Noisy whirlpool condensor fan motor

These motors with the plastic fan are apparently failing so often that when I went to the parts store, the owner told me on guy bought 4 replacement motors for his condo complex. Buy the old version of the motor with a metal fan blade. You have to clip off the white connector on the wiring harness and then wire to the new motor using wire nuts (easy). It's a lot cheaper too - $49 for the motor and blade vs alost $100 for the crappy plastic one. Running llike a champ right now!

Had a noisy fan motor(sounded like a phone on vibrate) on a 5 year old Whirlpool side by side. Took fan out of metal housing (3 screws), removed the blades from the shaft, washed the blades to remove buildup of dust, wiped down fan motor, couple drops of liquid wrench at the base of the shaft, placed fan blades back on the shaft, then I found the catch. With the blades installed on the shaft turn the blades and motor upside down so the center of the blade group is resting on a hard surface. Carefully but firmly apply even direct pressure downward on the motor so that the shaft is driven further onto the blade group. You hear a click? The blade is secure. Reinstall it onto the housing. it'll sound better than before.

Yes to start the repair man is correct. The oem fan motor is an ECM (Electronic contol motor ) that means it has a tiny computer inside and it pulls less wattage (electricity). The factories use these to get better energy star ratings. However these ECM motors are very sensitve. Ive seen many fail after a slight power surge, it blows that little computer. Ive also seen them not start every time they are supposed to. However, whirlpool does make available these OEM ECM motors. At around $200 for the motor. To be honest here i tell all my customers they are better off in the long run with the older style motors that have been around for 30 years and dont hardly ever fail. Yeah they are a little noiser but not much. (hardly noticable unless the house is dead silent) if yours is excesivly noisy there is a slight possibilty the blade could be on backwards or maybe its a vibration???

I have the same problem with star4 053270607 37050020 2188727 fan as everyone else. I opened back side of the refrigerator and found that shaft holding propeller is loose. When I push it back towards the motor it stops making noise. Unfortunately, after a few minutes, it starts making noise again. Has anyone found that “old type motor and fan” assembly or resolved this problem in any other way?

The replacement motor is $38 at repairclinic.com (#2790) which seems like the best solution.

I took the cardboard off the back and identified the fan blade as the noise maker. I unplugged the frig and spun the fan blade by hand until I found that only one of the four blades was hitting a certain spot of the bracket with each revolution. Someone had used WD-40, but I've always heard that it cleans but does not oil things. I use white lithium grease for that purpose - so I applied a dab on the spindle with a toothpick. Maybe it helped. But what really worked was studying the 3 good blades and bending the bad one (that was hitting the bracket) just a hair toward the motor housing. Presto - it is purring like a kitten. I figured I had nothing but $100 to lose buying a new part if that didn't work. My next step would have been to get a file and file away the spot on the bracket where the blade was hitting. Again nothing to lose by trying, but that was not necessary. Hope this helps you all!

I did the same thing as all the other posts only I used some Silicone oil and I drilled a small hole in the housing right by the shaft, this helps for about 3-4 week and then you have to do it all over again, I am thinking about taking the housing apart and putting some wheel baring greases inside the housing itself.

Same problem on my whirlpool refrigerator model # ED5GHEXNL00 it had a noisy fan but stops when i push the blade toward the motor. i replaced the motor with part # 10124096 motor-condensor. you can see a photo of the part at repairclinic.com. it is their part # 1378525 and sells for $79.85 plus shipping.
i bought it locally in tucson for $110 including tax.
it was an easy installation and solved the problem.

Hello;

My name is Peter. I am a retired field service refrigeration technician.

I have read several of the comments in regards to lubricating the condenser fan. Think about it. The condenser fans purpose is to blow air over the cooling condenser coil or canister. The fan is designed to be Lubrication Free as well as other service motors. Your condenser fan when running picks up normal dust, hair Ect. Lubrication would act as a magnet to these particles and in time either lock the motor up, or cause it to over heat and burn out.
First, Clanging Sound - This means the fan blade is striking something. The fan housing is flimsy. It may not be vertical. Unplug the unit. Pull the unit out far enough for you to get behind it and remove the lower back cover by unscrewing the fasteners. While you are back there vacuum out the entire area. Using a damp cloth wipe the fan blade. Be careful the fan blade and housing is sharp on the edges. Do not use spray cleaners or cleaning solutions. You do not want to get any of the electrical wet.
Slowly rotate the fan blade and inspect for interference. Push the fan housing to the left & then to the right until the blade spins clear.
You need to either bend the fan housing so the fan blade runs clear or better yet use plastic ties and tie the frame either back or forward as required. Do not use string. String is too flexible.
Do not move the fan blade on the motor shaft. You may make the problem worst.
Second, Squealing Sound - This is a clear indicator the fan motor is failing and needs to be replaced. If the fan motor fails - the purpose of the fan is to blow air across the cooling condenser. So,
leave the back cover off the unit. Take a small household fan and position it to blow air under you refrigerator. This will keep your unit running until you can replace the motor.
Some condenser motors are one size fits all. If you receive a motor that has 3 wire leads with a small green ground wire and you have 3 connections - Good. If you receive a fan motor that has 2 wire leads with a small green ground wire and you have 2 connections - Good.
If you receive a fan motor with 3 wire leads and a small green ground wire and you have 2 connections - splice the 2 white wires together. The connections are color coded.

The ECM (Electronically Commutated Motor) is FAR more energy efficient then the old shaded pole motors was. Seeing how this fan motor runs about 50% of the time it will easily save you enough $$ on the electricity bill to pay for possibly earlier replacement. These motors have been quite reliable though so they may well last as long as the old wasteful design did. And despite what an above answer said, there is no "microprocessor" in these fans and the electronics are quite robust.

All these answers and solutions are great, but how many homeowners have the ability to complete these repairs. Our tech told us that Whirlpool Gold was brought back into the market with all it\'s previous issues and apparently a host of new ones. Catch is, they knew what they were doing and apparently did not care. They should be held accountable for their actions as I\'m told the new Gold product is actually worse than the previous. All that are able should contact their National Corporate office and at least try to persuade them to do the honorable thing. Money and profit should not be the only gauge by which any company defines itself. Customer service and poor quality products will be the death of their business\'es if they continue with that mindset. Thanks again fixya for this forum!