How to Troubleshoot a Noisy, Leaky, Icy, Samsung Refrigerator That Doesn't Cool

Remove all of the shelves by lifting them up and out.

Remove the crisper drawer top by pressing in the two plastic buttons and lifting the shelf up and out.

Use fingers or a screwdriver to press the release buttons if the tabs are hard to reach.

Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the three screws at the bottom of the evaporator panel.

Use a flathead screwdriver to remove the plastic cover at the top of the metal shelf bar.

Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the final screw hidden by the plastic cover.

Remove the metal shelf bar so it won’t fall when the panel comes off.

Insert a putty knife or screwdriver between the evaporator panel and the refrigerator housing.

Gently wiggle the panel loose and pull it outward.

Activate the refrigerator’s hidden forced defrost mode using the UI button sequence shown for the video’s model.

Hold the two buttons shown on the UI for eight seconds, then scroll to RD mode for refrigerator defrost.

Use FD mode if RD isn’t available, because FD defrosts the entire unit including the freezer.

Stop the beeping by cycling out of forced defrost until the display shows no lights for about six seconds, or by unplugging the refrigerator.

Unplug the refrigerator and let it thaw with the doors open for a few hours, if needed.

Use a garment steamer or steam gun to push steam into the small air holes in the panel to melt hidden ice.

Blast steam into the screw hole that was uncovered earlier to reach the area where heavy ice is often hidden.

Use a putty knife to gently pull the panel outward once the ice releases.

Pull the panel outward a few inches to expose the wire clusters behind it.

Disconnect the two wire harnesses by pressing their small clip arms and pulling the connectors apart.

Unwind the two wires looped into the panel’s plastic fingers.

Remove the evaporator panel from the refrigerator.

Inspect the evaporator panel for waterlogged foam, damaged styrofoam, damaged tape, and damaged metal.

Patch minor panel damage using HVAC tape or insulated tape, if needed.

Check the evaporator area for ice and standing water in the bottom metal pan, which often indicates a clogged drain line.

Remove all remaining ice from the evaporator coils, and make sure everything is dry before installing parts.

Flush the drain tray using warm water from a bottle with a drilled cap hole to try to clear ice or debris.

Push more water through by feeding a plastic ice maker line into the drain opening, if available.

Use a steam gun nozzle pointed down into the drain and keep triggering steam until the blockage clears.

Use tin snips to remove the short metal drain probe, and remove the remaining clip pieces.

Dislodge the evaporator by pulling the aluminum coil out from its plastic retainer clip.

Use a putty knife or screwdriver to slowly wiggle the bottom pan area away from the refrigerator to shake loose trapped water.

Stick the two V-notched silver strips into the bottom of the drain tray to fill the space around the drain hole and channel water into it.

Cut the silver strips to fit if they don’t match the tray shape.

Place the two un-notched silver strips vertically behind the metal panel.

Install the longer drain probe into the drain hole, bend it with needle-nose pliers if needed, and clamp its side arms onto the defrost heater rod.

Route the flexible secondary heater along the copper tubing, matching the bends as closely as the model’s piping layout allows.

Secure the heater to the copper tubing using high-temperature cable ties.

Use side cutters to trim the excess from the cable ties.

Remove the defrost sensor so it’s free for splicing and re-routing.

Remove the black mastic tape from the sensor and harness, even if you plan to reuse the old sensor.

Release the sensor from the harness by separating the red tab clips, then pull the sensor out of the housing.

Cut the cable tie holding the sensor wiring if it prevents removal.

Test the sensor by putting a multimeter in ohms mode and pressing the leads into the harness pins to check for temperature-dependent resistance changes.

Inspect the nearby wire connectors for bluish-green oxidation, and clean them if you find corrosion.

Locate the pair of brown wires that power the main defrost heater rod.

Clamp a Posi-Tap U-shaped piece onto a brown wire, then screw the needle housing in to pierce the wire and create the splice.

Apply silicone sealant to both sides of the gap in the Posi-Tap to prevent moisture intrusion.

Repeat the Posi-Tap splice and silicone sealing process on the other brown wire on the opposite side.

Unscrew the Posi-Tap collar, thread it onto a gray heater power wire, cut the wire to length, and strip the end.

Twist the stripped wire end, insert it into the Posi-Tap post, and tighten the collar to clamp it.

Connect the other gray heater power wire to the other Posi-Tap the same way, and ignore polarity because it doesn’t matter on this heater.

Reinstall the defrost sensor into the harness.

Reassemble the red clip pieces onto the harness so their tongues fit into the rear of the sensor harness and their fingers snap onto the harness body.

Move the defrost sensor to the flat area of the evaporator instead of the copper pipe location where it was originally taped.

Secure loose wiring to the heater using cable ties to clean up the installation.

Plug the refrigerator in to power it up for testing.

Reconnect the evaporator panel wiring so the panel can hang to the side while you inspect the evaporator area.

Run forced defrost mode again to verify the main defrost heater and the secondary heater warm up.

Confirm the evaporator coils only have light frost and not a large ice mass.

Turn forced defrost off after verification, and unplug the refrigerator before moving it.

Remove the bottom rear metal panel by using a Phillips screwdriver to remove the five screws.

Clean dust from the condenser coils and condenser fan using a coil brush and a vacuum.

Pull the old drain tubes downward to remove them.

Install the new drain tubes, trimming the kit configuration as needed so the parts fit this refrigerator’s layout.

Reinstall the rear metal panel by seating it on the two bottom fingers, then reinstall the five screws.

Reconnect the two wire harnesses and re-seat the evaporator panel.

Reinstall the metal shelf bar and reinstall the evaporator panel screws.

Press the panel fully flush against the rear wall, aligning the snap points indicated by the arrows on the panel.

Seal any air gaps around the panel with leftover silicone sealant, and recheck for pinched wiring if the panel won’t sit flush.

Snap the crisper drawer shelf top back into the water filter housing, then reinstall all shelves.