The short answer
On the AMA refrigerators the question is not how loud the noise is but what it runs with — the compressor, the fan, or a schedule. On these models a fouled condenser fan is the first thing this page would have you rule out. The checks below are all owner-side; what they buy you is a named cause before anyone is paid.
What you observe on these models
- A rattle from the back that stops when the compressor stops — The timing places it on the condenser side.
- A low hum that is louder in the next room than in the kitchen — Structure-borne noise travels; airborne noise does not.
- A buzz that changes when you lean on a corner of the cabinet — The cabinet is carrying the noise, which makes it a mounting question.
- NEAR MISS — water on the floor alongside the noise — A displaced drain pan makes both at once.
Causes, most likely first on this family
- Condenser fan blade fouled or out of balance — A bent blade gives a deeper whirr rather than a rattle, and it will wear out the motor bearing if it is left. One design carries every cabinet size in this family, so it holds across the line.
- Ice maker fill and harvest mistaken for a fault — An ice maker announces itself: the valve buzzes as it fills, the mould heats, and the cubes drop with a bang that carries through the house at night. Second, because it produces almost the same complaint from a different part.
- Drain pan chattering in its rails — A pan noise is a light plastic rattle rather than a hum, and it usually stops if you press the pan down. Third, because the two above account for most of what arrives with this complaint.
- Supply tubing pressed against the cabinet — Adding a loop of slack costs nothing and takes away the path the noise was using. Last on this page: real, but uncommon on these cabinets.
- Body: Against the brand-wide order, airflow causes move up and installation causes down: the ladder spans cabinet sizes, and the largest cabinets in it load the airflow path hardest, which is where this fault shows first.
Check in this order, and why
- Cut the power, take the rear cover off and turn the condenser fan by hand, feeling for roughness and for anything caught in the shroud. — It leads: the ranking puts this cause first, so its check goes first too.
- Switch the ice maker off for one day and note whether the noise you are chasing stops with it. — It sits here because it rules a cause in rather than out, which saves a step later.
- Cut the power, look under the back of the cabinet and seat the pan properly in its rails. — Last, because it confirms what the checks above have already narrowed.
Before you take a panel off
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel — a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Leave the door switch wired as it is: it cuts power to the evaporator fan for a reason. Do not reach into a running fan to find a noise. Cut the power, turn the blade by hand, and refit the panel before powering up.
Models in the AMA family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| AMA27S1E | amana:refrigerator:ama |
| AMA31** | amana:refrigerator:ama |
| AMA31**A | amana:refrigerator:ama |
| AMA31**E | amana:refrigerator:ama |
| AMA31**Q | amana:refrigerator:ama |
| AMA31**QA | amana:refrigerator:ama |
| AMA31BKE | amana:refrigerator:ama |
| AMA31S1E | amana:refrigerator:ama |
| AMA31S3E | amana:refrigerator:ama |
| AMA31S5E | amana:refrigerator:ama |
| AMA35** | amana:refrigerator:ama |
| AMA35**A | amana:refrigerator:ama |
| AMA35**AQ | amana:refrigerator:ama |
| AMA35**Q | amana:refrigerator:ama |
| AMA35BE | amana:refrigerator:ama |
| AMA35BK | amana:refrigerator:ama |
| AMA35RD | amana:refrigerator:ama |
| AMA35S1 | amana:refrigerator:ama |
| AMA35S1Q | amana:refrigerator:ama |
| AMA35S2 | amana:refrigerator:ama |
| AMA35S3 | amana:refrigerator:ama |
| AMA35S4 | amana:refrigerator:ama |
| AMA35WE | amana:refrigerator:ama |
| AMA43BKE | amana:refrigerator:ama |
| AMA43R**E | amana:refrigerator:ama |
When to call a technician
A noise you can place — a loose panel, a pan out of its rails, a cabinet off its feet — is an owner fix. One from inside the freezer or from the compressor is not. Disconnect and call for any burning smell.
