GE Refrigerator Too Cold!

[jnesmith]

Hi all:

First time poster.

I have a GE side-by-side refrig/freezer. I don't have the model number handy, but it is approx. 2.5 yrs old. Lately, we've noticed that the items in the frige are extremely cold. I tried adjusting the electronic thermostat to no avail. (FYI: the refrigerator and freezer thermostats are both top center, just inside the frig door. They both have 1-10 scales). I have increased the temp in the frig a little; increased it all the way to 1; turned it off by setting to zero, then turned backed on; lowered the temp all the way to 10, etc.. Nothing seems to affect the temp. I placed a glass of water in there, and it froze. It stays mostly frozen regardless of the thermostat setting.

Help! The "troubleshooting" portion of the manual doesn't help at all. Any suggestions?

THanks in advance.

[arkayassoc]

First of all, I am not an expert in this field, but have done many refrigerator repairs over the years.

My first guess is that you either have a loose wire to the thermostat or a bad thermostat.

You will need a wiring diagram to find the thermostat, and then check it for continuity.

Does it have a frost free freezer? If so, is there ice forming on the sidewalls of the freezer?

[jnesmith]

Thanks for the response.

I'm pretty sure the answers to your questions are yes, and no, respectively. I'll check tonite. Assuming I'm right, what does that tell you?

Thanks again.

[nomind]

Hi guys,
- I concur with Arkay, and believe the thermostat he is referring to is generally part of the temperature control unit ( right behind the knob) :cool:

[mirichards]

I had this symptom with my 5 year old GE unit. I had been hearing a bump in the fridge as it reached temperature for several months. The repair guy thought the noise was the compressor. Turns out there is a damper door that allows freezer air into the fridge to keep it cool enough. The damper door must have begun to fracture and sit misaligned trying to close. (it's plastic and operated from a DC server motor) When the door breaks it allows too much freezer air into the fridge. I have pictures that I snapped while disassembling the ducting in the fridge to get to the problem. email me if you would like me to send them to you. I have tried to glue the broken door part to see if it will hold while I look for the part.

[himeros]

If it has the motor powered damper door that opens and closes, that is what I would look at first. A defrost problem would not cause this. If it does not have a powered damper door, it almost has to be the cold control.

H.

[ecman51`]

I have tried to glue the broken door part to see if it will hold while I look for the part.

Some white plastic refrigerator parts are PVC and can be solvent welded. You can find out if it is by using primer and apply, then try to carve with your fingernail. If it does, it is PVC. I've done it, even on thin slide rails on crisper drawers ($65!), successfully!.

Some people do not know this (I'd say most don't) that there are two kinds of plastics that cannot be glued or epoxied. In fact some epoxies will tell you that on their product! They have like an oil in the plastic. But I think the makers of super glue came out with a glue that is supposed to glue those two types of plastic. It says it is for this right on the label. You have to know what the plastic type is, because whenever you glue plastic, you THINK it took, at first, until it falls back apart later, as if it never took. I forget the names of these 2 plastics (poyethylene?, and poly______?)