Condenser Fan Motor

Unplug the fridge. Removed the back panel using the nut driver. I believe it was a 1/4" or a 5/16". Set the panel aside. The fan is on the left side and is easily accessible. Disconnect the quick connect wire terminal. It has a simple click together design. I used a screw driver to push the tab in and at the same time pulled the terminal ... Read more apart. The terminal on my motor was the same as the terminal on the new motor. The new motor comes with instructions, wire nuts and a new terminal if it isn't the same. The motor was covered in dust, lint, and in my case dog hair. I took the time to clean it off as best as possible - actually prior to buying the new motor. I guess the motor had been locked up by the debris long enough that it overheated and failed. There are 3 self tapping screws on the back side of the motor. I used a 1/4" Ratchet and a 5/16" socket to remove them. The fan simply pulls out toward the front of the fan and there is plenty of room to bring it to the back of the fridge. Once I removed the motor I removed the fan blade with a pair of pliers. It has a flat thin metal nut that is easy to remove. The new motor comes with a replacement nut. Take the fan blade and clean it off. I did this to make sure it was as in balance as possible. The motor is a relatively slow turning motor so balance isn't a big issue. Put the old fan on the new motor and attach with the nut. Just snug the nut hand tight. The nut is such that over tightening could damage the nut. Put the fan back in place and use the new self tapping screws to attach the fan to the bracket. Just a note the fan motor housing isn't threaded so the new self tapping screws go in a little tight. It's not difficult I was simply a little surprised that the housing wasn't tapped prior. I guess it is a money saving idea. Anyway once the screws are in and tightened reconnect the quick connect terminal. Put the back panel back on, plug the fridge back in and you are done. Realistically this takes no more than an hour. I took the back panel off a couple of days before I replaced the motor simply to find out what was wrong and if I could fix it. Once I figured out it was the condenser fan motor I looked on internet using the make a model number and quickly found a DIY video. In the mean time I took a small 10" fan and placed it behind the fridge and let it run until I received the new motor. The little 10" fan kept the fridge going for the 2 days I had to wait.