that, now?) I realize that the compressor is only ONE part and all the other parts in this fridge are 24 years old (no repairs - ever) but still - if I could find someone that would replace the compressor with a NEW one at a decent price, I'd go for it.

What do you all think?

The repair guy says to buy a Whirlpool.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[DADoES]

 

FWIW, I'd opt to buy a new refrigerator.

 

The start relay on my grandmother's 27-years-old Whirlpool went bad a few months ago.  I did the repair ($34 part), but would not have done so if the compressor had been the fault (~$296 + service tech being as I can't do refrigeration).

 

[retropia]

Can you find a good technician who does refrigeration repair? You could always pay for a service call to get a repair estimate. The cost to fix the compressor might not be cheap, but it might be within what you're willing to pay to keep a refrigerator you like. It sounds like you already have a realistic understanding about the age of the unit, and that other parts might need repair, too.

If you had no attachment to the refrigerator, then the more practical choice would be to purchase a new one. Since you like it, it may be worth the expense and effort required to keep it going.

 

[cfz2882]

if you like it,and it is in good shape,id see about getting it fixed.
i think i have heard on here that mid-'80s era GE fridges were known for
short lived compressors and i used to find GE fridges of this era at the
dump all the time in the early '90s so sounds like you got a good one...

 

[arbilab]

Two perspectives. One is how much cheaper new fridges are to run. Not counting repairs, like you I don't think ANYthing is built well today. But the big one is what a refrigeration guy told me after I'd bought a used fridge with replaced compressor and it didn't work right. That in fridges, once the sealed system is opened it's doomed. The replacement compressor wasn't the problem but contamination entering the system while it was open. He said it's almost unavoidable. All it takes is one splinter of metal from cutting the tubing. BTW this guy wasn't trying to sell me a fridge or anything else. He was the assistant chief engineer at the TV station I worked at and had done refrigeration 40 years, professionally early on then as a hobby and for friends later.

 

[volvoguy87]

Compressors.

If you like it, fix it. A new compressor, if the old one was "dying" should perform better and use less energy.

As for new ones, I've heard lots of things. I work in an appliance parts store so I get to chat with all the service techs in town and I get to keep track of the parts we sell. The current trend is that GE builds some of the best compressors in the business. Electronics, however, are almost universally bad. We sell more GE refrigerator main boards than I can count. We sell them like Whirlpool washer drive couplers! (Well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but we do sell a lot of boards).

Since we get asked all the time, the store's employees' response to "what's the best fridge to buy today?" is simple. Buy a simple GE freezer-on-top refrigerator. No dispensers, no control board, and most importantly, a mechanical defrost timer. We do sell quite a few defrost timers, but a mechanical defrost timer is dirt cheap, an electronic control board is pretty pricy.

Just for fun, confirm that the evaporator fan is coming on inside the fridge. Without it, the fridge won't cool well or evenly. Some refrigerators also have fans on their condenser coils. If this fan is bad, the coils won't be able to dissipate enough heat, causing poor performance. Also, confirm that the defrost cycle is working properly. If the evaporator ices over, air won't pass through it and the fridge won't cool.

Good luck,
Dave

 

[philcobendixduo]

Thanks for all your advise!

Indeed, this refrigerator was equipped with the infamous NEW GE rotary compressor that was then found to have a very high failure rate. GE sent a tech out within the first year I owned the refrigerator to replace the rotary compressor with a "traditional" type.

The fans are all working fine as is the defrost system.

I'm thinking, as much as I like this fridge, a new one would use less energy.
I just hate the "cheap" way appliances are built today (and that they're not made in U.S.A.)

I don't want automatic ice maker or water dispenser so if I can find a simple GE with mechanical controls and no electronics, that sounds like the way to go.

I found a Whirlpool that is about the same size outside (except 2 inches narrower) - W1TXNMFWB
I'll scout around on the GE site now!

 

[rp2813]

I think with proper maintenance a new refrigerator will last you a while.  Maybe not 24 years, but I'd say at least ten.   A key part of how our less-than-three-year-old KitchenAid refrigerator saves energy is that the compressor often runs at only half its potential.  Not only does this save energy, but I would presume it adds to the life expectancy of the compressor as well.

 

Do consider Whirlpool or Kenmore.  As you know, GE is not what it was 24 years ago with regard to putting out a quality and durable product.

 

[combo52]

New Refrigerator

Bill I would diffidently get the WP top freezer as my top choice, it will not only easily use 1/2 the power of the good old GE but will easily last 20+ years goal should be around 30. Since WP introduced this series in 1995 with the solid foamed doors we have seen remarkably few serious problems and the larger ones like this are still made here in the US.

 

[gmmcnair]

Another vote for a new fridge and a Whirlpool....

My Whirlpool fridge is coming up on 11 years old. Still solid as a rock and no repairs to this date. It may not be as heavily built as my mother's old Coldspot by Whirlpool that died at age 38, but they're still solid.

 

[arbilab]

As I recall, Kenpools/Whirlmores had a tendency for the evaporator fan (bearings) to fail but that was in the 70s and EVERYthing has changed since then.

 

[3beltwesty]

The new GE "simple GE freezer-on-top refrigerator" I got recently has a control board; there is no mechanical timer on mine. Its an 18.2 cuft model and cost 499 and only draws 335 KWHR and is frost free too. I paid about 100 extra and got the variant with the built in icemaker; the rebate made it just 499 bucks. My old late 1980s Whirlpool/Sears with two vertical doors died. Its was about 22 cuft and its measured consumption was about 1200 to 1300. The new unit here made my electric bill drop!

The old fridge went under 2 feet of salt water in 2005 due to Katrina; then floated and came down at a weird angle. Its lower coils had a bushel of marsh grass. Its fan motor had to be oiled twice. I guess I got my money worth. Most units here got scrapped not due to mechanical failure; but due to rotten food. I stayed through the storm thus I righted the unit and no rotten food. The unit on its side when righted had to be left about 1/2 day before the oils and freon were not slugging and all equalized.

Placing another compressor on a 2 decade old fridge around here would be loony from a money standpoint ; unless one had a buddy or did it yourself.

Loading…

www.mysears.com

 

[rp2813]

Evaporator fans did indeed fail on both 70's vintage Coldspot and Whirlpool fridges I've owned.  On the '75 Coldspot SxS it was an easy fix, and only slightly more time consuming on the '70 Whirlpool top freezer model.  The Whirlpool had a sluggish fan when I bought it used in 1990; the Coldspot's failed after about 10 years in service.  The Coldspot's forced draft condenser fan also failed within 10 years.  Another easy fix.  I think that was less common than the evaporator fan issues on WP-made fridges of that vintage.

 

[whirlcool]

We have a 2001 Whirlpool side by side. The first 8 years has multiple repairs. Things like defrost timers, just about every relay in the unit, and the evaporator fan ($$$$) had to be replaced. In 2009 I said if this thing has one more repair, out the door it goes.

Well, it stopped it's failures and has been reliable ever since. But now the door is rusting through under the ice maker and the thru the door water reservoir has failed.

I feel that since it's mostly aftermarket parts now, it should be reliable. I think I'll just bondo the rust hole in the door.

BTW, when the evaporator fan went the exterior of the unit became very hot. Almost too hot to touch. And like you experienced, it didn't cool too well on the inside either.

When this thing does go, I don't know what we'll end up with.

 

[goatfarmer]

My understanding is that GE used the wrong oil in many of the new rotary compressors in the 80's, leading to a high failure rate. That, and an unwillingness of GE to deal with it caused them to lose a lot of customers. I knew of one guy who had a compressor fail at 5 years, and 2 months old. He complained to GE, and they told him they would sell him a compressor at cost, and he would have to pay to get it installed! He pretty much told GE where they could put their refrigerator.....

If it were mine, and I liked the unit, I would have it fixed, knowing it MIGHT be throwing good money away, should something else fail.

 

[rp2813]

Craigslist regularly has ads for older refrigerators.  Maybe you can find an exact or close replacement fridge for under $100.

 

[supersuds]

If country of origin matters....

As to where Whirlpool top freezer models are made, I believe Whirlpool closed the old Seeger factory in Evansville, Indiana, last year and is now importing them from Mexico. Maybe there are some US-assembled ones still in the distribution pipeline. Supposedly their side by sides are still assembled in Arkansas. I was in a Maytag store a few months ago and all of the compressors I could see said they were Panasonic, made in Singapore, so I dunno how many US-sourced parts Whirlpool uses.

The GE top freezers are assembled at Appliance Park in Louisville, Kentucky, but as best I can tell their side by sides come from Mexico.

 

[cfz2882]

Late GE SXS fridges

my local damaged goods store recently got a shipment of GE side by sides in-
they said"made in mexico"but i think it is more "assembled in mexico from asian
parts"as all the parts on the fridge-fan motors,electronics,compressor,even
the screws all were or looked to be of asian origin....

 

[philcobendixduo]

My new Whirlpool was delivered today

The old refrigerator was reported to use about 1300 Kilowatt Hours per year but mine was using more than that as it ran all the time except when defrosting (and that uses power as well, of course).
The new one uses 514 Kilowatt Hours per year according to the yellow energy label.
Even though I will miss my good old GE 23Z, I know this one will save me a lot of money on power.
It's not QUITE as big and it has only one control and one light bulb compared to TWO on my GE but it keeps the food frozen/cold and that's what is most important.

The white temperature display is from my old GE.
I bought it online some time ago. It's wireless and has two sensors - one for the freezer and one for the fridge.
Held on to the door by magnets.
Shows high/low temperatures, which is VERY useful and is what told me my old GE was dying.