2539280415 Kenmore Freezer - Instructions

Replaced defrost thermostat and defrost timer on my commercial Kelvinator freezer. Took out screws inside freezer compartment that hold panel at top inside freezer.Once the screws were removed I pulled out the thermostat dial so the panel was free to drop down and expose coils to the freezer that were located in the top rear of the inside freezer compartment.The defrost thermostat was located on the top of the coil to the top left as you face the inside of the Kelvinator KFS220RHY1 freezer. Very easy unplug old and plug in new defrost thermostat. Also replaced timer located in the back side of the freezer down near the middle of the bottom of the freezer near the compressor. There were two nuts holding the timer in the back of the freezer once I took those out I just unplugged the old timer and plugged the new timer in ....very simple fix. I have only run my freezer for a week since I replaced both parts but so far all is working well.

Took out screws completely then had to wedge gasket underneath. Gasket comes a little tangled in box should remove immediately and keep at room temp till ready to use.

Removed evaporator cover, unplug 2 wires to thermostat, unclipped it from the coil. Installed new themostat back the same way.

Layed the seal out in the driveway in the sun to warm it up. Unscrewed the screws, not all the way. Removed old seal. Stared at the top corner, working our way around, making sure corners lined up. Don't pull on the seal or you will stretch it. Once it's applied and all corners are lined up, tighten crews down lightly. The seal mediately stuck but it took a few hours for the vacuum to suck it down. Easy breezy!

I followed the video. It’s not that it’s a bit difficult, it’s just going slowly and carefully.
The thing that I didn’t allow the 24 hours for the gasket to relax after leaving the box. Also, I forgot to heat the gasket and put a small layer of Vaseline.
So the next day I noticed the the gasket wasn’t seating properly and went back to the video and carefully followed the steps to gently heat it with a hair dryer and Vaseline. The gentle heat let the gasket properly relax and seat. The Vaseline helped created a small vacuum to complete the gaskets “training” to seal properly.
24 hours later it was beautiful and the freezer was working like new.
Parts Select was great to deal with.

I first replaced the defrost timer about a week prior and it did not correct the problem. I then ordered the thermostat from partselect and within 15 minutes had the part installed. My refridgerator has been running correctly for a couple weeks.

I replaced the timer and the defrost thermostat. The defrost thermostat replacement was almost exactly like the training video here. The old part attached slightly differently. The most time consuming part was thawing out the heat exchanger, which was completely covered with ice, inside and out.

Compared to the training video, the timer took more work given its location. It was low to the ground and a bit difficult to get at around the other wires and parts. However, the new part fit perfectly. I just unplugged and unscrewed the old part then reversed those steps with the new one.

Removed the old defrost timer by removing 4 screws on the holding bracket. Disconnected the wire harness. Reconnected the wire harness to the new part. Installed the new part with 2 screws on the top of the molded bracket. I am a 67 year old woman... easy-peasy. (the defost timer is located in the bottom left rear of the freezer.

Best way is to watch the video on YouTube and follow the directions

Bought the defrost timer based on PartSelect recommendations, installed it and no change. Apparently the old one was fine but since the refrigerator was in a flood and this part got submerged in water I kept it rather than returning it. I looked at everything closely and realized all the mechanical functions were working properly. Rarely does a condenser coil fail so I decided to look into recharging the coolant. Bought a 1/4 inch bullet valve, a 12oz. can of R-134a and a cheap resealable can adapter with hose, gauge and R22 to R-134a adapters. After a $30. investment Bingo, after one squirt the refrigerator began to cool and after 4oz. it now works better than new. I understand that PartSelect is in the business of selling only their parts but please consider that there can be other simple problems.

1. I took out one screw on the ice maker and loosened the other two screws and unplugged and removed the ice maker.
2. Next I took out 2 screws from the bottom of the auger drive box and unplugged the wiring harness and removed the box. The wiring harness was a little tricky. The lock on the plug pushes in to unlock even though it looks like it pulls out,.
3.next you must remove 2 screws from the left side bracket that holds the auger box and remove the bracket.
4.Now take out 8 screws that hold the back panel in place and remove the back panel.
5. now your looking at the evaporator fan blade and motor. The simple way to replace the fan blade is to unplug the motor and remove it from the freezer. It just sits in with nothing holding it. The fan requires a little pressure but should pull right off. Install new fan blade and put everything back in the same order it was removed.

took door of removed gasket replaced

From discussions with friends, I determined the problem might be easy to fix. The fridge made a lot of noise, but the compressor DID come on, and inside the freezer was cold, but the main fridge was warming.

After unplugging the fridge, I removed the fan assembly in the freezer (there were about 4 nuts and a couple of plugs to uncouple.

I could see right away the fan blades has broken off, but the motor looked good. The new new fan pushed easily onto the shift and fit perfectly in the housing.

I reinstalled the fan assembly, plugged in the fridge, and right away heard the new fan come on - very quietly. What was a roar became a whisper and the fridge was down to 38 degrees with a few hours.

Needed a Phillips head screwdriver to remove bottom plate (kick panel). UNPLUGGED FREEZER. Removed plate pulled switch out through the mounting hole and unhooked the two electric wires. Placed wires on new switch, pushed wires back through the hole and seated the switch. Plugged in the freezer and opened the door - magic, the light came on. Replaced the front kick panel (hardest part was to line up the plate holes with the holes in the mounting bracket).

Removed shelves ,removed panel on interior back wall with Philips screwdriver ,unplugged wire terminals slid thermostat off coil ,then reversed process to complete installation.