When your fridge is making loud noises and/or not cooling properly, the condenser fan motor may be the cause of your refrigerator’s problem. The fan is an essential part of the refrigerator’s cooling system as it helps regulates the air from outside of the refrigerator, helps cool the compressor, and the refrigerator coils. Replacing this part is an easy project.
Step One
Unplug the refrigerator. This is extremely important, you don't want to start working on your refrigerator while it's still connected to the electric current, you might get an electric discharge, which could be fatal.
Step Two
Remove the back cover. First remove the quarter-inch hex head screws, then remove the cover by tilting it at the bottom and disconnecting it from the upper lip. From the back of the refrigerator, the condenser fan motor can be found along the right side of the compressor. You will see that the condenser fan's motor shaft has a small clasp nut on the end. Use a pair of slip-joint pliers to loosen it enough so that you can remove it with your finger. Now you can slide the blade off and pull it out.
Step Three
Remove the harness from the motor. Slide the blade of a small, flat blade screwdriver under the locking tab and lift up to remove the harness.
Step Four
Remove the remaining screws. Once you've removed the harness, there are two quarter-inch hex head screws to remove. These screws attach the motor to the mounting bracket. With these screws removed, you can now pull out the motor. The mounting bracket is secured to the frame via four quarter-inch hex-head screws. Now that the motor and the fan have been removed, you can access and remove these screws. You should be able to pull out the water tubing and remove the mounting bracket.
Step Five
Install the new motor. Mount the motor by lining up the three holes in the back of the motor with the three holes in the bracket. For a metal bracket, place the shorter screws through the holes, and tighten them once they're all in place. For a plastic bracket, use longer screws. Keep in mind that this adapter is only necessary if your motor does not have a four-wire connector. If you have a three-wire adapter, this piece connects to your wire harness while the four-prong connector fits into your motor.
Step Six
Install the blade. Place the blade on top of the shaft with the pointed end pointing upwards, then press down on the blade until it reaches the stop screw. Now the motor can be reinstalled into the refrigerator.
Step Seven
Install the motor into the frame. First slide the motor in from behind the refrigerator, and attach it to the frame with four mounting screws. Use a quarter-inch drive ratchet to tighten the bottom two first, and then the top two screws.
Step Eight
Reattach the wire harness to the motor. In the case of a wire harness extension kit, be sure that it is tight at both ends and locks in place.
Step Nine
Return the water lines to their place in the frame, reattach the back cover and reconnect the power. Now simply push your refrigerator back into its original position to complete your repair and plug it back in.