LG Refrigerator Not Cooling But Freezer Works: Expert Fixes

Quick Answer

When your LG freezer is freezing but the fridge is warm, the cold air produced in the back of the freezer isn't migrating to the fresh food section. Start by checking if the vents between the two sections are blocked by a stray bag of frozen peas or a thick layer of ice.

Look, nine times out of ten when I show up for this call the compressor's totally fine. If your freezer's still cranking out ice, don't panic yet. What you're dealing with is almost always a dead fan motor or a defrost system that's turned your airflow channels into a solid block of ice. Way cheaper fix than a new fridge. But ignore it and your food's going to spoil fast.

LgRefrigeratorSeverity: highDifficulty: intermediate88% DIY Success

Time to Fix

45–120 min

Difficulty

intermediate

Parts Cost

$35 – $85

Tools Needed

Phillips #2 screwdriver, 1/4 inch nut driver

LG Refrigerator Not Cooling But Freezer Works: Expert Fixes

OK so here's the deal: LG uses one evaporator for the whole fridge and it lives in the freezer. If anything breaks between that evaporator and your fresh food section, cold air just doesn't make it through. Most repairs run $150-$300 with a pro, but honestly this is one of the more DIY-friendly fridge jobs out there. You don't need special equipment, just a multimeter and a screwdriver.

Most Likely Causes

Based on aggregated repair data, here is the probability breakdown for this error code:

Frosted evaporator coils (Defrost failure)45%

Evaporator fan motor failure25%

Air damper assembly failure15%

Blocked air vents (User error)10%

Control board logic error5%

Symptoms You May Notice

Your fridge feels like room temperature but the freezer's still rock-solid frozen, which is the classic sign something's interrupting airflow between the two sections.
There's a thick white or grayish layer of frost coating the back wall inside the freezer compartment, sometimes an inch or two deep, sometimes a full solid sheet.
You stand in front of the open fridge and there's no cold air blowing from the vents at the top or back. Just still, warm air.
Ice maker's still cranking out ice just fine, which tells you the compressor and the freezer side are working normally.
You can hear the compressor humming down below but the fan sound's gone quiet, or there's a grinding noise coming from somewhere in the freezer.

Can you reset a Lg refrigerator to clear the NOT-COOLING code?

Unplug the fridge and leave it unplugged for a full 60 seconds, not 10 seconds, a full minute. Open both doors while you wait to bleed off any residual charge. Plug it back in and listen for a startup sequence. Fans should spin up within 30-60 seconds. If this was a software glitch in the damper control or defrost timing, it'll often clear itself. Give it 24 hours to stabilize before you decide whether the problem's still there.

Tools Required for Diagnosis

Phillips #2 screwdriver1/4 inch nut driverMultimeter (set to ohms and continuity)Hair dryer or heat gun (for manual defrost thaw)Plastic putty knife or trim removal toolWork gloves (evaporator fins are sharp)Flashlight or headlamp

Service / Diagnostic Mode

Press and hold the REFRIGERATOR and ICE PLUS buttons simultaneously for five seconds. The display will beep and enter test mode. Press the button on the main PCB once to force the fans and compressor to run for diagnostic testing.

Diagnostic Checklist

Follow these steps in order. We start with the easiest external fixes before opening up the machine.

ComponentComponent Under Test

Expected Range30–100 ohms

ConditionIf Open (OL) or infinite, replace component.

Replacement Parts

If your diagnostic testing proves the component has failed, you will need a replacement. We recommend OEM parts over aftermarket for water-handling components.

Part Name	OEM Number	Estimated Price
Evaporator Fan MotorEAU64824401 · $45–$85	EAU64824401	$45 – $85
Air Damper Control AssemblyADJ73252222 · $35–$70	ADJ73252222	$35 – $70

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I just manually defrost my LG fridge to fix this?

Manually defrosting will give you a temporary fix, yeah. Clear the ice and the air flows again. But if the defrost heater or thermistor's actually bad, that ice will be right back in 3-7 days. I've had customers call me back the following week saying 'it worked for a few days and now it's warm again.' So defrost it to confirm that's the issue, but then actually replace the part that failed or you're just going to keep doing this over and over.

Why is my LG freezer cold but the fridge is 50 degrees?

This is almost always an airflow problem. LG uses a single evaporator in the freezer to cool both sections, and a fan pushes that cold air through a duct into the fridge. If the fan stops, the damper gets stuck, or ice blocks the coils, cold air just stays in the freezer. The fridge side starves. It's a design thing with single-evaporator systems and it affects basically every LG French door model out there.

Is this a sign of the famous LG compressor failure?

Usually, no. When an LG linear compressor fails, it typically kills both the freezer and the fridge. If your freezer's still making ice or holding zero degrees, your compressor's almost certainly fine. The bad compressor symptom is warm everywhere, both sections, the whole thing. What you're describing, cold freezer and warm fridge, that's an airflow or defrost problem. Totally different fix and way cheaper than a compressor replacement.

How do I know if my evaporator fan is bad?

Hold the freezer door switch in and listen. If you hear nothing or a grinding or chirping noise while the compressor's humming, the fan's bad. You can also unplug the fridge, pull the back panel in the freezer, and try to spin the fan blade by hand. It should spin freely and smoothly. If it's stiff, wobbles, or you can see ice has been hitting the blade, that's your answer. Fan motors on LG fridges run about $30-50 for the part.

How much does it cost to fix an LG fridge that's not cooling but the freezer works?

Depends on what's failed. Evaporator fan motor is $30-60 for the part and maybe 45 minutes of your time to swap it out. A defrost heater kit with the thermistor runs $40-80. The damper assembly is $50-100. If you hire a tech, figure $200-400 total with labor. The only time it gets expensive is if the main control board's involved, that's $150-250 for the part alone. But start with the fan and defrost components because that's what's actually failed 90% of the time.

Models Known to Experience NOT-COOLING Errors

This repair applies to most Lg refrigerators with this error code. Common model numbers include:

LFXS28968S, LFXC24726S, LMXS28626S, LFXS26973S, LSXS26326S, LRMDS3006S, LRFXS2503S, LRFVC2406S

Written by

Mike Sullivan

Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 20 years experience

Last verified for technical accuracy on March 17, 2026