Help with Old GM Frigidaire Refrigerator

[cjhsa]

I have this 1970s vintage fridge in red at my up north cabin. It gets used about 8-months out of the year. It works, but has started to make some rather scary sounds, bad enough my buddy and I thought we had an animal in the place when we first heard it. Now, when you open the door, it goes "BLAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH". Best I can describe it, pretty loud too.

I'm wondering if perhaps just a fan is going bad? Maybe two fans? When you open the freezer door, there is no off switch, so you can hear the fan/compressor grumbling away, which is not new. The noise in the upper half is.

Is it worth fixing or if I should replace it? It's kind of cool but not super retro, other than the color.



http://https//youtu.be/CXR-HCKFQSg

 

[panthera]

Ok, a few possibilities

1) The flowing cold fan is in the freezer or way down deep behind the right crisper. They eventually suffer worn out bearings and make similar sounds. A standard kit fits these just fine (they'll tell you they don't work, they don't exist, blah blah blah but I've done a 1967 and a 1965 with them in the last two years so, yeah, OK.)

2)It's possible something fell into the fan or broke an impeller or it came loose on the shaft and is hitting something when it turns off (when running, it moves nearly 3 millimeters out from the frame).

 

In any event, it's reparable, worst case a universal kit. Just have a made up Whirlpool number for the idiots when you go into the store or order it online.

 

[cjhsa]

Thanks. What exactly do you mean by a "made up Whirlpool number"?

 

[goatfarmer]

Bad fan motor. Get the model number, and post it here. Can get complicated to fix, but certainly worth fixing.

 

Model # may be stamped on the back, or look on the side of the crisper drawers for a model tag.

 

[panthera]

made up number man's

A model number for a real whirlpool so you don't have to listen to the Tom-fool idiots tell you it can't be done, too old, etc.

 

[combo52]

70s FD Refrigerator With Noise In The Freezer

I am assuming you have a top freezer model, if so you either have a bad fan blade, a bad fan motor or a another very common problem with these refs was an ice build up from the automatic defrost function where the water does not drain properly and builds up and freezes and starts hitting the spinning fan blade.

 

If you think it might be ice you can shut down the ref for at least a few days [ unplugged with both doors open ] then turn it back on and if you don't have the noise for a week or longer it was likley an ice build up.

 

Getting to and repairing the fan area of these refs was a PITA, unless you are really in love with this ref you may want to replace it with something more energy efficient that will also keep your food better and longer.

 

[panthera]

Not fun but doable

I wouldn't classify replacing these fans with changing the belt on a Whirlpool belt drive washer from the 1950's but there's no question but what it is a project.

Still, I've done two fairly recently and if I can, anybody can.

 

[goatfarmer]

The worst ones were the ones that used the square nuts BEHIND the housing holding the fan in place.

 

[panthera]

Oh, yeah

BOTH of the two I did recently had those dratted nuts. What were they thinking?

Well, I know what I was feeling.

However, it's all good. I did one on a brief visit from Germany to the 'States back in the late '80s - little young to blow out, but, well, it did. Replaced the bearings by using two top bearings from VM record players. Still working, today.

 

[cjhsa]

This is a bottom freezer model. I will have to look for the model number the next time I go up, it will be at least a couple weeks.

 

[combo52]

Red Bottom Freezer FD Ref

Well its not a 70s model for sure, FD probably only ever made about one bottom freezer model [ ever ] in red around 1968-9.

 

You can disregard most of what I said about what the problem is and what to do about fixing it on a 60s BF ref. The most likley thing that may be wrong with this ref is just a worn out freezer fan motor.

 

Post a picture of your ref if possible and even a recording of the noise it is making, we can give much more accurate advice that way.

 

[cjhsa]

Heres is the sound (link to youtube video).

Only pic I could find was one of my mom standing in front of it about 20 years ago. Sorry, not very helpful.

http://https//youtu.be/CXR-HCKFQSg

 

[ken]

Sounds like the fan hitting the housing and coming to a stop. Is this fridge designed so the fresh food compartment fan stops when the door is opened? 

 

[cjhsa]

Yes

 

[goatfarmer]

Fan motor, either going bad, a bad fan blade, or something in the blades. Looks like a 67-68 refrigerator,I don't recall Frigidaire's being red then. Maybe a repaint?

 

[panthera]

Poppy Red and Sunshine Yellow

Were, despite the official cannon, still on offer in 1967-68. We have a Custom Deluxe Refrigerator in Sunshine Yellow from 1967, which officially does not exist. And it's originally this color, not repainted.

Ditto a 1968 dryer in poppy red we saw in a home recently. Unfortunately, it got sent to the Habitat Restore who metaled it - they don't 'do' old appliances.

 

[panthera]

Poppy Red and Sunshine Yellow

Were, despite the official cannon, still on offer in 1967-68. We have a Custom Deluxe Refrigerator in Sunshine Yellow from 1967, which officially does not exist. And it's originally this color, not repainted.

Ditto a 1968 dryer in poppy red we saw in a home recently. Unfortunately, it got sent to the Habitat Restore who metaled it - they don't 'do' old appliances.

 

[circlew]

If it's from the 60's

and the factory finish, the color is probably "Matador Red".

"Poppy" was shaded, and introduced later. In '77 the shading was removed and it became "Terra Cotta".

http://https//books.google.com/book...EITDAK#v=onepage&q=Frigidaire Matador Red&f=f

 

[panthera]

Tom,

You're right.

 

[philr]

These fridges are quite rare, I have never seen one in Matador Red like yours.

Please post pictures showing the interior of both the fridge and refrigerator sections and from the exterior too.

If you find the model number, let us know it. I have some service documentation for similar ones but I think I'm missing the "L" line from 1967 and a part of the 1966 "K" line. I do have the 1968 "N" line information.

I'd like to find one like this from 1966. Same color as yours.

 

[kd12]

1920s tech

Square nuts on a 70s fridge? Sounds very 1920s. I would never have guessed they would have used those on a modern appliance.

 

[cjhsa]

Not a repaint. Custom ordered direct from the factory. My parents were really weird about that sort of thing. My cabin is full of treasures, like Widdicombe and Baker furniture, even a Herman Miller rolltop desk. Too bad they all smell like a 50-year old cabin in the woods in need of a new roof. They should have invested in a better roof.

 

[cjhsa]

Photos! And I included a couple that may be more valuable than the fridge.

Can't find a S/N, but model # is on the manual.

 

[cjhsa]

So my apologies as it is a deluxe not an imperial nor a super.

 

[cjhsa]

So I can only get the fridge down to about 42F. The freezer is fine. ???

 

[goatfarmer]

How cold do ya want the fridge? 42 isn't too bad.

 

[cjhsa]

42 is outside of the safe zone. Stuff will not keep very long that warm. 35-37 is preferable.

That fridge froze stuff in the drawers on A before. I have it on 3 now which is coldest. Seriously since it is a vacation/hunting cabin, I used to leave stuff for a month and it would be fine, even milk. Not now. Two days max and stuff goes bad or molds.

 

[norgeway]

Ref temp

I think these use a tube like contraption which opens and closes thermostatically to let air up from the freezer into the fridge,They are adjustable I think, 42 is warmer than I like also, I like to see ice crystals in my milk and tea!

 

[philr]

t's a 1967 model, I'm sure other forum members have also noticed the Kitchen Aid KDS-15 next to it. I'd say it's also from the same time period.

I have never owned a Frigidaire bottom freezer refrigerator made after 1965 but I know that by 1966, many of the top-freezer models switched from having the thermostatic damper that Norgeway is talking about to a manual damper that adjusts with a knob. Is there just one or two cold control knobs? I guess there are two. One of them has the "off" position, that's the main cold control. The other one just moves a damper to increase or decrease the airflow in the refrigerator section.

My guess is that the damper is linked to the one you pictured which says "freezer cold control". If you want to make a test, feel the air flow in the refrigerator section next to the air distribution register (probably behind the light shield in the center) while holding the light switch as if the door was closed and see in which direction you get the maximum airflow to the refrigerator. It should be the at the "warmer" setting if I understand correctly how your damper and thermostat work, that will get the most cold airflow to the refrigerator section and it will make the freezer less cold. Then I don't know where you set the other thermostat but you want to have it in the coldest position which should be "3". Check the temperatures simultaneously in both the freezer and refrigerator sections to see how it does before and after moving the controls.

Some refrigerators have two blowers linked to cold controls rather than a single blower and a damper. I'm not 100% sure about how yours is but that knob seems to be the kind they used for damper doors.

Does the compressor runs almost constantly or does it often cycles off? These should run constantly a few hours after the defrost period and then cycle on and off.

This fridge is probably one of the very first models that didn't have a defrost timer that defrosted it at fixed intervals. Instead, it defrosted "as necessary" like today's fridges. At least the 1968 version of your fridge does that. I wish I had the 1967 manual to help you more.

I can't say it's a highly valuable appliance (very few are!) but if it was mine, I'd certainly try to keep it working!

You won't find another one like it easily!

 

[cjhsa]

Thanks PhilR! Yes it has two controls. The one in the pics is the freezer control, at the back bottom of the refrigerator. The other is closer to the top of the fridge and has the A-B-1-2-3 settings.

The compressor does run almost constantly at this point. It does turn off though, noticeably as the fan stops too and it's quite loud. It will stay off for just a few minutes then start again. This unit used to defrost fairly regularly, and when it did, you could see the heating elements light up at the back of the freezer, as there is no light/switch on the freezer door. I haven't see it do that lately, but I can't say it's not working as there are no frost issues I can see.

I posted the owner's manual in the pictures, not sure how readable they are here. Try the link below if you can't read them (Google Photos).

That Kitchen Aid dishwasher is the bomb. 45 minutes start to finish, gets dishes super clean and dry in that short time. Hope it lasts many more years.

http://https//goo.gl/photos/XV8A4K7yN8Ge4phPA