So my refrigerator evaporator fan has become too weak to turn. Well, it turns, but very slowly maybe 1 RPM when the normal speed is 3000 or so. I have a new one on the way but, before my food spoils, is there any way to perhaps resurrect this existing fan, just to keep it going for 2-3 days until the new one arrives? I wiggled it once or twice which initiated full speed, but it didn't last. I also tried lightly oiling it but no difference. Thanks in advance.
any way to resurrect a weak fan?
Jun 21, 2025
Last reply: 4 months ago
16 Replies
You did not say if it turns smoothly when you move it with your finger.
(I do not know what is a weak fan, though)
Sorry, yes it does turn easily with finger.
How old is the refrigerator? I had a similar problem about 10 years ago when my Sears Kenmore (Whirlpool?) was 37 years old. The fan wasn't turning at all, for 2, probably 3 months, because I didn't have time to fix it. I figured it would overheat and ruin the fridge.
Since I fixed the fan, it's been 10 years, and everything still works fine. It never stopped being cold even when the fan was stopped.
I did have to defrost the frost-free refrigerator last week, first time in 42 years (plus 4 years before I bought the house.), There was about
4 softballs worth of frost. The freezer is a trifle colder now I think, for the same setting.I'm surprised that didn't help. maybe you need an even lighter oil. Does WD-40 have some sort of solvent effect, that might dissolve "sludge" on the shaft?
Thanks in advance.
WD-40 is terrible to use on anything you want to be still working in a year or so's time. It reacts with the oils and turns to goo...
The stuff is a good Rust Preventative! Everything other claim is marketing hype.
John :-#(#
Will an external desk fan blowing over the heat exchanger do the job until the new fan arrives? That's if you can get it in the right position, of course.
Seconded!
That's exactly what I did when my fan motor failed. It only requires moving the refrigerator a little farther from the wall.
Applied on a frozen bearing, it can get things going, well enough for real lubricant to take,over.
Also useful on 'frozen' screws, lock mechanisms etc. ditto real lubricant.
And when things really get sub-zero, it will lubricate bike chains and deraileur gears long enough to get there.
It's not a permanent lubricant.
I wouldn't count on it as a preventative for anything - effect too short-lived.
RL
Any possibility the connections are bad; does wiggling the wires to the fan make any difference?
I have trouble understanding what is a weak fan. I have seen fan fails for two reasons: either they don't turn easily: possibly lack of oil, maybe a combination of oil/grease and dust/hairs making the axis stuck. The other reason, on big fans, is that the condenser fails. Wire breakage seems rare.
If a small fan doesn't have strength to turn, it turns easily, and there is no capacitor, I don't know what it is. On DC type of fans, with a permanent magnet, that magnet may have lost the force.
A lot of small fan motors are shaded-pole types and don't generally exhibit an electrical failure mode that doesn't manifest itself as smoke.
Wd40 is for getting rid of water. It may desolve some ru st and crud on the fan for a short time. For the long term it will act like glue.
A good cheap chemical to remove the crud abd rusted together bolts is to mix automatic transmission fluid (dextron 2) and Acetone 50/50. Mix in stoddard solvent and kerosene 50/50 with it and you have Ed's Red gun cleaner. Might even work better for things like the fan motor but I have not tried that.
Check for winding continuity. If open cct, you'll need to replace a thermal fuse located near the end of the winding, under unsulation.
RL
It sounds like the fan motor is on its way out, most likely due to worn or seized bearings inside the motor, and while there’s no guaranteed fix, you might be able to squeeze a couple more days out of it by carefully removing the fan, cleaning any dust or ice buildup, and applying a tiny drop of light oil directly to the shaft where it enters the motor housing (not just the blades), then manually spinning it to help the oil work into the bearings; sometimes gently tapping the motor housing or reseating the connector can also help temporarily, but if it’s already slowing to ~1 RPM, it’s likely the bearings are failing electrically or mechanically, so this would only be a short-term workaround until the replacement arrives.
Most likely because the internal bearings are worn or starting to seize, and while there’s no permanent fix, you can check it from
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you might get a short-term improvement by removing the fan, clearing any dust or ice buildup, and applying a very small amount of light oil directly to the shaft where it enters the motor housing, then spinning it by hand to help the oil reach the bearings; sometimes a gentle tap on the motor or reseating the electrical connector can also help briefly, but if it’s already down to around 1 RPM, the bearings are likely failing beyond recovery, so this would only keep it going temporarily until the new fan arrives.
It does sound like the fan motor is failing, most likely due to worn or partially seized Rolling Mill bearings from
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and while there’s no real fix, you might keep it going briefly by removing any dust or ice buildup and applying a tiny drop of light oil directly to the shaft so it can work into the bearings, then spinning it by hand to free it up; sometimes a gentle tap or reseating the connector can help temporarily, but if it’s already crawling at around 1 RPM, the bearings are likely too far gone, so this would only be a short-term solution until the replacement arrives.
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