Refrigerator Making Clicking Noise
moderate 30–60 min
Tools: flashlight, screwdriver or nut driver, vacuum with a brush attachment, coil brush · Materials: start relay and overload kit matching the compressor model
Steps
- Unplug the fridge and pull it out; the click comes from the small black relay box clipped to the side of the compressor at the bottom rear.
- Vacuum the condenser coils and the fan while you are there — a fridge that cannot shed heat overloads its compressor and clicks in exactly this way.
- Plug it back in and listen for three cycles: a click followed by a hum that dies after a few seconds, repeated every few minutes, is the compressor failing to start.
- Unplug again, unclip the relay, and shake it next to your ear — a rattle means the start relay has failed and a new one is a ten-minute swap.
- Fit the new relay and overload, restore power, and give it two hours; the compressor should now run for long stretches with a steady hum.
- Keep the coils clean twice a year and leave 5 cm (2 inches) behind the fridge for airflow.
Stop and call a pro if
- the new relay clicks the same way — the compressor windings are shorted or open
- the compressor is too hot to touch for more than a second or trips the breaker
- the fridge is warming and food is at risk — move it to a cooler now, then diagnose
What a pro does that you can't
An appliance technician tests the compressor windings and the sealed system, and can tell within minutes whether a $30 relay or a new compressor is the honest answer for a fridge of this age.
DIY cost: $15–40 for a relay and overload kit