bad linear compressor on my LG fridge

[mon2]

Singing the blues with a bad linear compressor on my LG fridge so the house is in turmoil. LG was apparently sued over the '10 year warranty' that we fell for as the best in the market but then they want to charge (locally) ~$700 CAD to install the new 'under warranty' compressor. After major complaining about ethics, they may be granting us a service favor @ ~$250 (CAD) for the same service. Spoiled food and no fridge. Fun times.

[sam_sam_sam]

Re: XPS 15 9570 will not charge but battery works

Do not accept the offer for compressor replacement on a refrigerator you will be at this situation again a few years later if it lasts that long request a refund and buy a new refrigerator especially if it was a compressor failure of any type and especially if it is a burn out this is the worst type of failure

I would probably get a lawyer as well if you can not get it resolved because there are class action lawsuits that have been filed

[mon2]

Re: XPS 15 9570 will not charge but battery works

@sam_sam_sam, thanks for the input. Did see the class action lawsuits but not sure if they are valid in Canada. Will check for it. Personally am not comfortable with compressor replacement nor the refrigerant filling - guess our A/C guy is but he wanted me to junk our house A/C as defective. Found out after much searches that it was the AC starting capacitor. Simple fix yet the AC tech phoned up to pitch a $3.5k used house system. He acted dazed when I told him I fixed it. Losing faith in car mechanics and HVAC techs. Appliances are next ? The LG phone support said that I have had it for 7 years so I need to pay for the labour - only their official techs can do the installation for the 'free' replacement of the compressor (10 year warranty on the linear compressor). The official tech is available on a shorter notice but will be about $680 (CAD) + tax for the service. Seriously ? Otherwise they have a fixed fix plan @ $259 (CAD) for my aged fridge which is mint otherwise.

On this note, on the hunt to determine if the compressor is truly at fault. The resistance on the linear compressor is @ 7.6 ohms which is text book perfect. Measured across the 2 wire molex connectors - was unable to remove the compressor so checked the 2 wires instead.

On my fridge, the unit powers up (lmx28988ST) - can hear the condensor fan with nylon white blades - runs fine. Hear the normal sounds from the compressor. Semi cool air flowing in the freezer & fridge section. After a while of running - hear a loud fan screeching sound and then 6 LED blinks on the controller board. This means excessive current draw - no kidding as some blades were rubbing. Then total silence and no more sounds from the compressor but condensor fan continues to run normall along with the internal fan. Then the cycle repeats after about 10 mins. Much like power cycling but halting due to the fan screech which repeats and causes the shutdown again. Lost all the food and wife is screaming (more than usual).

Q: Does the linear compressor have a fan that could cause this noise I am hearing ? I am suspecting the evaporator fan but need to dismantle the freezer this weekend to confirm. It could be as simple as the nylon fan blades? Yet I can feel some air flowing through the freezer and fridge cabin. In short, are there other fans inside this box ?

I am on the hunt for more reliable fridges but covid and semi shortages are not helping. According to a local tech, he said the warranty is a scam and the latest is '20 year warranty' - the vendor has no intention of covering it for free - the parts are 'free' but the official labor is NOT. I am ok with the $259 labor fee even though that is a compromise but they are stating it could be 3 weeks+ to receive the service. Totally unethical. We have sourced hundreds of thousands of PCBs from South Korea and quality was excellent. Their factories knew about Halogen Free for our products for Foxconn / HP when rest of the industry was scratching their heads on the topic. Yet, now, home appliances are throw aways ? When this fridge was purchased, I selected the model on the floor that was made in Korea (not Mexico) for the higher grade of assemly.

Will keep checking as the competition appears to be in similar positions. Not a fan of Samsung. Local tech noted that GE is nice but parts for repair are more $$. End of venting (for now .

[sam_sam_sam]

Re: bad linear compressor on my LG fridge

Unfortunately I can recommend any brand at this point in time because all of seem to made shit-e any more it is going to be very difficult for me to replace my 18 year old refrigerator I hope it just keeps running and I would not have to deal with this crap

If have to go down this road I will be getting me the cheapest one and hope for the best

But it will not be refrigerator that has a freezer at this point in time but I would miss the ice maker and either make my own ice cubes or buy ice from the store ugh not looking forward to this

[dmill89]

Re: bad linear compressor on my LG fridge

Unfortunately I can recommend any brand at this point in time because all of seem to made shit-e any more it is going to be very difficult for me to replace my 18 year old refrigerator I hope it just keeps running and I would not have to deal with this crap

If have to go down this road I will be getting me the cheapest one and hope for the best

But it will not be refrigerator that has a freezer at this point in time but I would miss the ice maker and either make my own ice cubes or buy ice from the store ugh not looking forward to this

Unfortunately, just about all appliances these days are built with a ~10 year design life, so it doesn't much matter the brand aside from a few with specific know issues (Korean refrigeration/AC compressors being one of them, so definitely stay away from LG and Samsung for refrigerators, but LG and Samsung compressors have been finding their way into other brands as well so even if you buy something else there is no guarantee that you won't get one of those compressors). Many manufactures also use multiple suppliers so even a given model may use different compressors in different batches and it becomes the "luck of the draw", for example the Frigidaire refrigerator I bought in 2019 has a Panasonic compressor (generally regarded as one of the best), but the same model also comes with an Embraco compressor (not the worst, but not the best either) and you don't know which one it will be until the fridge shows up.

Aside from the aforementioned LG/Samsung issues at least from anecdotal experience (i.e. anyone I know who has had to replace a failed refrigerator somewhat recently), control boards tend to be the main failure point (aside from ice maker failures) and these are often either impossible (due to parts not being available for "older" models, these days you're lucky if the manufacture still supplies parts after 5 years) or cost-prohibitive (the boards generally run $200-$500 depending on model and another $100-$300 labor if you're paying someone to install it) to repair (especially if it was a cheaper/lower end fridge to begin with).

I'd also recommend staying away from anything that uses R600a (Isobutane), or R290 (Propane) refrigerants if possible since these are highly flammable, but it is becoming harder and harder to avoid with these being pushed as the "environmentally friendly" options (because apparently safety takes a back seat to "environmentalism" these days) and R134a is largely being phased out.

[sam_sam_sam]

Re: bad linear compressor on my LG fridge

Controller boards are becoming a very big issue these days I have repaired a few of them and one of them the capacitors around the switching power supply regulator failure the other one had capacitor failure and also switching power supply regulator as well but it because they are using the cheapest parts that can found

On one of them that had a technician out there three times to fix the same issue but it was bad capacitors on the controller board really these technicians are not understanding what the issue is and they are not trained correctly anymore either or this is the new business model now I do not know which one it is

It use to be that if you bought a Whirlpool refrigerator it would last for a very long time but I do not know if this is the case anymore but I have had very good results from this company in the past

But it the same story about this company with issues with the controller boards quality of capacitors and other components as well so who knows anymore

A year or so ago I was thinking about replacing my refrigerator and I did not want ones that a controller board in it and was surprised that I could still find at least one model that did not have one wow really

This issue with the new types of Freon is some more BS this going to force us to go back to the Stone Age really someone need to get real

To me this is troubling that companies that are making refrigerator and air conditioning units and washing machines and dryer and major appliances are making crap now days

[redwire]

Re: bad linear compressor on my LG fridge

Appliances are very big money, every household has several $1,000's worth of them. They are mission-critical too. Food spoilage or you can't cook dinner or do laundry when they aren't working.

Haier is a chinese megaconglomerate revenue over $28B. They've bought up GE appliance division, Fisher & Paykel, Candy etc.
Whirlpool owns Maytag, Amana, Inglis, JennAir, Litton, Magic Chef, KitchenAid, Hotpoint, Indesit etc. revenue $21B.

Asian manufacturers are competing hard against American factories. 2016 U.S. Government Confirms that Samsung and LG dumping washing machines, and it goes on.

As far as design goes, anything to get a few extra % efficiency - the number consumers see on the label, so a compressor can have a zillion parts and who cares about lifetime. It's about getting the sale.
I've noticed a few big companies that just make appliance parts, example is a dryer door switch with safety-lock. BUT if it's a bad design, it affects so many companies and products, fires/recalls so very risky to make something crappy. But that happens all the time. The parts are so cheaply made. I'll pay $25 more for quality designed parts but no it's all about price.
They are always making new models instead of perfecting one, so your lemon in "an old model" after a year or two.

I mentioned my buddy's Samsung fridge, the women in the household accidentally put it in showroom mode and it looks like it's working but the compressor does not run. It's some button sequence when you bump down/up temperature. Repair guy changes out the board $$$ to fix it. Second time my buddy digs in and finds the code to cancel demo mode

[sam_sam_sam]

Re: bad linear compressor on my LG fridge

I agree with you on this but this is no excuse for poor quality products but the sad part of all of this is that you have no real recourse for this nonsense and just keep happening over and over again and never ends

[mon2]

Re: bad linear compressor on my LG fridge

Thanks so much guys for your input. Truly sad by the quality of workmanship on these appliances. The labor is just not covered after the standard 1 year is up. With the Mrs. complaining, did go out shopping yet for another last weekend and the local appliance shop said that LG is the best out of the bunch with a ~9.5% failure rate in the first year; then Samsung being slightly worst and then ~13% for Frigidaire, etc. HAIER was not in this report he was referencing. Anyways, with covid blues - there is no way I could buy a 36" French Door in the short notice we expected. LG phoned the next day to honor the fixed price guarantee of ~$290 (CAD; tax in) for another 1 year warranty of service + replace with 100% new compressor onsite. This fixed price is defined by the age of my fridge. LG would not ship me the 'free' compressor that is covered by the 10 year original warranty. A rush fee from their official tech is ~$700 which we declined. Their tech is scheduled to come here this Friday (we have been down now for about 3 weeks + lost all the food). It is the best choice for us now. The last compressor worked for 7 years (Linear compressor) so hoping this will last us a few more years. I think we jinxed it while bragging about how great our LG was at the office and then this fault surfaced. Will post an update after the repair. It is rather cold here so using the garage as a natural temp fridge but my wife is refusing to eat anything stored 'outdoors'. Thanks again.

[eccerr0r]

Re: bad linear compressor on my LG fridge

For those willing to pay usd $25 for a quality part... what if that only increases average life 1%... and to increase life 10% you need to pay $500 more?
(assuming an appliance that costs 1500...and these life expectancies as usual are statistical, as in you still could get no benefit from the 'upgrades'..)

[sam_sam_sam]

Re: bad linear compressor on my LG fridge

For those willing to pay usd $25 for a quality part... what if that only increases average life 1%... and to increase life 10% you need to pay $500 more?
(assuming an appliance that costs 1500...and these life expectancies as usual are statistical, as in you still could get no benefit from the 'upgrades'..)

So what is the answer to this dilemma if the quality of the components does not necessary give you any more life expectations than what does apparently paying more money does do it anymore so what does give you better life expectancy because I am confused about what you have here ( because at one time thing were made to last a long time however now you will be lucky if they last as long as the warranty period if it makes it that long )

These comments are not to be taken as me giving you a hard time so please do not take it that way

[eccerr0r]

Re: bad linear compressor on my LG fridge

It was always meant to be a dilemma, these companies aren't trying to deliver stuff that requires warranty service the next day, alas it's happening, and how much does one really want to pay to prevent these things from happening...

Better yet, how much does one want to pay to make these things easily serviceable... like no more %#!^ that requires cutting or other special tools to drain and replace refrigerant... not to mention that these valves can leak. Or what if the tubes were all made a few microns thicker so they're more durable...

[dmill89]

Re: bad linear compressor on my LG fridge

apparently paying more money does do it anymore

Actually quite the opposite. Higher-end appliances tend to have more "features" that are likely to break and cost a fortune to fix (if you can even get parts), like modern luxury cars "high end" appliances are now about how many gizmos they can pack into it rather than build quality. Your best bet is generally a basic model from a major manufacture (thanks to consolidation there are only a handful of actual manufactures anymore, that own a bunch of different brands), but even then they won't last as long as they used to. The one exception to this may be washing machines where commercial grade units (i.e. Speed Queen, etc.) do tend to hold up better than standard units.

It was always meant to be a dilemma, these companies aren't trying to deliver stuff that requires warranty service the next day, alas it's happening, and how much does one really want to pay to prevent these things from happening...

Cost and "the race to the bottom" plays a major factor. For example a basic 14 cu-ft ("appartement sized" by todays standards) refrigerator cost around $320 in 1975, with inflation that works out to around $1650 today, however you can buy a similar (size/features, not quality) refrigerator for around $600 today and $1650 will get you a 25 cu-ft French-door or side by side model with an ice maker, it is going to be difficult to convince the general public (not necessarily the people on this site) to "pay more for less" to get a higher quality product (and as mentioned even "high end" these days is about features not quality).

[sam_sam_sam]

Re: bad linear compressor on my LG fridge

All I can say to all of the consumer is getting ripped off big time for companies to race to the bottom of the barrel what sad state of affairs

But it not just refrigerators they are doing this crap it seems just about everything it getting this way televisions computers batteries of any kind cars washing machines dishwasher machine phones tablets and everything else that I forgot to mention

I think that being able to use a camera to see what is your refrigerator is a cool idea but what quality are you giving up for this feature I just want a stripped down version of a refrigerator with out a energy efficient machine and give me quality forget about everything else if you can not make it last more than two years if you are lucky really

The only features that I want to have is ice from the door and a ice maker that actually works I could care less about anything else

[eccerr0r]

Re: bad linear compressor on my LG fridge

I just want my refrigerator to cool the refrigeration compartment and freeze the freezer compartment forever and ever without fail.

(My yesteryear refrigerator has an in-freezer ice cube maker. Yes it's probably annoying to some people as it's not through door, I could even live without it - as long as if I put water in an ice cube tray in the freezer and it freezes it, I'm happy. Speaking of which, I'm wondering when my decades old refrigerator will fail and what to do about it... it's still working fine but all things will eventually fail... sigh.)

[redwire]

Re: bad linear compressor on my LG fridge

I put a power meter on my Whirlpool refrigerator and was shocked the power drain was 0.2W jumping to 90W when you open the door! Turns out it's got two 40W incandescent light bulbs These heat up the inside so the fridge compressor starts up if the door is open for 15-30 seconds.
Newer Whirlpool refrigerators the LED lights fail, there's a thread here about it. Looks like a $50 for the part alone.

Appliances are all about corporate profit. This is a problem with capitalism, corporations making money hand over fist and the onus is on the consumer to prove there's a product defect. As if Joe consumer can afford to take apart a compressor and show the design deficiencies to the Court.

LG compressor failures and the class action lawsuits (where the lawyers get 75% of the settlement money) LG knows the song and dance.
OP is out the spoiled food and at least $300 for a replacement compressor...
problem is the old compressor can spew out metal chips and if those are in the lines, how long will the replacement last?

[eccerr0r]

Re: bad linear compressor on my LG fridge

I think the lamps heating up the refrigerator is less of a concern as with the door open and all the cold air replaced by warm outside air. Should do an experiment, but I'd think it's the latter... oh ... and yes, don't get me wrong, definitely the hot incandescent do contribute.

Incidentally this sort of is related to this experiment I was sort of doing. I was seeing how much heat I can get with running light bulbs as an offshoot project. Cold room during this winter and have about 250 watts worth of incandescent light bulbs. Having them turned on, they do heat up... but it's really slow. I barely feel any difference in room temperature after it on for an hour, so I guess my natural gas bill will be high this month.

Perhaps the room is much bigger than a refrigerator but still took a long while to warm up a few degrees despite the thousands of degrees filament in the bulb.

I still have an incandescent bulb in my fridge. Did not swap with LED yet...

[redwire]

Re: bad linear compressor on my LG fridge

It's when I'm unpacking groceries that the door is open for more than a few seconds. I'm paying twice - electricity for the light bulbs, and for the fridge to remove that heat.
If you put a refrigerator in an closed, sealed room, what happens? Some people think the room gets colder. They don't understand it's a heat pump that spews out heat from the condensor coils. So the room gets warmer.
Whirlpool has minimal insulation on the fridge's walls, they are cold to touch. Couldn't use $2 more foam. Sigh.

"Has LG fixed their compressor problem? - Q&A - Best Buy" looks like LG/Kenmore french door refrigerators are still a nightmare for compressor failures and poor customer service. Some other problem exists where refrigerant leaks out- which then bags the compressor. Leak location is a mystery.
It's almost so bad, a person should put valves and fittings to get a 5 minute compressor swap out and refill.

250W is not much at all to heat a room up. Losses through windows and walls, ceiling is much greater than that. I would say 1,000-1,500W.

[SluggerB]

Re: bad linear compressor on my LG fridge

It's when I'm unpacking groceries that the door is open for more than a few seconds. I'm paying twice - electricity for the light bulbs, and for the fridge to remove that heat.

Most appliance bulbs are 40W. Around here we pay around 12 cents for kilowatt hour. So if you kept your fridge door open an hour, you would be using 0.0048 cents of electricity. If you kept your fridge door open an hour a day, every single day, for an entire year, it's a whopping $1.75

If you can't swing a dollar and seventy five cents a year to power your fridge light bulb, you can't afford to put any food in the fridge anyway.

[redwire]

Re: bad linear compressor on my LG fridge

You're also paying for the fridge to run and pump out the light bulb's heat. There's three 40W bulbs in the Whirlpool (one in the freezer too). Not a lot of money of course.

It just seems silly with the malarkey about efficiency/energy star and energy use posted on appliances in the stores, as some figure of merit which one to buy, and instead of LEDs they put in light bulbs and save some pennies.
You pay $7/month in electricity for a fridge similar to OP's.
Evaporator rusts out, leaks out all the refrigerant, then the compressor fails. After 5 years, and $400 repair you are up to $2/day for the fridge operating costs. It's a lot for what they are.

Bestbuy "LG confidently backs the Linear Compressor with a 10-year limited warranty" but this is a lie even in 2021. These Korean companies need to be held close to the iron, they really are screwing customers over on warranty repairs, cars too. Just look it up.

P.S. Refrigerators have heaters inside them beyond the incandescent light bulbs, but the self-defrost heaters as well.
A relative opened his fridge and found it was on fire, the defrost heater malfunctioned and melted, cooked the insides.