Replace the Evaporator Fan in a Kenmore Refrigerator Model 106 8627580
Symptom: Your Kenmore or Whirlpool top-freezer refrigerator makes a squeaking or chirping noise when it is running. Opening the freezer door makes the noise louder.
Cause: Worn out evaporator fan
Steps
- Turn off the power to the appliance by unplugging the refrigerator from the wall. Open the freezer door and take all the food out. Remove the freezer shelf.
- Remove the back panel of the freezer compartment. You may have to remove one of the freezer shelf supports on the side to get the panel out.
- One of my screws was corroded in place. When I tried to remove it, the head started to strip. I used an electric drill and a large twist bit to drill the head off that one. Hopefully, you won't have to do this. If you do, be very careful not to drill through the back plate, or you might drill a hole in the evaporator. Then you will have trouble you probably can't fix.
- Remove the plastic housing covering the fan. Mine had 4 small hex screws holding it in place. Once this is done you can see the evaporator fan. Mine had two screws holding it in place and three wires hooked to the fan. Make a note of the position of the wires.
- Carefully grasp the wire connectors and wiggle them off. Don't pull on the wires themselves, only on the connectors.
- There is a little metal box that the fan sits in that will come out when you remove the fan.
- Get the new fan motor out of the box. The fan blade is not attached. Get the new plastic fan and remove the bronze-colored metal clip on the fan's hub. Carefully press the fan onto the fan motor shaft. About 1/8" of shaft should protrude from the front of the hub. Use the needle nosed pliers to spread the metal clip apart, and slip it on the hub. Push the metal clip down into place with the flat screwdriver. The front of the clip should be approximately flush with the front of the hub.
- If you have a steel freezer interior you will use the grommets, screws, and bushings to reattach the new fan. The mounting holes in the new fan are much larger than the holes in the original fan. If your freezer has a plastic interior, you may not need these parts.
- Position the electrical lugs on the fan so that they will be in the best position to receive the wires when you reinstall it. In my case this meant rotating the ground wire lug (green wire) to make the wire fit better. There was almost no slack in my wires.
- Use the screws that came with the fan to position it and just hold it in place. Don't screw it down yet. Next connect the wires in the same way they were connected before, Now screw the fan down tight, but be careful not to strip out the plastic screw mounts.
- Rotate the fan by hand and check for noise. If the fan blades are hitting something, you will have to reposition a part. Once it sounds good, turn the power back on for a minute and make sure the fan operates quietly. Don't touch anything inside the refrigerator at this point.
- Once again, unplug or disconnect the power, then reinstall the plastic fan housing and the freezer back plate. Put the shelf back in and you're done!
Tips
- Repair: This is easy to fix for a handy person. These are the steps that were required to fix my Kenmore refrigerator, model # 106.8627580. The "106" at the front of the number indicates that this refrigerator was made by Whirlpool. My refrigerator was purchased in 1982.
- I first went to my appliance-parts store and picked up an evaporator fan kit. The kit for my refrigerator was a Whirlpool-branded part, part number 482731. It cost $38 + tax. Your part may or may not be the same one. The parts store can sell you the correct fan if you have the model number of the refrigerator.
Warnings
- Disclaimer: This information is provided strictly as a free public service. Servicing electrical appliances can be dangerous. The author assumes no liability for any incidental, consequential or other liability from the use of this information. All risks and damages, incidental or otherwise, arising from the use or misuse of the information contained herein are entirely the responsibility of the user. Although careful precaution has been taken in the preparation of this material, we assume no responsibility for omissions or errors.
Things You'll Need
- Tools needed: Phillips screwdriver, needle nosed pliers, nut driver, flat screwdriver, flashlight.
