Help with Old GM Frigidaire Refrigerator

[philr]

If the fan is that noisy, it could be the problem if it turns too slow... Is there adequate airflow from the air registers in the refrigerator section? You just need to hold the light switch as if the door was closed, the light will turn off and the fan will turn on.

What's the temp in the freezer section?

[this post was last edited: 6/27/2017-17:18]

 

[cjhsa]

Not sure. But definitely frozen.

 

[panthera]

regarding '67 frost free

I have one. It uses a timer and a thermostat - the moment the temperature rises above freezing, it cancels the defrost cycle.

I wonder how timer-less models prior to microprocessors would have worked?

 

[philr]

I don't know but my '68 Tech Talk specifies that the equivalent of this model from 1968 uses no defrost timer while most others still had fixed defrost periods twice or 3 times a day. I couldn't find more details relating to how the defrost system worked.

I know that my 10 years newer 1977 Frigidaire side by side still uses a defrost timer that runs only when the compressor runs so it doesn't defrost at the same time everyday but the system must have been different on this 1967 as the manual states that it doesn't have a timer and that it defrosts automatically "as necessary" or something like that.

 

[combo52]

Frigidaire Defrost Controls On SOME Late 60s Refs

Used an interesting dual capillary control that sensed evaporator temperature and condenser temperatures, this system was designed to cause a defrost to occur only when necessary and therefor not a a preset schedule.

 

I have no real experience with this system and FD did not use it long but instead went back to continuous run timers well into the 70s.

 

If this ref does not have a conventional defrost timer it could have a system like this.

 

In order to give any real help we must have a model number, it should be on a silver sticker on the inside wall of the ref to the left or right of the vegetable drawers., if the sticker is unreadable it is probably also printed in bold letters on the upper back of the ref.

 

[philr]

John, the model number is in one of the pictures above, FPD-14BL a 1967 model.

The information I found about a similar fridge is from 1968, for the FPD-144BN.

I don't have the 1967 Tech Talk about refrigerators.

 

[cjhsa]

Needs an evaporator motor. Could not make the universal one fit.

Any idea where I can find a used or rebuilt?

 

[philr]

The parts book I have says #620365

Here's a replacement on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Frigidaire-...767469?hash=item2ec849aded:g:cfsAAOSwqBJXWwNf

It won't look like the original but I suppose it fits there and there seems to be an adapter for the blower wheel.

 

[cjhsa]

Hmm. That is not the part number on the bad one. And the act of touching it has made the problem worse. Fridge is now 56 and freezer barely making ice. I give up. Getting a new fridge.

 

[panthera]

The fan on ebay is a univeral replacement

All the various parts get added on or taken off or rearranged to fit any fridge on earth, including '67 Frigidaires. I know, I have done it with exactly this kit.

It's a bit time consuming, but it does work.

One thing to pay attention to, the direction the blower goes may require you to put the coil on the opposite way of how you just put the whole dratted thing together (voice of experience here), so check that in a dry run, first.

 

[cjhsa]

Wish I could delete...

Forget my last post. I must have been mistaken when I looked at the ice trays this AM. I put the thermometer in the freezer and it is right around zero. SO, it's possible he got the wires crossed and the fan is spinning the wrong way, or it's even slower than before he started. I found two exact replacements for the part 5306599388 on ebay and bought both of them. I'm going to have the guy back out since I know he can do it this time in under an hour. He was here two hours yesterday, sacrificed a "universal" motor that simply wouldn't fit in the mounts, and didn't charge me much, especially considering how far out in the boonies I am.

 

[goatfarmer]

Fan is only going to spin one way, no matter where the wires are connected.

 

[cjhsa]

Thanks goatfarmer. So do you think it will work if I get a good motor? I hope so. Hate to throw any more money at this if not.

 

[panthera]

The fan will, indeed

spin in the same direction, regardless of how the wires are hooked up. The way to reverse it - and with some universal fans, they are going backward when delivered from the factory for your fridge - is to flip the top and bottom bearings around. Easy to do, they fit both ways (designed that way) and that will reverse it.

The only way to reverse it.

So glad it's cooling.

 

[cjhsa]

Well, again this AM the ice Is not completely frozen. Ice tray shelf is at the top of rhe freezer. Freezer temp is 20F. What the heck. I did fiddle with the freezer temp knob, it's on "N" (middle setting). It's just a diverter. But if the fan isn't working where is that "cold" going?

 

[cjhsa]

. 22F in freezer. Fridge is now room temp.

 

[philr]

Is there adequate air flow from the blower? I assume you haven't replaced it yet? The fan is what moves the cold air. In a bottom freezer model, with the evaporator coils under the freezer floor, if there's no air flow, the refrigerator section won't even get cool and the freezer won't get cool enough. I think yours should have it's evaporator located at the back which is better but still likely not enough to make it cool enough. And if the freezer is almost empty, the temp might get up significantly if you check it after a defrost took place. There's a 500 watt heater that melts the ice in the freezer for a few minutes everyday.

Some of the Frost-Proof models that had their ice tray over the evaporators (like the one I have in my kitchen) did make the ice melt in their ice trays when the defrost took place even when everything is working fine as they were sitting just above the heating elements and some models like my 1963 didn't have any insulation over them.

Right now, I hear the 1960 Frost-Proof freezer downstairs defrosting (it does make cracking noise when it defrosts). The temp will rise a bit for a few minutes and it will slowly return to 0° after. [this post was last edited: 7/3/2017-08:17]

 

[cjhsa]

No I haven't replaced it yet. This is a cabin up north with no mailing address so I had to ship the eBay purchases to my home downstate. I'll be back up here in about a month. I unplugged the fridge. It was only getting the freezer down to about 19° no longer going to zero like it did a couple days ago. The evap motor completely seized up.

 

[philr]

I hope that will fix it. Let us know what happens when you return next month!

 

[cjhsa]

Well, it did not fix it. With the new motor(s) the fan is rubbing inside the housing. I think the housing or fan itself has warped due to it overheating. We tried to sand down the surfaces without success. I let the repair guy take the fan assembly home to work on, hopefully he can figure it out.

One thing, the "new" motors came without a mounting plate attached. The metal mounting plate was attached with RIVETS to the old bad motor. We had to drill those out, and fortunately one of the two "new" motors came with screws. Both came with an (identical, factory) note saying there were screws included, but only one had them.

So I'm still living out of a cooler while there. And that sucks. I'm going to take a small "dorm" fridge up there for now.

 

[cjhsa]

Unfortunately, the fan housing cracked and broke while he worked on it. The red fridge is dead. Long live the red fridge.

 

[philr]

Too bad. With all the efforts you made to save it... I've seen badly melted ones that were reshaped and fixed with epoxy but sometimes it's too far gone to fix...

 

[cjhsa]

Dishwasher now dead

Some of you commented on the Kitchenaid dishwasher in the pics. Well, it stopped working. It's now running water straight down the drain. I did find a dead mouse sitting on some wires/contacts, but not sure how long he's been there. I'm sure he had something to do with the failure. Now I have two failed major appliances sitting out in a cabin in the woods.

 

[combo52]

KA KD-15 DW water running down the drain

There is either something stuck in the drain valve holding it open or the rubber seal is rotted away, remove the valve and see if something is stuck in it, if so remove the foreign object, if not replace the complete valve.

 

John L.