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Use this guide to replace the evaporator fan in your Whirlpool Refrigerator.
The evaporator fan draws air over the cooling coils and circulates this air within the fridge and freezer compartments. If your refrigerator is not cooling but your freezer works, then your evaporator fan might be broken.
This guide will work for most Whirlpool refrigerators. This guide is written with a model WRS315SDHW refrigerator. If you have a different model, you may encounter some minor disassembly differences, but the overall repair process will be the same.
Note: Some photos show the doors removed for clarity purposes. Removing them is not required and will not change the procedure.
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Turn off your main water supply
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Unplug your device
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Depending on your repair, open one or both doors.
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Remove the drawers and shelves from the freezer section.
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Remove the screw(s) securing the evaporator cover.
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Lift the bottom of the evaporator cover up and over its lip in the chassis.
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Pull the cover toward yourself to release its top clips.
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Continue pulling the evaporator cover towards yourself to unclip its metal prongs from the chassis.
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Remove the evaporator cover.
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Use needle nose pliers, or your fingers, to disconnect the grounding wire(s) attached to the evaporator fan.
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Disconnect any connectors attached to the evaporator fan.
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Remove the screw(s) securing the evaporator fan.
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Slide the foam buffer downward to release it from its lip in the chassis.
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Remove the foam buffer.
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Repeat this procedure any remaining foam buffers.
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Pull the evaporator fan housing up and outward from the chassis to remove it.
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Pull the evaporator fan straight off its motor to remove it.
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Use your fingers to pry up and release the motor bracket clips from the housing.
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Remove the motor bracket.
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Pull the motor straight out of its housing to remove it.
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To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.
Repair didn’t go as planned? Ask our Answers community for help.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.
Repair didn’t go as planned? Ask our Answers community for help.
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Fridge howls a couple times a day for about 10 minutes then noise slowly goes down and away. Howling stops if I open door, returns once closed. Fridge/freezer keeps working and stays cold??????
Yep, mine did the same quite some time ago. Finally the evaporator fan gave up so the freezer, towards the bottom (double door unit) would freeze water but not the upper section. The evaporator fan pushes air from the freezer through some ducting over to the refrigerator which is how the fridge stays cold. On my Whirlpool I removed a panel which gave me access to reach in and feel the fan, noticing it was not turning. With a little help from WD 40 the fan started spinning but later stopped. As soon as I did get the fan working the entire freezer measured the right temperature for freezing as did the fridge, the fridge temp went down and finally measured "safe" on my temp guage. NOW it's time to replace that fan WHICH is much cheaper that replacing the entire refrigerator.
Hope this helps give you an idea what that noise you're hearing might be and pointing to the fan which may finally give up the ghost.
