GE Profile Refrigerator Not Cooling But Freezer works – 7 causes

Is your GE profile refrigerator not cooling, but the freezer works fine? It can be frustrating and costly when your refrigerator stops cooling for any reason. We’ll explore seven different causes behind the fridge issues and get your back on track for food storage.

The GE Profile refrigerator is a great appliance, but can have certain issues sometimes. One such problem is where the freezer works fine, but the fridge still won’t cool.

top 7 reasons Why GE profile refrigerator not cooling

Evaporator Coils are Frosted Over

The first potential problem we’ll discuss is that your evaporator coils may be frosted over. If so, there’s likely a problem with the defrost system on your unit.

Several times per day the defrost heater assembly turns on to melt away ice or frost that begins to accumulate on the evaporator coils.

When the defrost heater assembly, defrost thermostat, or defrost control unit burn out, frost will build up on the coils and air will not be able to travel through the coils and provide cooling.

To determine if there is a problem with your defrost system, simply take a look at the coils on the evaporator and see if they are covered with frost or ice. If so, you’ll want to check the three parts we mentioned above.

To manually defrost your freezer, we recommend using a steamer (click here). It’s a fast and efficient way to do this job.

Failed Evaporator Fan Motor

Your GE Profile fridge contains a set of coils called an evaporator. These coils are designed to get cold.

There is a small fan and motor mounted near the evaporator.

The fan and motor work to draw air over the coils and circulate it through the refrigerator and freezer.

When the fan fails, it can cause either one of these component to stop cooling.

Here’s how you replace the evaporate fan motor on your GE Profile refrigerator:

1. Disconnect the power
2. Remove the ice bin and all of the shelving inside the freezer
3. Remove the light bulb
4. If you have an icemaker, you’ll need to remove the outer motor assembly – remove the screws and unhook the wiring harness. Set aside
5. Remove evaporator fan cover
6. Remove the evaporator cover
7. If there’s a lot of ice build up on the evaporator you may want to melt it using a hair dryer
8. Remove the remaining screws from the cover, and disconnect the wiring harness
9. Disconnect the ground wire attached to the evaporator frame
10. The temp sensor is attached to the top of the evaporator tubing – remove this part
11. Now you can remove the whole fan housing
12. Remove the screws holding the fan in place
13. Remove and discard the old fan
14. Install the fan and reassemble your freezer

Faulty Damper Control

When the damper control becomes stuck closed, it can cause the freezer to remain cold but the fridge to get hot.

The damper control can be either a manually or automatic operated door that opens and closed to allow more or less cold air into the refrigerator.

Here’s how to replace this part:

1. Disconnect the power
2. Remove the screws holding the damper housing in place
3. Disconnect the wire harness and release the thermistor
4. Pull the old assembly away from the refrigerator wall – the damper is secured with adhesive, so it may take effort
5. Remove any residue
6. Peel off the adhesive backing to the gasket and attach to the damper
7. Peel off second adhesive backing from the gasket and place the damper into place
8. Begin working backward to reassemble your fridge

Defective Thermistor

The thermistor is a sensor that monitors air temperature. It’s located on the control board. When this part goes bad it can cause the fridge to stop cooling some or all together.

Here’s how to replace the thermistor:

1. Disconnect the power
2. Open the freezer door and remove the lower drawer and shelving
3. Lift off the light cover
4. Unthread the light bulb
5. Remove the screws securing the rear panel
6. Detach the grounding wire, slide the panel up and fully remove it
7. Unclip the thermistor from the evaporator tube
8. Cut the wires close to the old sensor bulb
9. Prepare the new thermistor for installation by trimming the wires 2 to 3 inches
10. Separate the wires and strip off about half an inch of insulation
11. Do the same for the two wires in the freezer
12. Join the wires together and secure them with wire nuts
13. Apply silicone to seal the connections
14. Slide the mounting clip onto the new sensor bulb and connect to the evaporator tube
15. Move backward to assemble your freezer

Defective Temperature Control Board

The temperature control board provides voltage to the fan motor and compressor. This is an often misdiagnosed problem, so make sure you rule everything else out.

Here’s how to change the part:

1. Disconnect the power
2. You’ll need to pull the fridge away from the wall so you can access the back of the appliance
3. Remove the bolts that hold the back cover to the fridge and remove the cover
4. You now have access to the control board
5. Remember where all wiring harness connections go
6. Remove the ground wire first
7. Remove the other wiring harnesses – begin with the bottom ones
8. Release the tabs so you can remove the old board from the fridge
9. Install the new board and work backward to reassemble your appliance

Defective Defrost Thermostat

As we mentioned, the defrost heater kicks on for 20 minutes, several times per day to melt away any frost that accumulates.

For this system to operate properly, the defrost thermostat must sense that the coils are cold enough.

When it senses that the coils are cold enough, it tells the defrost heater to turn on.

When the thermostat becomes defective, it’s unable to sense the true temperature of the coils, and the heater won’t turn on.

When the heater stops working, frost begins to build up.

Once this occurs, air is no longer able to travel through the coils and provide cold air to the fridge or freezer.

Before changing this part it’s best to use a

multimeter to check for continuity.

There should be continuity present when it reaches the low temperature of its operating range. If you find none, replace the part. This part runs less than $10 on Amazon, or can be purchased through the manufacturer directly.

Note: we may receive a small commission off your purchase, with no additional cost to you.

Defective Main Control Board

This is the least common part that causes this problem. If you’ve ruled out all other components of your refrigerators defrost system, then you should check this part.

Refer to your owner’s manual for a wiring diagram, and check the board for continuity. If you find none, and have ruled out every other part, go ahead and change the main control board.

Do you have a GE Profile refrigerator that had this problem? If so, what was your problem and how did you fix it? Comment and let us know!