The short answer
On the F family a new noise is far more often a fan touching ice or a worn fan bearing than anything wrong with the compressor.
What you observe on these models
- A buzz or rattle that comes and goes with the compressor — It starts when the machine starts and stops when it stops, which places it at the compressor end rather than inside the cabinet.
- A ticking or clicking every few seconds — Short, repeated and always at the same interval: that is a start device cycling, not a mechanical noise.
- A fan noise that changes when the door is opened — If it stops with the door switch it is the evaporator fan inside; if it carries on it is at the back of the cabinet.
- NEAR MISS - a loud noise with the cabinet also going warm — Noise plus a loss of cooling is not a noise complaint.
Causes, most likely first on this family
- Evaporator fan blade catching ice or a food package — First on this family. The blade runs close to its shroud, and a little frost build-up or a bag pushed to the back of the shelf is enough to give a ticking or a scraping that changes with the door switch, and because the family spans several configurations, the answer depends on which of them you have.
- Worn fan bearing at either end of the cabinet — Second. A dry bearing whines and then rumbles, and it is the same noise from the evaporator fan and the condenser fan; the door test tells you which one you are listening to.
- Cabinet not level or touching something — Third, and the one most likely to be mistaken for a mechanical failure.
- Compressor and its mounts — Last. Mount rubbers harden and let the compressor knock against the shell, and a failing compressor knocks in its own right.
Check in this order, and why this family dictates it
- Open the door and press the door switch, then listen — If the noise stops with the door open and returns when the switch is pressed, it is inside the cabinet.
- Empty the back of the shelves nearest the air outlet — Second, because a package against the outlet is the single commonest finding on this family and it is free to rule out.
- Rock the cabinet corner to corner and check the feet — Third: a cabinet that moves under hand pressure will drum, and levelling it changes the noise immediately if that is the cause.
- Listen at the compressor end last — Buzzes and hums belong there and are usually normal; a knock or a grind there is the one finding that stops the diagnosis and starts a quote.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel. A capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Never reach behind a running fan to find a noise, and never run the cabinet with its rear cover off to listen: the cover is part of the airflow path and it is also what keeps fingers out of the fan.
Models in the F family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| F4506S | antarctic-star:refrigerator:f |
| F5846-BLACK | antarctic-star:refrigerator:f |
| F5890B-BLACK | antarctic-star:refrigerator:f |
| F5890GN-GREEN | antarctic-star:refrigerator:f |
| F5890GY-GRAY | antarctic-star:refrigerator:f |
| F5890R-RED | antarctic-star:refrigerator:f |
| F5890W-WHITE | antarctic-star:refrigerator:f |
| F6840-BLACK | antarctic-star:refrigerator:f |
| F6840-SILVER | antarctic-star:refrigerator:f |
| F6848-BLACK | antarctic-star:refrigerator:f |
| F6848-GREEN | antarctic-star:refrigerator:f |
| F6848-WHITE | antarctic-star:refrigerator:f |
| F6891-BLACK | antarctic-star:refrigerator:f |
| F6891-GREEN | antarctic-star:refrigerator:f |
| F6891-WHITE | antarctic-star:refrigerator:f |
When to call a technician
Call when the noise is a knock or a grind at the compressor, when a fan noise continues after the obstruction and the frost have been dealt with, or when the noise arrives alongside a loss of cooling. Give the technician the model number from the table above: across a family this wide the fan and mount parts are not interchangeable.
Other faults covered for this family
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
