Inside strip of fridge is very hot. cleaned out behind fridge and the coils, etc. fan is barely moving/not moving. any suggestions???

Most of the time when the strip is hot it is due to the condenser coils being clogged. If you pull the kick plate off under the door, you should find some coils with dust, hair, and other various debris that has to be cleaned off the coils. These coils can become insullated with dust bunnies and not allow the freon to release enough of the heat as it flows through the coils. The coils actually run through the cabinet where the metal strip is getting hot. Break out a vacuum and clean off the coils and then give it a day and the unit should begin operating properly again. If you can't find the coils underneath remove the back access panel and they should be located to the right of your fan. Also make sure the fan itself is running. The fan is what moves the air flow under the fridge to cool the coils, if it is not running it can cause the same issue.

noisy evap fan or fan hitting on ice due to defrost issue
fan stops when door open

First , remove the bottom kick plate , and vacuum the coils . They have to be clean of dust , lint , pet hair , etc . Then pull the refrig out , and remove the lower panel , to expose the compressor and cooling fan . This fan HAS to be working , to cool the compressor AND the coils . If not running ( fan ) , check for an obstruction of paper , insulation , etc , and remove the cause . If not being obstructed , and not running , replace the fan motor . Afterwards , be sure to reinstall the back panel , as this panel , helps pull the airflow across the coils , and compressor . The strip between the doors , has part of the coils behind it , and will get hot , if the coils in front are dirty , or , the fan behind the refrig is not working .

This sounds like a problem with the defrost circuit. It is likely that the evaporator coil is clogged with ice due to the defrost heater / circuitry not functioning. This can be caused by a failure of any one or more of the following components:

1) Defrost timer. Defrost timer may be "stuck" - failing to advance from a cooling cycle to a defrost cycle. May be found in the toe space of many fridges, but not all.

2) Defrost terminator. This is a thermal sensor that is secured (usually with a clip) to the refrigerant line close to the evaporator coil in / behind the freezer compartment. If this component fails to detect a rising temperature, it never allows the fridge to return to the cooling mode again.

3) Defroster Heating coil. This is a simple, relatively low wattage heater secured to or near the evaporator coil. It is powered through the defrost timer and shut off by the defrost terminator. If the coil is burned out or otherwise "open", it will not heat to melt ice buildup on the evaporator coil.

4) Fan. The fan is located near the evaporator coil. If the fan is unable move air from the freezer to the fridge, the compressor runs endlessly because cold air is not directed into the fridge compartment - where the thermostat is located.

5) Condenser coil. If the condenser has a "furry jacket" it's long overdue for a cleaning. Gently vacuum lint / dust / dirt collected on the coil to increase efficiency. This is probably not the problem - but it probably needs to be done anyway.

Most of these steps will require hand tools, schematics (specific to your model), electrical test equipment, etc. Be careful to not use sharp instruments that may puncture refrigerant lines or electrical insulation. Allow the ice to defrost with the fridge powered off with the freezer door opened, or place a pot of hot water inside, hair dryer directed at the coil, etc. Access to the evaporator coil is usually from the freezer compartment (back wall) and will require removal of any ice maker installed.

I hope this helps!

The coils below fridge need cleaning very badly ( if G E then behind fridge) or the fan behind refrig which cools the compressor , is not working . Model number would have been helpful .

When the compressor is running, two fans should be running. One inside the freezer compartment that moves air over the evaporator coils. The other is under/behind the fridge that cools the condenser coils.

If the fan on the condenser coil (the one under/behind the fridge) stops working, the system cannot dissipate the heat from those coils, and thus cannot sufficiently cool the inside of either the freezer nor fresh food compartment.

On mine, when the condenser fan failed, I noticed right away. The front face of the wall separating the compartments became very hot. Extremely hot.

Apparently the refrigeration system is designed so that waste heat keeps condensation from forming where the magnetic gaskets on the door need to seal. When the condenser fan failed, there was too much waste heat (because no heat was being dissipated from the condenser coils by the fan), thus making that gasket-sealing area very hot.

If it is your condenser coil fan, you can relieve the problem temporarily by removing the bottom back panel from the fridge and aiming a box fan (a regular room or window fan) at the condenser coils. This will circulate air over the coils, thus removing heat from the coils.

When the face of that divider gets really hot, it's because the condenser coils are unable to shed heat properly. Check to see if the condenser fan is running - it's the one that blows air across the coils under the fridge. If no air is moving, then you need to replace it. If the fan is working, then check for any obstructions and use a vacuum cleaner to clean the coils. Make sure there's enough space behind the unit for air to flow.

vacuum the coils behind the bottom grate.

ED5VHGXMQ10 Whirlpool Fridge
I have the same problem. Too hot to touch between the freezer and refrigerator door. Is
this normal?

light falshing is normal, the strip between being hot is not though, remove the kickplate from under refrig and vaccuum the coils, pull unit out and clean behind, while there make sure that the fan adjacent to compressor is running(when compreessor is on). clogged condensor =hot mullion stip. not a major problem