I have a hole in the freezer coil due to my stupidity. Can the freezer compartment be replaced and freon put back or is it cheaper to just replace the fridge? Bill

if it's running look at the evaporator coil,if it doesn't have an even frost pattern on the coil you have a freon leak and it would be cheaper to replace the fridge,usually if you have a leak and it's not cooling you might see a ball of ice on top of the coil just on the lines there isn't enough freon to cool the whole fridge down and put an even frost pattern on the coil.hope this helps you out.unplug it,take out the food and shelves,remove the back inside wall of the freezer,if you have a defrost problem the coil will be covered in ice,if you have a freon leak the coil won't have an even frost pattern maybe just up near the top but not covering the whole coil,also make sure the evap fan is blowing,but if compressor is running and you don't have a defrost problem i would say you have a sealed system leak or freon leak same thing.only way to tell is get in there and look.

I have an E402 fridge (403 litre model with freezer on bottom) . I just dismantled the freezer back wall due to a bad defroster element and noticed that on the back wall of the freezer is a small raised "cavity" or "slot" that the black thermostat fits into nicely. In my fridge, it is above the Collins coil and a bit to the right of centre(closer to the wire entry hole). Hope this helps

This could be a dozen different things causing this. Do you see ice build up on the back wall? Your freezer coil could be icing over and blocking fan air flow. This can be due to a bad fan, low freon.....

If you need further help, reach me via phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/steve_24d988f3507f7480

hello again,
part 2 of the answer,the metal pan is the drain in the center of it is where the drain is blocked,the foam vents are the vents where the air from the freezer flows into the fresh food compartment,GENTLYclear that small hole so as not to puncture the tubing in the coil above it,or you will loose all the refrigerant(freon) an dthe ref, will be dead

Gene

There is likely a problem with the defrost circuit or cold air circulating fan (but could be a low freon charge or other problem). The freezer compartment has the cooling coil with defrost heater and a fan that pulls cold air from the freezer and blows it into the fresh food compartment; based on the setting of the thermostat in the fresh food compartment.

When the defrost heater fails, the area that the cooling coil is located in eventually turns into a solid block of frost and ice. It becomes impossible for air to be drawn across the cold coil, cooled and blown into the fresh food compartment. The result is a rising temperature in the fresh food compartment - and eventually in the freezer section, too. Since the fresh food compartment contains the thermostat and the temperature never gets low enough to satisfy it - the compressor runs non-stop. That is, until the defrost timer kicks in to shut it off for 20 minutes or so.

The first thing to do is to manually defrost the freezer by accessing the cooling coil after emptying the contents of the freezer. This can be a pain in the neck to remove racks, shelves, ice maker, etc. to get to the back wall of the freezer, behind which the cooling coil is found. If you expose the cooling coil and it is encased in frost and ice it is a problem with the defrost circuit. If it is not - the fan is suspect. If the fan spins, check for a blocked path between the fan and the fresh food compartment. Defrost by placing a heat source in the freezer or directing the output of a blow dryer at the coil. If you're unable to access the cooling coil, you can simply empty the freezer and defrost it with a heat source. it will take longer to melt all the frost and ice, but it will work.

If it is a defrost circuit problem, you'll need to check voltages and continuity on the defrost terminator & timer and defrost heating element, fans, etc. after completely thawing the ice & frost.

This job isn't a good first time DIY job due to the danger of freezing skin, etc. due to possible exposure to freon in the system and the tight spaces you'll be working in with live voltages. You might want to call a pro after you've defrosted or put up another fixya request if you decide to dig in on your own and need specific help with procedures, locating parts, wiring diagrams, etc.

I hope this was a good starting point to help you decide whether to go forward or not on your own. Good luck!

There is likely a problem with the defrost circuit or fan (but could be a low freon charge or other problem). The freezer compartment has the cooling coil with defrost heater and a fan that pulls cold air from the freezer into the fresh food compartment, based on the setting of the thermostat in the fresh food compartment. Before you dig into that, you should vacuum the condensor coil to remove dirt and dust that always collects on it. It that solves it - you're done. Otherwise, continue.

When the defrost heater fails, the area that the coil is in turns into a solid block of frost and ice. It becomes impossible for air to be drawn across the cold coil, cooled and blown into the fresh food compartment. The result is a rising temperature in the fresh food compartment - and eventually in the freezer section, too. Since the fresh food compartment contains the thermostat and the temperature never gets low enough to satisfy it - the compressor runs non-stop. That is, until the defrost timer kicks in to shut it off for 20 minutes or so.

The first thing to do is to manually defrost the freezer by accessing the cooling coil after emptying the contents of the freezer. This can be a pain in the neck to remove racks, shelves, ice maker, etc. to get to the back wall of the freezer, behind which the coil is protected. If you expose the cooling coil and it is encased in frost and ice it is a problem with the defrost circuit. If it is not - the fan is suspect. If the fan spins, check for a blocked path between the fan and the fresh food compartment.

If it is a defrost circuit problem, you'll need to check voltages and continuity on the defrost terminator & timer and defrost heating element, fans, etc. after completely thawing the ice & frost. This job isn't a good first time DIY job due to the danger of freezing skin, etc. due to possible exposure to freon in the system and the tight spaces you'll be working in with live voltages. You might want to call a pro after you've defrosted or put up another fixya request if you decide to dig in on your own and need specific help with procedures, locating parts, wiring diagrams, etc.

I hope this was a good starting point to help you decide whether to go forward or not on your own. Good luck!

fixing freon leak. Evaporator is leaking freon. Replaced Evaporator on this video

Iced-over evaporator coils, accompanied by a non-chilled fresh food compartment, happened in my GE side-by-side (model GSS20IEMDWW). For me, the problem was caused by a faulty temp sensor in the fresh food side. That sensor never signalled the computer that the temp in the fresh food side was cool enough, so the compressor ran constantly.

Since the compressor was running constantly, the evaporator coils (back wall of the freezer compartment) eventually iced over (took about a week). Since the fan that draws air over the evaporator coils could no longer move any air (due to the icing), the temperature in the fresh food side got warmer as well.

The fresh food side is chilled through a hole with a motorized door at the top of the dividing wall between compartments which opens when the fresh food side needs cooling. If no air is moving in the freezer compartment, temps in the fresh food compartment climb.

I replaced the temp sensor in the fresh food side and solved the problem for a while.

I bough a pair of thermometers at a kitchen store and put one in the freezer compartment and one in the fresh food compartment so that I could occasionally check to see if it made sense for the compressor to be running (ie, was it really necessary to be trying to cool either compartment, or were they already cold enough).

About six months later I had the coil icing problem again. This time the fresh food side seemed cool enough (according to the thermometer as well as the fact that the flapper door would close, indicating that the computer knew to not try to additionally cool the fresh food side).

The thermometer indicated that the temp in the freezer compartment was cold enough, but the system computer continued to run the compressor. So I replaced both temp sensors in the freezer compartment - which solved the problem again. (My fridge is about seven years old.)

If you are going to replace any of the temp sensors, replace them all under the principle of "if one failed, the rest will soon fail too".

Use a website like www.partselect.com to look up a parts diagram for your fridge and see if you can order just the temp sensors. Other websites (www.repairclinic.com and www.appliancepartsworldwide.com) may also be helpful. I have no affiliation with any of the sites I just mentioned - I'm just posting them as resources.

Check to make sure the fan in the freezer compartment is working and not blocked. This delivers the cold air to the refrigerator. The fan should run every time the freezer calls for cold.

IF THE COMPRESSOR IS COMING ON AND OFF IN A MATTER OF SECONDS, YOU MAY HAVE A BAD START DEVICE(RELAY) ON THE COMPRESSOR. IF THE COMPRESSOR RUNS FOR FIVE MINUTES OR MORE, CHECK THE FAN NEAR THE COMPRESSOR AND THE COILS
UNDER THE REFRIGERATOR. IF THINGS SEEM EXTREMELY
HOT, CLEAN THE COILS AND MAKE SURE THE FAN IS RUNNING. IF IT IS ALL O.K. YOU MAY HAVE A LEAK IN THE SEALED SYSTEM( TUBING WHERE THE FREON FLOWS).
THAT WOULD REQUIRE A CERTIFIED TECHNICIAN LICENSED TO HANDLE FREON TO MAKE REPAIRS.