Kitchen Large Electric Appliances - GE Refrigerator: humming/buzzing, bad smell
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Rudy64
08-02-07, 11:47 AM
Greetings--first post here.
I'm hoping this isn't a major problem, but it could be. *sigh* This is a GE TBX18ZLS, which is probably about 16-17 years old.
Woke up this morning to a bit of a "cooking" smell, and noticed a humming/buzzing from the fridge that is louder than normal.
Could it be the compressor? Or is one of the fans going bad, perhaps? I'm hoping it's just a fan motor, as spending around $80 for a new fan beats $210+ for a new "high side" compressor kit (which doesn't even include labor if it's the refrigerant system). From what I'm seeing in the freezer, everything is still frozen and the ice cubes look OK. So, cooling performance seems OK for now. But something isn't right.
I'm reluctant to pull the refrigerator out, since I wiped out on my bike this past weekend and separated a shoulder. But if I can get the back of the fridge off, and get close enough to the internal components, I could probably tell, by sound and/or heat (maybe smell), if it's the compressor or something else. Beyond this, it has worked fine for years, and I'd almost be tempted to borrow a fridge temporarly and buy a new one rather than fix this one.
Just wondering if anyone's had a similar sounding (or smelling) problem, and hoping that it's not an expensive repair. With my luck lately, it probably is. ;)
TIA!
I'm hoping this isn't a major problem, but it could be. *sigh* This is a GE TBX18ZLS, which is probably about 16-17 years old.
Woke up this morning to a bit of a "cooking" smell, and noticed a humming/buzzing from the fridge that is louder than normal.
Could it be the compressor? Or is one of the fans going bad, perhaps? I'm hoping it's just a fan motor, as spending around $80 for a new fan beats $210+ for a new "high side" compressor kit (which doesn't even include labor if it's the refrigerant system). From what I'm seeing in the freezer, everything is still frozen and the ice cubes look OK. So, cooling performance seems OK for now. But something isn't right.
I'm reluctant to pull the refrigerator out, since I wiped out on my bike this past weekend and separated a shoulder. But if I can get the back of the fridge off, and get close enough to the internal components, I could probably tell, by sound and/or heat (maybe smell), if it's the compressor or something else. Beyond this, it has worked fine for years, and I'd almost be tempted to borrow a fridge temporarly and buy a new one rather than fix this one.
Just wondering if anyone's had a similar sounding (or smelling) problem, and hoping that it's not an expensive repair. With my luck lately, it probably is. ;)
TIA!