"k" wrote in message
...
I have a Amana fridge and when the fan starts it makes a noise for
about 10 seconds. The fan continues to run with out any noise. I
took the back panel off the fridge and it seems like the noise is
coming from part with the copper lines running out of it. Do I have
to have the fridge recharged with chemicals? Slow leak? Any advice
would be appreciated. The noise happens about every 10 minuets and
the fan only runs for 20 seconds or so.

THe fans on my PC does that. Rattles like hell for a few minutes then
quiets down. I attribute that to a failing bearing on the motor. Upon
startup the bearing is cool and the shaft is rotating slow, under these
conditions it cavitates or rattles. When it reaches full speed which takes
a while due to the friction in the bad bearing and the vibration, then it
balances out and runs quiet.

I had a similar symptom in my drier, when it started it would rattle for a
minute then quiet down. The cause was the opposite. The impeller
(equivelent to a fan blade) was loose on the motor shaft. When the motor
started, the impeller would sit still with the shaft spinning loosly inside
its center. After a while the friction would spin the impeller up to the
shaft speed and it would be quiet. I replaced the clamp and modified the
impeller so it would not slip and the problem was solved.

the bearings in a fan like that generally are sealed and cannot be replaced
or lubricated (you can try though). Typically you need to outright replace
the fan. The price for the part is reasonable usually only a few tens of
dollars but if you can't do it yourself, the labor will be a killer. Look
for the wiring diagram, exploded view and parts list. It should be either
in the owners manual, stuck to the back of the fridge or rolled up and
stuffed in the underside near the compressor or on the internet. This will
tell you the part number so you can at least price out the part and estimate
if you can handle the repair.

If your fridge is over 7 years old, get rid of it and buy an energy star
model. Last year I replaced an old Amana side by side (over 12 years old).
I payed for the entire thing with savings on my electric bill in barely a
year. I am saving over $30 per month (actually I forget the exact numbers
but it was very significant)