The short answer
Most new noises from a 51W390 refrigerator come from one of four moving parts, and which one it is depends almost entirely on when the noise happens and where you hear it from. Locate the noise before you diagnose it — front or back, running or stopping, constant or cyclic. Very few of these are urgent, but one of them is.
What you observe
- A rhythmic ticking or clicking from the back — Usually a fan blade touching something, or a relay cycling. The rhythm tells you which — a fan is continuous, a relay is occasional and sharp.
- A loud buzz or hum that comes and goes with the cycle — Something resonating against the cabinet, or a fill valve energising. If it coincides with a water event it is the valve.
- A grinding or squealing from inside the compartment — A fan motor with a failing bearing, or a blade striking ice. On a cabinet with no interior fan, this one is off the table.
- Gurgling, popping and the occasional bang — Refrigerant moving and plastic expanding as the cabinet changes temperature. Normal, and the most-reported non-fault on any refrigerator.
- NEAR MISS — the noise is loudest at the floor at the front — That is the condenser fan or the compressor mount rather than anything inside the cabinet, and it changes the whole diagnosis.
Causes, most likely first on the 51W390 models
- The condenser fan behind the front grille is obstructed — Ranked first on this build: the fan pulls floor-level air through the grille, so it collects debris faster than a rear-mounted one and it is the closest moving part to the listener.
- The compressor mounts have hardened — Second: same machine compartment, lower and duller in pitch, and felt through the floor as much as heard.
- The drain pan is loose in its cradle — Third, and specific to this build: the pan sits in the airflow and rattles when it is not seated, which sounds far worse than it is.
- An interior fan, where the cabinet has one — Last here, because the machine compartment is both closer and dirtier on this build.
Check in this order, and why
- Pull the front grille and look at the fan and the pan — First on this build: the two likeliest sources are both visible from the front without moving the cabinet.
- Note whether the noise tracks the compressor cycle — Second: it separates the fan and the compressor from everything that runs independently of them.
- Open the door and listen for a change — Third: it clears or confirms an interior fan, which is lower on this build but not absent.
- Rock the cabinet and check the clearance — Last of the owner checks and the cheapest correction on the list.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the refrigerator or switch off its breaker before removing any panel or putting a hand near a fan — a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off, and a fan that has stopped because of ice will start again without warning when the ice clears. Never reach past a running blade to locate a sound.
What this page covers — Scope of this page, taken from the page address. No model-level specification is asserted.
Reference| field | value |
|---|---|
| brand | Amana |
| family label | 51W390 |
| appliance class | refrigerator |
| models covered | the models sold under this family label |
When to call a technician
Call when the noise comes from a sealed part of the system, when a fan is noisy after it has been cleared, or when a hum you can feel through the floor keeps getting worse. On the 51W390 models the line is simple: clearing debris, reseating a tray and moving the cabinet are yours, and replacing a fan motor or anything on the compressor is not. Call at once for a squeal that rises in pitch or a smell of hot insulation — both mean a motor is failing under load.
Nearest pages of this class
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
