FIXED GE PFE29PSDASS Not Cooling, Troubleshooting Board Voltage

[Mr Ed 123]

Model Number

PFE29PSDASS

Brand

GE

Age

More than 10 years

GE Refrigerator model #PFE29PSDASS stopped cooling. The compressor fan runs, but there is not vibration from the compressor. I have noticed that if I plug it in after sitting unplugged I have a quick little blip (2-3 secs) of vibration from the compressor. I did quite a bit of searching around, and followed the troubleshooting from the below thread regarding the voltages.

FIXED - PFE29PSDBSS GE Refrigerator Compressor Not Running

I Got a GE Refrigerator model # PFE29PSDBSS Serial# GA512333 And the Compressor is not Running I Check the Main Power @ Compressor it Has 122 Volts The Control Wire Has has 0 Volts Unplugged The Condenser fan is running Thanks in Advance

www.applianceblog.com

My results with the signal wires to the inverter board connected:
Signal wires at the J9 connector pins 7 and 8 = 1.5-2.8VDC
Signal wires at the inverter board = 1.9-2.7VDC
AC Input wires to inverter board = 123VAC

My results with the signal wires to the inverter board disconnected:
Signal wires at the disconnected connector = 3.5-4.9VDC

The little few second rumble of the compressor shortly after plugging in got me curious and so I set my DMM on two of the posts during this time and found a quick voltage reading peaking at about 50VAC, and then quickly tapering off to insignificance.

I'm a bit confused at the "2-3 VDC effective voltage" and the "4-6VDC measured voltage" as the shown in the service guide. I thought that "effective voltage" would be the same as the measured voltage. Which if that was the case then I am seeing an appropriate amount of voltage to the inverter board. Based on the previous posts it seems like it should be the main board, but after talking with some more electrically savvy friends they are confused by the description in the service guide.

I appreciate any help.

 

[Jake]

Yes, I agree the service guide is a bit confusing on that to me as well.

Per that other thread you posted, it turned out to be the inverter board that was the culprit, your model uses the same one:

GE WR87X29409 Compressor Inverter (AP6332922) - AppliancePartsPros.com

This is an inverter compressor that is used on refrigerator and freezer appliances. An inverter compressor is a mechanism that pumps freon to cool a refrigerator or freezer. The inverter compressor is much more efficient than the traditional compressor.A new inverter compressor may be needed if...

click.linksynergy.com

Does your inverter board smell hot like his did in that thread? Unplug the refrigerator and look for any burnt components on that inverter board.

 

[Mr Ed 123]

I removed the inverter board and there is no smell of burnt components. I do not see any glaring burnt spots, just a general "brownness" over the board.

 

[Jake]

Ok, then it must be a bad inverter board, your voltages look within voltage range.

 

[Mr Ed 123]

I just wanted to follow up and say that the new inverter board did indeed solve the issue. Thanks again for the help!

I bought the inverter board from the link and shipping was super fast!

 

[Jake]

Excellent, glad to hear the new inverter board fixed it.

Thanks for the update!