FIXED PSC25NSWCSS Fridge not cooling below 45 degree ClimateControl Custom Cool fan assembly not rotating

[cobrazona]

Model Number

PSC25NSWCSS

Brand

GE

Age

6-10 years

Hello,

I have a side by side GE fridge and just noticed that the fridge side is not cooling below 45deg (the freezer side works well). I removed the plastic covers on the evaporator located inside the fridge section and noticed that the fan is not working. It is a 12V fan. I tested the fan with a 9V battery and it worked. I measured the voltage on the connector inside the fridge and got less than 1 volt.
I also noticed that there is another fan below the evaporator that is not rotating (fan for the fruits and vegetables?). But this one is encased and I can not test it.

Do you think it is the main control board?
I had a problem ~ 1year ago with the freezer and you had advised me to change the board which fixed the problem.

thank you

 

[rickgburton]

That's what it sounds like to me. If you purchased the motherboard from a link on this web site and it's less than a year old, you can exchange it for a new one.

 

[cobrazona]

That's what it sounds like to me. If you purchased the motherboard from a link on this web site and it's less than a year old, you can exchange it for a new one.

OK Thank you.
yes I did use the link that was embedded as a link but I believe it may be just above one year (~2 to 3months over) although I am thinking that this problem may have started a little while ago as when I removed the cover in the back of the fridge I found a non-negligible amount of mold.
Who should I email to see if I can get an exchange of the motherboard?

Thanks again

 

[rickgburton]

Whoever you got the part from. If it was RepairClinic, click on the logo at the top of the page and you'll see a phone number listed (or email address).

 

[cobrazona]

Whoever you got the part from. If it was RepairClinic, click on the logo at the top of the page and you'll see a phone number listed (or email address).

Hi,

I changed the main board yesterday and let it run overnight. unfortunately, the temperature is still ~47 in the fridge section this morning . I did a quick inspection and both fans are not rotating. What would you try next?

thank you

 

[rickgburton]

OK, start by checking the thermistors. The GE Thermistor should read 16.3K Ohms at 32*F. Take a small glass and fill it with crushed ice. Place the thermistor under the ice and add just enough water to cover it. This will be very close to 32*F. The warmer the thermistor gets the the lower the resistance will be.

 

[cobrazona]

OK, start by checking the thermistors. The GE Thermistor should read 16.3K Ohms at 32*F. Take a small glass and fill it with crushed ice. Place the thermistor under the ice and add just enough water to cover it. This will be very close to 32*F. The warmer the thermistor gets the the lower the resistance will be.

OK do I need to unplug the fridge before disconnecting the thermistor? I think I saw only one thermistor for the fridge toward the middle.

 

[Jake]

I agree with Rick.

There is a video Shawn made that may make the process easier for you to check the thermistors.

Here's the thermistors for your model(all use the this same one): Thermistor WR55X10025RepairClinic.com

Watch this video, Shawn explains how to test/replace the thermistors:

Jake

 

[cobrazona]

Thank you for the video. It was very useful. I removed the thermistor from the fridge wall and put it in a cup of water. After ~5min I unplugged the fridge, removed connector J1 from the main board and measured the resistance between pin 2 and pin 5 on the connector J1. In fact connector J1 had 2 wires going in pin 5, one wire being simply a loop between pin 5 and pin 6. So I used pin 6 to measure the resistance as I could not fit the probe in pin 5 as shown in the video. I found a value of 16.18 kohms. 5% of 16.3kohms is 815ohms so the measured value of 16.18 kohms appears to be within 5% of the 16.3kohms.

So I reconnected the J1 connector and turned ON the fridge. When I looked inside I noticed that the temperature displayed inside the fridge was now 37 deg which is the set temperature (but with the thermistor still in the ice) instead of ~47 deg when not in the ice. I checked the evaporator fan and the vegetable fan and they are not running. I thought that if the temperature reached the set temperature the fans would be ON. Do you know what would trigger the fans to turn ON?

I have attached a picture showing the thermistor inside the ice cup.

What would you do next? I was planning to remove the thermistor from the ice and see what happens.

thank you

 

[Jake]

The thermistors tell the motherboard to turn on the fans, did you test ALL your thermistors?

You did install the correct motherboard for your model?

Main Control Board WR55X10956


Read this as well from Shawn's site: GE Refrigerator Fan Motor Diagnostics

Jake

 

[cobrazona]

I tested the only one thermistor that I found on the fridge side. I could not find any other thermistor. However, after a 2nd look, I took a picture of the bottom section of the fridge where the fruit drawer is and where the QC fan assembly is located. it looks like there is another thermistor inside next to the fan but I am not sure. Could you confirm if this is another thermistor (behind the grill to the right of the fan on the picture)? If yes would that be pin 1 on the connector? same resistance? Not sure how to get to it?
Regarding the main board, I checked again and yes I do have the right model.
thanks again

 

[Jake]

Here's the parts diagram for that custom cool section: Custom Cool parts for GE PSC25NSWCSS

Jake

 

[cobrazona]

Jake Sorry for the delay but was away for awhile. Thank you for the links to the parts. I don't understand how the custom cool section works. Would you have a link that explains that?

thanks again

 

[Jake]

Its explains how Custom Cool works here on page 7 of your owners manual: http://products.geappliances.com/Ma.../Dispatcher?RequestType=PDF&Name=49-60494.pdf

I haven't worked on any of these GE models with a Custom Cool feature.

Jake

 

[cobrazona]

Thanks. I checked again the fridge thermistor as long as I was at it and measured 16.11 kohms on pin 2. Then I decided to play a bit with the fridge thermistor position in the cup to see how sensitive is the measurement. It changed quickly to 15.4 kohms. The ice is obviously melting but I did not expect such a rapid resistance change. Could you describe more precisely if the thermistor should be just cover by the ice cube or if it should be also in the water?

 

[rickgburton]

You're trying to get the thermistor as close to 32*F as possible.

 

[Jake]

Yes, Rick is correct.

Its best to use a cup or glass of ice water, like show in this video:

Note: This video is showing how to test normal thermostat defrosts for continuity only, which is 0 ohms, GE thermistors SHOULD always read 16.3K ohms +/- 5%.

I'm only posting this video to show you the thermistor has to be in the ice water for at least 5 minutes before testing.

Jake

 

[cobrazona]

Thank you for the video. To ensure that I had the right temperature in my ice cup, I used an additional temperature sensor in the water. When I was sure of the 32F, I repeated the measurement and got 15.88Kohms on pin 2. This is less than my previous measurement at 16.11kohms but I have more confidence in the last measurement. Now this is close to the 5% limit. What do you think I should do?

thanks again

 

[Jake]

No, its still in range of +/- 5%.


Jake

 

[cobrazona]

the evaporator fan in the fridge section is still not running. I also checked after the thermistor measurement and it was not running either.
Sorry I did not find the time yet to read the link. is there a special section in shaw's website I should focus on?
thank you