How to Troubleshoot & Replace Samsung AP4144642 / DA63-01808A Refrigerator Fan Motor Mounting Grommet

Fan motor in refrigerator failed, encased in ice. Thawed and replaced with new motor and fan. Works properly now. 

I replaced the evap fan motor assembly after thawing out the evaporator. I replaced the evap motor assembly because i damaged it while defrosting the evaporator. Too much heat warped the fan blade and bracket. I replaced the motor because of the abnormal load it was put under when it was making all the noise from trying to spin through the ice buildup on the evaporator. This was all done on the fridge side. 

Refrigerator side fan made and intermittent grinding sound that stopped when the door was opened. This fan had been reported bad by an appliance repair company previously. After reading issues about longevity of the fan, I ordered the fan, grommet, and the spring retainer. My main difficulty disassembling the cover was a stripped phillips screw in the deeply recessed hole. The fan was not the problem at all. In fact, the appliance repair previously done didn’t replace the fan (it still had the green assembly glue on the end of the fan shaft). The coil was completely frozen along the top pipe and had a large chunk of ice in the fan area. I defrosted the coil with a hairdryer and installed the new fan. Works just fine now. 

Replace fan motor. 

We did some research on line (thanks You Tube!) and discovered that this model of Samsung has a history of fan motor failures. The diagrams from Appliance Parts was excellent and showed exactly what parts were needed. The Refrigerator failure occurred on Thanksgiving Day morning, not good. We had to transfer all of our food to our Refrigerator in the garage. The good news is we ordered the parts on Friday and they were on our doorstep on Monday. The Refrigerator is fixed and running perfectly. Excellent place to order parts!