Main Control Board

Removed the old control board at the rear of the refigerator, installed the replacement board.

After determining it was not a problem with the defrost cycle, ( this refrigerator had no separate defrost timer), I ordered the main circuit board with the hope that the relays built into it were hanging up and not properly turning on the compressor, (a chattering sound could be heard). Ten screws to take the access cover to the board off and a few connectors later and it was as good as new. Took about ten minutes!

Disconnected power, removed screws from cover on back of refrigerator, unpluged wire connectors, squezzed four support fasteners and removed old board. Put new board on support fasteners, reconnected wiring, replaced cover, pluged power back in, turned controls back on. It wored fine.

After reading this forum and other searches, I assumed replacing the board may solve my problem. Unscrewed the back plate, used pliers to pull out the connectors, squeezed in the sides of the 4 plastic white board holders to release the board, and then replaced old board with the new one and reconnected connectors. (My model was not one of the mentioned models for cutting the 2nd pin of the J1 connector, so I left it in.) Upon plugging my frig back in, it began working perfectly again. So thankful to have found this forum!

It was a very simple installation after reading about everyone else having the same "noise" problem with their GE side by side refrigerator.

I simply; pulled the refrigerator out, turned off the power, took off the 3 screws to remove the plate, unhooked the 5 or so connections with my hands, put the new part in, hooked the connections up, put the plate back on, plugged the refrigerator back in, and slid in back into place. It took around 10 minutes to do, very simple.

Ordered a new Main circuit Board. It arrived next day. Unplug the fridge to take away electrical power. Unscrewed the panel on the back of the fridge near the top. I then pulled the wire connectors off the circuit board. Gently pull the board off the plastic tabs. Push the new board onto the tabs. Reconnect the wire connectors. Screw the panel back on.

narrowed it down to the circuit board...removed cover panel after unplugging frig. read directions thouroughly.... removed cables attached to old board. this is the tricky part removing the board from the plastic clips....broke two pulling old board off popped new Board onto remaining plastic mounting clips and reattached cables plugged frig in and got a shock as my shoulder touched the board. everything seemed to be working and but cover back on....viola all done.

I must admit - I thought I'd attempt to do this repair and end up calling a service guy to finish it. I'm not mechanically inclined AT ALL but thought I'd give it a shot after reading others experiences. I'm glad I did. The fix was easy, but there was initial anxiety while reading the instructions that came with the part - as they mentioned the possible need to cut some wires. Fortunately that was not necessary..... Removed three screws from the rear plate to expose the part needing to be replaced. Remove the fittings from the old board (needed plyers to do that - be gentle), take the old board out by using needle nose pliers to squeeze the white plastic tabs and pull the board free. Reconnect fittings to new board and you are done. Works better now than ever - obviously the old board had an issue that GE should have recalled, as many others had the same problem.

Received main board in less than two days. back of frig. small panel removed 3 screws, removed cover exposing main board with needle plires squeesed 4 plastic tips to release board unpluged conectors, reinstaled new board, worked perfict. Thank you for your helpfull web site. Bob.

diagnosis, fan would run more than normal, compressor would only come on sometimes, check line voltage to the mother board (yes !!! a mother board with a relay for the compressor built onto it )! check the switched voltage out to the compressor. If a/c 115 in but no a/c 115 out while the fan is on replace the mother board. Remember this is a LIVE VOLTAGE TEST, BE CAREFUL HOW AND WHAT YOU TOUCH YOUR LIFE IS NOT WORTH SAVING A REPAIR BILL !!!
I suppose if if went long enough in this condition the result would be fan runs a lot but it does not get cold.
Hope this helps
God Bless
Captain Scott Cousins

DISCONNECTED POWER AT OUTLET. REMOVED THREE SCREWS FROM ACCESS PANEL. DISCONNECTED SIX ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS, COMPRESSED THREE PLASTIC RETAINING PINS AND REMOVED BOARD. INSTALLED NEW BOARD AND RECONNECTED CONNECTIONS, INSTALLED THREE SCREWS ON ACCESS PANEL AND TURNED THE FRIDGE ON. NO MORE CRAZY EVAPORATOR MOTOR NOISE

Part arrived 2 days before anticipated. I was able to keep my fridge running long enough to get the new part in, which took no time at all. The Main Board relay would start clicking and the compressor would shut down. By unplugging the top right plug for a minute and plugging it back in I was able to keep it running for a few hours at a time. Good enough to keep my food from going bad. Thr part was an easy plug in replacement, was a good price, and works great.

Removed back cover from unit. unpluged wirring harness installed new control board and refigerator runs lik new

For troubleshooting, I took off rear panel inside of the freezer compartment & determined that icing of the coils was not the problem & it did not apprear to be a defroster malfunction. All components appeared to be working properly except the compressor would not turn on and only room temperature air was being circulated by the fan. After narrowing the probable causes down to a faulty Main control board by reading as many similar posts as possible,I ordered the new control board. When it arrived the following morning via UPS(less than 24 hours!), I unplugged the wiring connections attached to the old board, (which was somewhat different in appearance), and then gently popped the circuit board off of the plastic retainer studs by pushing in the little retaining clip part of the studs in with a small screwdriver so the board could be released easier as I pulled outward. I popped the new board on the studs by gently & evenly pushing with a larger hut driver over the studs until it was locked in, being careful not to damage or over stress/bend the board. I placed the wiring connecters onto the pins on the board.....every connecter had a different amount of pins so improper connection was not possible. I placed the ground wire connection of the new board between the metal cover plate @ an adjacent screw location to ensure grounding to the back of the fridge sheet metal. I plugged in the refrigerator and was quite relieved when I heard the compressor start up after a second or two! Within moments the temp began to fall until it reached the proper temp in both compartments. Success!

I AM A SINGLE MOM OF TWO WITH LIMITED FUNDS. I HAD A REPAIRMAN COME OUT AND FIND THE PROBLEM AND GIVE AN ESTIMATE. WE WERE TOLD THAT IT WAS THE EVAPORATOR FAN MOTOR AND AND THE MAIN CONTROL BOARD. THE REPAIR WOULD COST $400 AND NO GUARANTEE. SO I CHECKED THE COST OF PARTS AND IT WAS $200 SO FOR NO GUARANTEE I FIGURED WHY NOT TRY IT MYSELF AND POSSIBLY SAVE $200. SO I ORDERED THE PARTS FROM PARTSELECT. EVEN THOUGH I PAID THE CHEAPEST POSTAGE THEY ARRIVED THE NEXT DAY. SO FROM WHAT I READ AND SAW THIS WOULD BE A PIECE OF CAKE. WELL LET ME JUST SAY IF THE FREEZER SECTION WAS GUTTED TO BEGIN WITH IT MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN THAT BIG OF A DEAL. AS IT WAS GETTING TO THE TOP SCREWS OF THE PANEL THAT COVERS THE EVAPORATOR FAN REQUIRED THE REMOVAL OF THE ICEMAKER AND ALL. I AM NOT A TALL WOMAN NOR AM I A THIN WOMAN AND FITTING MY BODY IN THAT SMALL FREEZER SECTION WAS NOT EASY. THERE WERE TIMES THAT I HAD TO HAVE MY TEENAGERS REACH A LONG ARM IN AND HOLD A PART UP FOR ME. AFTER THAT I DISCOVERED THAT THE FAN I HAD PURCHASED ONLY HAD 4 WIRES. THE ONE FROM MY OLD FAN HAD 6. I DISCOVERED THAT 2 OF THE WIRES WENT TO SOME SORT OF SENSOR. LONG STORY SHORT I RIGGED IT. I WAS ABLE TO REMOVE THE 2 PRONGS FOR THE SENSOR AND INSERT THEM INTO THE EMPTY HOLES ON THE NEW FAN HARNESS. IT WASNT EASY. I HAVE LIMITED TOOLS TOO AND I WONT EVEN GET INTO HOW I DID IT. THEY DID NOT FIT THE GREATEST SO I USED THE ELECTRICAL TAPE TO COVER THE WHOLE CONNECTION. I PUT THE WHOLE THING BACK TOGETHER AND DEBATED ON TRYING IT WITHOUT PUTTING IN THE MAIN BOARD BUT I DECIDED TO TRUST THE REPAIRMAN THIS TIME AND GO FOR IT. GETTING TO THE MAIN BOARD WAS NO BIG DEAL. BUT WHAT DISTURBED ME WAS THE MAIN BOARD I HELD IN MY HANDS DID NOT LOOK EXACTLY LIKE THE MAIN BOARD I WAS ABOUT TO TAKE OUT. I WATCHED THE VIDEO 3 TIMES MY HOW EASY IT LOOKED. I THEN READ THE DIRECTIONS THAT CAME WITH IT. IT TALKED ABOUT REMOVING A PIN AND CUTTING A WIRE. WELL I ABOUT HAD A STROKE WORRYING. I FINALLY FOUND THE SERIAL # ON MY FRIG AND THANKFULLY MINE WAS NOT ON THE LIST. HOWEVER THE DIRECTIONS DID STILL SAY SOMETHING ABOUT IF THERE WASNT A WIRE IN PIN 2 PROCEED TO STEP 3. WELL I HAD A WIRE IN PIN 2. SO IT WAS CONFUSING. MY SERIAL # WASNT ONE OF THE MODELS #'S GIVEN BUT I DID HAVE A WIRE IN PIN 2. I JUST TOOK A CHANCE AND TRUSTED THE SERIAL #'S AND IGNORED THE REST OF IT. I PLUGGED THE WIRES ON THE NEW BOARD ONE AT A TIME. PUT THE COVER BACK ON AND PRAYED AS I PLUGGED IT IN. A SOFT PURR BEGAN. IT WAS RUNNING. THE FREEZER WAS AROUND 60 DEGREES. I PUT A ROOM THERMOMETER IN TO MAKE SURE IT WAS GOING DOWN. IT KEPT GOING DOWN. AROUND 3 HOURS AFTER I FINISHED THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE FROM THE FREEZER. IT HAD MADE ICE SOMETHING IT HAD NOT DONE IN MONTHS. I STAYED AWAKE MOST OF THE NIGHT WATCHING AND LISTENING TO IT. IT GOT DOWN IN THE SINGLE DIGITS I WAS AFRAID THAT MAYBE IT WOULD NEVER SHUT OFF. IT FINALLY SHUT OFF AS I WAS MAKING THE KIDS BREAKFAST THE NEXT MORNING. OF COURSE I WAS WORRIED THAT IT WOULD NOT RESTART. SO I OPENED THE FREEZER AND FANNED IN ROOM AIR. IT WORKED. SINCE THEN WE HAVE PURCHASED NO MORE DRY ICE OR REGULAR ICE. WE BOUGHT A TUB OF ICE CREAM AND MORE THAN ONE DAY OF SCHOOL LUNCH STUFF AT A TIME. BOTTOM LINE IT WORKS. THANKS TO EVERYONES POST AND TO PARTSELECT FOR THE VIDEO. I HOPE THAT I NEVER HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN THOUGH.