Kenmore Refrigerator Motor Replacement Guide

Decode the model number first#

Kenmore rebrands refrigerators from several makers, and the motor type follows the maker. The prefix tells you which:

• 106 — Whirlpool-built: a shaded-pole AC evaporator fan motor behind the freezer rear panel, and a shaded-pole condenser fan motor at the rear base.
• 795 — LG-built Kenmore Elite: often a brushless DC evaporator fan motor for quieter, variable-speed operation, which needs a matching controller, plus a standard condenser fan motor.

Ordering a shaded-pole AC motor for a machine that expects a brushless DC unit, or the reverse, leaves you with a part that will not run, so confirm the prefix before anything else.

Which motor has failed?#

• The freezer is cold but the fresh-food section is warm — the evaporator fan behind the freezer panel.
• Both compartments are warm and the compressor runs hot — the condenser fan at the base.
• Buzzing or clicking from the freezer wall — a failing evaporator fan bearing or a blade hitting frost.
• A rattle from the bottom rear — a worn condenser fan.

Motor overview#

Replacing a fan motor#

1. Unplug the refrigerator.
2. For the evaporator fan, empty the freezer and remove the rear interior panel; for the condenser fan, pull the unit out and remove the base access panel.
3. Disconnect the motor wiring and unmount the bracket.
4. Transfer the fan blade to the new motor, matching the blade direction and orientation exactly.
5. Reassemble, restore power, and confirm the fan spins and cooling recovers.

Blade direction, coils, and confirming the fault#

Two details trip people up on Kenmore fan swaps. First, blade direction: the replacement must move air the same way as the original, so note which face the blade sits on and match it, because a reversed blade pushes air the wrong way and defeats the repair. Second, on 795 Elite models the brushless DC evaporator motor is not a simple two-wire swap — it pairs with a controller, so match the complete system rather than just the motor. Whenever the base panel is off for a condenser fan, vacuum the condenser coils, since dust there insulates them and strains the compressor. And before ordering, spin the suspect blade by hand with the power off: a blade jammed by frost or debris stalls a healthy motor, so clear the obstruction and retest before condemning the part.

Lifespan and the Elite controller catch#

A Kenmore refrigerator fan motor generally lasts many years, with the evaporator motor often outliving the condenser motor because it runs in a colder, cleaner environment. The biggest single pitfall on the 795 Elite platform is treating the brushless DC evaporator motor as a simple swap: it depends on a matching controller, and fitting a bare motor without the correct controller, or mixing generations, leaves you with a fan that will not run correctly. Always match the complete system to your exact model on those units. On 106 Whirlpool-built machines the shaded-pole motors are simpler two-wire parts, but blade direction still matters, so confirm the airflow direction when you transfer the blade. And regardless of platform, a defrost failure that packs frost against the evaporator fan will stall a perfectly healthy motor, so rule out ice before ordering a part and address the defrost cause so the new motor does not meet the same fate.

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