LG Refrigerator Not Cooling? That Clicking Sound Is Telling You Something Important

Your LG refrigerator is warm, the compressor is hot to the touch, and every few minutes you hear that little click, like the fridge is trying to start but giving up. That's not nothing, fam. That's your fridge begging for a diagnosis.

What's Actually Going On

Here's the deal: that rhythmic clicking you're hearing is almost always the compressor attempting to start, failing, and then the thermal overload cutting power to protect it. Rinse and repeat, every two to three minutes. Most people hear that sound and immediately assume the worst, that the LG fridge compressor itself is toast. Sometimes that's true. But a lot of the time, the real culprit is something way cheaper: the compressor start relay.

The start relay on your LG refrigerator is a small component, about the size of a jumbo eraser, that plugs directly onto the side of the compressor. Its whole job is to give the compressor a jolt of extra current to get it spinning, then step back once it's running. When the relay fails, the compressor never gets that jumpstart. It tries, it overheats, the overload trips, and you hear that click. Over and over. Meanwhile, your food is slowly reaching room temperature and you're Googling at midnight.

The part you're looking for is EAU61843401, that's the OEM LG compressor start relay that fits a wide range of LG side-by-side and French door refrigerators. Before you convince yourself you need a $400+ compressor replacement, you owe it to your wallet to test or swap this relay first. It's one of the easiest diagnostic moves in appliance repair.

The Fix

Here's how to figure out if the start relay is your problem, and what to do about it:

1. Unplug the refrigerator. Non-negotiable. Always.
2. Pull the fridge away from the wall so you can access the back panel near the bottom.
3. Locate the compressor, it's the black dome-shaped unit. The start relay plugs into a set of terminals on the side of it.
4. Remove the relay by gently pulling it straight off the terminals. No tools needed.
5. The rattle test: Shake the relay next to your ear. If you hear something loose rattling around inside, the relay is dead. Silence is what you want. A rattle means replace it.
6. Optional meter test: With a multimeter set to ohms, test across the relay terminals. A failed relay will show an open circuit (no continuity).
7. Swap in part EAU61843401**, plug it onto the compressor terminals, button everything back up, and power the fridge on.
8. Wait 30 minutes. The compressor should start and run steadily without clicking. Temps should start dropping within a couple hours.

If the clicking stops and the fridge starts cooling, congrats, you just saved yourself hundreds of dollars. If the clicking continues or the compressor still runs hot without cooling the fridge, you may be looking at a failed compressor, and it's time for a deeper conversation about repair vs. replace.

When to Call YAP vs. DIY

DIY it: If your LG refrigerator is not cooling and you've confirmed that clicking/hot compressor combo, swapping the start relay EAU61843401 is a legitimate beginner-level repair. No soldering, no special tools, just pull and replace.

Call YAP: If you've already replaced the relay and the compressor clicking is still happening, or the compressor is stone cold and not running at all, come talk to us, there may be a bigger issue and we'll help you figure out if a repair even makes financial sense before you spend more money.

We stock EAU61843401 at the Piedmont shop and can usually get you out the door same day. Swing by or text us at 405-876-8100, we'll get your LG fridge compressor situation sorted fast.