The shaft of the condenser fan motor will have some play in it, meaing if you are looking at it from the side, along the plane of the fan rotation, it will float to and from the motor itself, or left and right as you look at it from the side. You can isolate the noise by unplugging the refrigerator no less than 5 minutes, a minimum of 5 minutes and for at least 5 minutes. Before you plug the appliance back into the outlet, grab and hold onto the condenser fan blade, it will only be for a few seconds, and the motor is not strong enough that the blade will be ripped out of your hands. If you prefer, you can hold the blades in place by holding a screwdriver in between the blades instead. Plug the unit in, and if you still hear this rattle noise, its the compressor, not the fan motor. If you dont hear the noise, remove the screwdriver between the blades, and listen for the
refrigerator noise as the fan motor starts up. If it made the noise then check for any obstructions to the fan blades, check that the three screws that secure the motor are tight, if they are loose, the fan will bounce. if they are tight, you probably have a bad condenser fan motor
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