How to Replace a GE Refrigerator Start Relay

Read the click cycle#

The start relay plugs onto the compressor and kicks it into motion; when it fails, the compressor tries to start, the overload trips with a click, and it falls silent for a few minutes before trying again, so the box never actually cools. Most GE models after 2010 use a combined start relay and overload that pushes straight onto the compressor terminals. Complete silence, by contrast, points at the board or thermostat rather than the relay.

Before you start#

Safety warning: Unplug the refrigerator and wait 5 minutes. The start relay is on the compressor at the rear bottom — pull the unit away from the wall.

Step-by-step#

1 - Confirm the symptom. Listen for the tell-tale hum, click, silence, repeat cycle and a fridge that is slowly warming. That pattern is the relay; dead silence is not.

2 - Reach the compressor. Unplug the fridge, pull it out, and remove the rear-lower access panel (a couple of Phillips or hex screws). The compressor is the black dome; the relay is the small deck-of-cards-sized box plugged onto its side.

3 - Remove the relay. Release any retaining clip, then pull the relay straight off the compressor pins with firm, even pressure, noting the orientation since it only seats one way.

4 - Test it. Shake the relay: a rattle means the internal contacts have broken and it has failed, which is the quick confirmation. For a meter check, a good relay reads a low resistance across its terminals at room temperature and rises with heat; an open reading confirms failure.

5 - Fit the new relay. Push it fully onto the compressor pins until it seats with slight resistance, refit any clip, verify the overload disc is positioned, and keep the wiring clear of the condenser fan blade.

6 - Test the repair. Refit the panel, push the fridge back, plug in, and listen for the compressor to settle into a steady hum within seconds with no clicking. Give it 24 hours to reach temperature, and use Turbo Cool and Turbo Freeze to speed recovery.

7 - Watch it for 48 hours. A healthy compressor cycles on and off over roughly half-hour stretches. If the clicking comes back within two days despite a new relay, the compressor motor itself is likely failing.

Why the relay fails#

Start relays wear out simply from the number of start cycles they see, and heat is the accelerant. A relay sitting on a hot compressor in a tight, dusty rear compartment ages faster, which is one more reason cleaning the condenser coils pays off. Age alone is usually enough, though, so a rattling relay on an older fridge is a normal, expected failure rather than a warning that something bigger is wrong.

Troubleshooting#

• New relay clicks off in seconds: the compressor windings may be shorted. Meter the compressor pins; readings far outside the normal few-to-low-double-digit ohm range point to compressor failure.
• Burnt smell at the relay: it was arcing. Check the compressor terminals for burn marks and clean them before fitting the new relay.
• GE Profile with a variable-capacity compressor: the relay may be an electronic controller board rather than a simple relay, and those are not interchangeable.

Need professional help?#

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