LG fridge not cooling but running 

This video saved me! I wasn’t aware of the extended 5 yr warranty. My fridge stopped cooling 12 days after the 5 yr mark and I called lg and they are honoring it for me! If I didn’t watch this video I would have not known. Thank you so much!

After reading through some of the comments on here, you are very patient and kind. Thank you for helping, even if some people sound unkind about your free advice.

Hey, I just wanted to say thank you for having the compressor sounds and explaining what that clicking was. I wouldn't have known that my fridge's compressor was overloading (which I would think means it should probably be unplugged to avoid a fire hazard). I really appreciate it. 💜

On mine I heard it running but could not tell the difference of a good or bad compressor. There were no reset clicks. It lost cold slowly over a few days before I knew that there was a problem. It wasn't an overloaded freezer. I paid the $250 for the flat fee service call. It was the compressor. The LG service tech replaced the compressor with a "generic" that he carried on his truck. Not the model that was coming out of the fridge. The generic one is used on many other LG models and is reported to be very reliable. In my books, this should have been covered by the Compessor warantee but I would have had to paid the installation anyway. So I let it go at that. That was my experience anyway. Thanks for the video and comments, they were helpful.

this video is very well done. I appreciate you putting the sound of the good compressor, next to the sound of the bad compressor, and then highlighting the sound of the click, with a visual aide. Thank you very much!

Thank you for the helpful video. I'm just adding my story to the complaints regarding LG. My house, purchased 11/2019 came with an LG model LFXS30766* 29.6 Cu. Ft. fridge. It was about 6 years old at the time. Yesterday (12/18/21) I awakened to water on the floor, melting frozen food and a refrigerator compartment @ 50F degrees and warming fast. I talked to a trusted tech who helped me diagnose a dead compressor, and he explained the repair would be $1000, and he suggested it would be better to buy a new fridge. I guess LG considers 8 years to be a sufficient lifespan for a $3000+ appliance. Meanwhile, the basic Fridgidaire in my basement (which rescued my food!), has got to be at least 20+ years old and still going strong. I'm staying away from anything LG, with its "linear compressor." I purchased a GE fridge with similar features, which will arrive next week.

This guy is a good teacher. He helped me understand how to go about diagnosing and troubleshooting.

it seems like everyone's refrigerators are breaking at the same time

Thanks for your video. With the Good vs Bad sounds, I recognized the Bad right away! Thank you for what you do!

Wow, this just happened to me! Now I see widespread compressor failures have lead to a class action lawsuit against LG. Why haven't they recalled these refrigerators?!

Our LG French Door Refrigerator was delivered to our house on Aug. 17, 2019. I have NOT been pleased with the unit! Our previous fridge was a GE Profile which we had for 23 years and did NOT have ANY of these issues! I regret purchasing this LG!! Since it is barely two months old, it is already NOT cooling adequately. Mildew and condensation form on foods, fresh veggies do not "keep" as they did in our 23-year-old GE! Add to that the water dispenser distributes "cool" water! Yes, there is ice, but the ice has an unpalatable aftertaste. (The tech replaced the filter, but it did not change the taste.) The spacing is not good if you have large items like a gallon of milk or OJ, etc. BTW- the "manual" which comes with the LG is about useless. :/ - However, thank you for sharing the video about identifying the compressor issues.

My compressor sounds EXACTLY like the BAD compressor in your video. Thank you for your video. Found it 100% helpful!

My LG (1.5 years old) sounds worse than the video. I was going to help the repairman, but I think I need to get a new fridge. Also, other users' comments are helpful. Thank you!!

Anyone who buys an LG Korean refrigerator is buying trouble within a few years. No matter if you spend $1000, $2000, $3000, $5000 or more you are very likely to own a refrigerator that stop working after only 2 to 7 years, There have been settled class actions suits on this and more are on the way. Another thing is that repairs to the LG Linear compressor usually also involve failure of the sealed system, the coils and other parts. A typical repair requires one to two repair people working for up to 12 hours each, plus replacement of the compressor and related parts. Depending on the model and where you live, repair service on an lG will take weeks and cost $2,000 to $4,000. The only sensible solution is to trash your old refrigerator, buy a new Whirlpool, Maytag, GE, Bosch or other brand and take LG to court (if small claims court you can do it yourself and don't need a lawyer in most jurisdictions) to recover some or all of your costs. Another factor is that most repair companies will no longer work on LG and, usually, Samsung equipment. In many cities, the LG Service Center that LG will refer you to will not work on LG anymore and also will not honor LG warranty work. Have a heart to heart talk with almost any appliance service center or with a salesperson selling kitchen appliances, and you will likely be told to avoid LG refrigerators. LG has the best designs and best features, but unfortunately they have the worst engineers.

Thank you for making this video!! Made it very easy to diagnose the issue.

Fixed the cooling problem thanks to your guidance. Just needed dust removal from the back near the coil

Thanks for this... Our LG with the French Door and this "linear technology" now has lost it's 2nd compressor. About two years after buying this LG fridge, the first compressor died and we lost a lot of food. It took Asurion (the 3rd party warranty company) over two months to repair this. Keep in mind I have food sensitivities and we cook 99% of what we eat at home, so we NEED a large fridge. We literally borrowed a neighbor's garage fridge just to get by in those two months. Now, at year 5 (3 years after the 2nd compressor), this LG compressor is doing the same thing, food is starting to go bad and we noticed the temps are warmer. The compressor doesn't sound healthy, as your video shows. We are going to attempt to replace the fridge and stay away from LG this time. And coincidentally, our neighbors' LG fridge is doing the same exact thing this week. I am almost wondering if a power loss (which we did have last week) hurts the compressor somehow.

Thank you. My LG is 3 years 3 months and it is not cooling any more. The compressor is making high pitch sounds like your video showed. I called LG and they will let technician come.

Thanks...gonna have my husband check it tomorrow! It is only reaching about 45-47°...the milk temp was 47°...the water on the front door was reading 53°. We missed, didn't even know about it, the recent Class Action Suit about the compressor...And THANK YOU for the instructions link!

This sound comparison is only valid when the piston is damaged, but the majority of LC compressors failure is the valve, and the sound doesn't change, the only way is to check the pressures and it'll show a high low side pressure. Former Sears Refrigerator tech, former LG Electronics field tech here. LG (LC) compressors are the WORST, I was replacing an average of at least 5 compressors a week. The best in everything else, but LG (LC) compressors are the worst due to the design of the valve. It goes attached to the end of the piston, it is like a check valve that it closes when pushes the piston to the high side and it opens when it goes back. It is extremely thin, so when the compressor works too hot, it tends to stay a little bit opened, that will equalize the system so it won't cool. Inexperienced techs think there is a restriction in the sealed system, they start replacing coils and capillary tubes, but is not the problem. I'm sure because I've done my own compressor autopsy (tired of LG tech support and managers denying the issue with compressors) and I found that. When you have an LG not cooling is that simple, compressor, or a very few cases, a leak on the evaporator of refrigerator section, mostly the top line close to the cap tube, extremely low leak sometimes hard to find even with dye, sometimes it only can be seen pressurizing the system with nitrogen and spreading with big blue leak detector. A tech still working with them told me they have a new compressor design that substitutes the LCs but I don't know the results. I left LG and the appliances business 3 years ago.

I just purchased a LG from the restore for 500$ bucks. Worked fine for 3 wks. Got a glass of water, noticed it was not as cool. Didn't think much of it. Next day went back to get water & realized its a issue because the water was luke warm. Pulled the freezer out & everything had defrosted. Reading these comment, now I understand why they had several of them at the restore. Im totally convinced they just dont make appliances like they use to & all this energy saving crap is producing sub par appliances . I have adjusted the settings to the lowest they can go. Just waiting to see it it gets cooler before I have to shell out more money to see whats wrong with it. Im not a happy camper right about now & knowing that most of these new appliances look good, but thats about all they are good for. 😑 Times are tight & people do not have money to be wasting on this stuff. Wondering how much a new compresser is going to cost. In the mean time I guess I better start looking for something else 😡

We have had our LG French door fridge for 6 years now but it’s on the 2nd compressor covered under warranty. The first one failed in less than 3 years. The tech said the warranty has been extended an additional 5 years by LG. Still, I don’t trust the brand anymore for refrigerators and would not recommend to anyone. Compressors should not fail on a fridge that’s less than 3 years old.

my LG LFX31925ST/02 Stopped working yesterday my ice cream was milk, not cooling any more ...almost lasted 8 years, dec 4 2020 would of been 8 years, repair guy says you lucky if todays appliances last 10 years! GREAT NEWS!

There is a class action lawsuit going on regarding the defective LG compressors.

Boy, am I ever glad I am not the engineer who designed the linear compressor!

Our LG refrigerator failed so we finally found out that these units are junk after no repair person would work on them, so we were told there was this class action lawsuit and we needed to contact LG. LG customer service was a joke as they used a specific deterrence tactic to prevent LG from having to replace there poorly make refrigerators. They say their policy is that they will replace the unit after 3 documented work orders to fix it, so when you contact them after the third repair fails they just say they have not documentation of a third work order and continuously have to keep submitting work orders to have a repair person do the same repair that does not work! In the mean time, initially my family and I got very sick due to the high temps the refrigerator, we had to throw out all our food three times after the three repairs failed and now were have no refrigerator through the holidays!!!! This process has now exceeded two months and is not resolved! We will look into a lawsuit in our area as well.

Great to hear what a good compressor sounds like.

Thanks for the useful video. I called LG and did a cell telephone diagnostic through the SmartGrid feature and LG said my compressor is "probably" bad. They said they will cover the parts but not labor. Unfortunately, my extended warranty expired last year (bought this Dec. 2015). I know there will be supply chain issues...

Ours stopped working today. Thanks for the video comparing good versus bad compressor. Ours sounds like the bad one 😞 going to call a tech tomorrow. We have another fridge in the basement that’s 13 years old and it’s running so we’ll even now !! This LG is just four years old bought new, dead so soon.

The LG refrigerator we bought 5 years ago has stopped working twice now. We will replace it and won't go with LG again.

FIND A REFRIGERATOR MADE BEFORE THE YEAR 2000 AND KEEP IT

Thanks for the video. Folks, before you do anything, please call LG customer service. LG compressor has 10 years of warranty, 1st 5 year parts and labor, next 5 years parts only. My 4 years old, 4 door LMXS30796D had same issue, no cooling due to bad compressor. Since Warranty period was still in effect I called LG support and the compressor was replaced in 5 weeks (1st visit was within 3 days of my call to LG support and the technician came to diagnose and then ordered the parts, 2 weeks for the parts to come and additional 2.5 weeks for the technician to come). LG should voluntarily replace all the compressors and not wait for customers to call in.

Nothing beats grabbing a Jack's pizza out of your $4k fridge to find it's limper than a Grandpa who forgot his Viagra. Now I gotta load the 20 year old basement beer fridge so I don't loose $300 worth of food. My whole kitchen is LG 😟😟😟😟😟

Scary. All the refrigerators seem to give up after 3.5 years. Last night our "27 cu.ft. Ultra-Capacity 4 Door French Door Refrigerator Model LMXS27626S" stopped working with only a buzzing sound from the compressor area. No freezing, almost no cooling. Purchased the unit at Best Buy in November 2016 and Geek Squad can be only here in a week. Glad, I have a spare refrigerator in the garage.

I live in Arizona and today my fridge stoped cooling all the way keeping the temp at 54 degrees. I found your video. My compressor sounds great but my coils were loaded with dust and the fan had a good amount of dust on it as well. The compressor was pretty hot to the touch. I really think the issue is blocked coils so I'm going to leave the fridge off over night so the compressor can cool down and I'll try it again tomorrow. Thank you!!

My freezer and refrigerator stopped working but fix it. It sounded as if it was working but not cooling. Disconnect your refrigerator. Open the drawer, pull the tray, get your hair dryer, get a flashlight - you will see some ice build up on that area against the wall, aim your hair dryer to the orifice, set up a timer for 5 minutes. Hold hair dryer with the food boxes you have there or hold by hand. After 5 minutes change the aiming slightly...set the timer for 3 minutes, let the hair dryer rest, do another 3 minutes, turn it off and let the refrigerator disconnected for 30 minutes leaving the drawer open. Close the drawer and everything back to normal, turn on the electricity again and it will be start workin again. (Under the drawer there will be pieces of ice and melted water, dry it out.) That hair dryer did wonders, it worked for me, I hope it helps you!

Thanks for the info, my LG fridge is not working, need to hire a technician to look at it. The light in front keep on moving.

Our LG fridge just lasted 4 yrs. However, we've had problems with it since year 2. I found a guy who fixes Refrigerators in the Denver area, he changed the compressor, charged me $600 (labor and the part). The compressor, I was told, is a little bit older but so much durable than the pieces of junk LG uses now a days.

I purchased LG frig, microwave, dishwasher and range. Within the first 15 MONTHS of ownership, every one of these units failed, and some, more then once while costing me thousands in repairs...They are all JUNK. That's right I SAID JUNK. Save your self a lot of headaches by staying way from LG.

Addendum update: We have two LG failures in 5 years, the linear compressor is not reliable, it has a known issue/defect. LG now offers a 10 year warranty on the compressor but that does not cover labor which is the major cost for repair.....the compressor is not all that costly but it's the labor charges. So instead of redesigning their compressor they give you the proverbial "ice in the winter" with the 10 year warranty. One other issues LG parts do not have a unique part identifier for the newer and older units, that is, they use the same part numbers over and over again so technicians are reluctant to work on them and on top of that they do not get paid by LG in a timely fashion so you wind up with a "Jack of all trades" coming out and they typically use a shotgun approach to diagnosis and repair. This time we went with a whirlpool refrigerator, in fact, we already had a whirlpool in the garage for over 5 years and even with all the Texas heat it has been working flawlessly............though, the main problem with all appliances is planned obsolescence and then the box stores sell you that worthless extended warranty which is insult to injury. This, in essence, is legalized theft. One last thing, GE had a good reputation but the Chinese company Haier bought them out and the quality has suffered. In fact, they give the GE employees steep discounts on their appliances and they won't even buy them. Good luck, I know our recent failure(s) knocked us for a loop. I am going to post this again above for others searching for a refrigerator since I know how trying this process can be.

Man I think u might have saved us anywhere from 500 to 1000 bucks, I won't know for a couple hours, what has happen was I pulled the frig out and the back plate was covered with dust so it was not breathing, so Wifey and I cleaned everything thing up and plugged it back in and we are noticing freezer becoming more cooler, still need a few hours to know for sure. Hey but even if it turns out that's not the problem you were a big help!!!

My LG refrigerator was constantly clicking and not cooling. I read that a common cause was the start relay and overload protector that are attached to the compressor, so I opened up the lower back panel where the compressor was and saw the two parts, ordered replacements for $60 on Amazon and changed them out (was just a matter of unplugging them and plugging in new ones). No more clicking and it's cooling great so consider that if you have a similar problem. Be sure to actually look at the parts before you order them to make sure you're getting what you need. Also many parts websites have videos showing to how change out these type of parts. There are some videos online showing how to test the electrical connections to determine if parts are bad or if your compressor is frozen and needs to be replaced so check those out as well. And while you have the back open, check the cooling coil in there for dirt and pet hair and clean that out good with a brush. Fortunately mine was perfectly clean since I have no pets.

Mine seems this way, but no relay click. On mine I'm pretty sure there's only a round overload on the compressor. The relay must be up near the control board

Thanks for taking time to post.

Yes...I Replaced the Filter/Dryer and Vacuumed the System thoroughly and Weighed the R-134A on a Digital Scale. The Compressor is an FC75LANE Linear Compressor from LG. The Original Compressor lasted 9 years. So it had 1 year left on the Warranty. As you probably already know...the Warranty is only good if Sears replaces it!

I’ve been in touch with LG no less than 12 different times they have given me the runaround that is absolutely pathetic I will never ever purchase any LG product . I thought when I purchase this it was one of the best how amazing it is turned out to be the worst. This won’t go away!

My LG has the bad compressor. 8 months old. LG is deciding if they want to fix it or not.

The hallow/vacuum like sound from the bad one is a dead give away.

LG breaks down faster than a an old fridge. I wonder why -.-

If it runs and the condenser and high side lines are cold, chances are it may not be cooling correctly. If you attach a gauge through the process tube and there is high suction pressure, the compressor can be bad.

Kenmore whirlpool are th best friges ive owened, all lasted over 10yrs!! Got an LG 4 door fridgw 2 weeks ago and is making frost already 😳.... ive never ever had an issue with a new fridge before... what a headache. Prior to LG my Samsung stopped working 2yrs later. NEVER BUY SAMSUNG OR LG. uhg🤯

Thanks for the sound comparison. Helped.

I have kenmore Elite with same LG compressor and having the same problem.

My LG Fridge is 9 years old and has completely stopped cooling; it has a linear compressor. The compressor sounds "good" and is clean - no dust. Sounds like the compressor is covered under warranty, but want to know if LG will charge for each service call to assess the problem in addition to the labor costs to replace the compressor. Any idea what these fees would be? Is it worth fixing it? For the price of these refrigerators, they should last MUCH longer. We already had the motherboard replaced while it was under extended warranty, so thankfully there were no out of pocket fees at that time.

Same here. My LG with the fancy “knock on window to turn on light” died after 1 year 7 months 8 days :(

I got fed up with our 4 year old LG French Door fridge problems. It needed to be de-iced every three months so when it quit all together ( no power indication) I replaced it with something that was not an LG. $100 + to come to the house then $40 every 15 minute they were here broke the camels back and we went looking for another fridge.

If you buy and LG Refrigerator also get your self 2 big ice coolers...........You will need them to put your shit in when the Compressor goes bad and it will. The compressors don't last more then 5 years. The compressors cost 400 dollars and 700 to 1000 dollars to install. And that repair will last one year....!

Mine is a Kenmore Elite made by LG so it has the same guts and issues as the LG. Fridge is on its THIRD compressor replacement!

Thank You for this! This was SUPER helpful.

You have helped me address my issue. Thank you

Hello, it would be helpful if you can explain more about the overload click... What is opening or closing in the circuit when it clicks? Thanks!

Filter drier is on backwards on the “bad” compressor. Note port is on right side and on good compressor, it’s to the left.

thank you kindly for the info. very informative. helpful. good job

Ugh. Ours just broke. It wasn't a gradual decline either. 4 years and 1 month old. RIP.

My LG refrigerator is 1.5 years old, it’s had 2 new compressors installed in it by technicians, it worked once for about 12 hours, still doesn’t work. Have had the technician out 5 times to tell me it was a leak or they had the wrong part the first time, etc. Is this a common problem anyone is having? Time to just get a new fridge?

mine sounds like that but not cooling the freezer, check the thermistor all seem to check out

Lg LFX28978ST/00, built in 2010. Fridge set at 33, freezer set at -6. Actual temp is 38 and 22. Coils are clean, all fans run. I change the freezer thermistor. Hard to tell but the compressor sounds good. A very small amount of ice on the top and bottom of the freezer evaporator. I'm thinking the compressor is going out. I didn't take a temp reading at the coils but they felt cool, not as warm as I thought. The compressor is warm to hot to the touch. Bad compressor? Maybe I could pierce the line and add a little refrigerant?

Wish I saw this 2 years ago when I bought mine cause today it no longer freezes from the bottom and the compressor Makes no noise at all 😂

After just 4 years my fridge stopped cooling properly called LG for service and they won't answer due to the corona virus, called a local tech out and they told me it was a sealed system issue...so ended up getting a new whirlpool fridge and sending the LG to the junk yard, I will never buy an LG again!

Ok so the compressor is good but my fridge still won't send any cold air to the fridge or freezer and it started doing this yesterday

My 2.5 years LG fridge is having this same issue - not cooling but running. Looks like everyone here is having this particular issue with LG fridges when they are a little over 2 year old. Did anyone successfully get LG to replace the fridge or refund the money? How long did the process take? I can't afford having a non-working fridge in my kitchen for too long. Thanks.

I replaced the ice machine, which was easy two months ago..... then the compressor dies lol. We have a Samsung oven, convection feature quit working after two years. Ugh.

My compressor sounds like it's running fine, there's no click, but the fridge still isn't getting cold.

Thank you very much for your video clip. My LG refrigerator is 15 years old now, the compressor still running without noisy sound, but not cooling. However the freezer on top still works well. There is thick dust from the back, I did clean it, unfortunately it’s still not cooling. What would I do, please advise!

Great video. Very helpful.

What if there's no humming sound at all? Like its silent and doesn't even seem to be on. No noise at all.

Why is it when u clean an LG appliance; they stop working?

Thank you for the super advice!

do not buy anything from LG 4 months and still they haven't fixed our fridge

My LG has a constant sound, more similar to the bad sound in your video. It currently maintains about 45 degree temp in the fridge and a 30 degree temp in the freezer. We tried letting it defrost overnight and it still won’t function normally. It has been over 2 weeks like this, not completely dead but not cooling or freezing properly. Based on your video, it’s not worth fixing? I’d rather get a new fridge then spend 1000 for a fix that may just break again.

Anyone else ticked off that the front panel lies and says the temp are close to the set value even though they are 20 degrees warmer?

Thank you for the useful video, can you kindly inform me the radiator temperature (high pressure pipe from the compressor side) during normal operation with good compressor?

I have a Kenmore Elite french door with bottom freezer, it is 6 years old. The linear compressor is warm to the touch and purrs quietly. The condensor motor and fan operate smoothly. I can feel ambient air blowing thru the freezer and fridge areas.The ice maker stopped working at the same time as the fridge & freezer stopped cooling. When I checked the evaporator area there was no sign of freeze up and no water on the floor but there was water in the freezer basket so maybe the evap. was frozen and melted before I got to it. I don't know what part to replace? Thanks

I have a 5 year old French door LG refrigerator and everything seems to work fine, even the compressor sounds normal, but the evaporator fans on work in test mode. I leaning towards it being the thermostat sensor, but I'm no expert. Any ideas?

whoa.. i bumped into this AFTER i experienced this and got it fixed/replaced (under extended warranty for both parts/labor). But mine sounded like a 'good compressor" and not like that bad compessor (even after cleaning coils). If you have a young LG fridge and it just stops cooling, most likely it's this.

Mine is going bad. Freezer is barely cold, even set on -4. Checked coils for ice and they are fine. Compressor sounds different, can tell at night, when everything is quiet.

My sister’s 5 year old LG refrigerator just quit with 250 dollars worth of groceries. I’ll never buy an LG refrigerator for sure. .

How about if the freezer is okay but the chiller of the fridge is not cooling?

Just one year and my fridge compressor not starting.. fan is running but...

Mine sounds good but still not cooling. I’m going to replace it, hopefully that works

very helpful video! what about: the door from the top part of the refrigerator[the freezer] remained open for hours by Error?? now the fridge run smoothly. but does not freeze or cool in the bottom part. I am talking about a frigidaire fridge[I guess in this case: they all the same]. please! hope to hear you.

Mines not making any noise but the fan is working.

Thank you for helping

My LG refrigerator lasted less than 5 years. Needs a new compressor. We have to wait 3 weeks for repair for it to be covered. I read reviews before buying. Were all of these problems just happening in the last couple of years? We had to buy a mini fridge to try to hold us over until repair. Wonder how long the second compressor will last? Doesn't look good!

Dealing with the LG customer service is a pain and may take weeks to months before their reimbursement. Get a working fridge in garage while going through this ordeal. This saves food waste and inconvenience for the time being. My LG has two compressor failures within 8 years. NO MORE LG’s.

LG Fridge owners, are your happy with your LG refrigerator/freezer? It looks like my 2003 GE died and I'm looking at buying a new scratch & dent LG Side-by-side Refrigerator. I would love to have your feedback.

So whats IS a good fridge for a campervan doesn't have to be 12v as on lithium batteries but an invertor type are they the same bad compressor. Whats this one like LG inverter fridge GT 279BPL?

You need to check your pressures. Listening for sounds won’t tell you anything

Sooo idk if my fridge sound bad or good but i realized in the bad sound the compressor had iron tube coming out of it and it isn't connected to anything as mine? Is that wrong

Kenmore Elite, Estimate on replacing compressor $1,389. And repairing fridge. Guys complete yunk. How can we stand a class law suite against this product made by LG. Sears is backed up on these fixes.