HMG211640 Admiral Refrigerator - Instructions

A very cold and brittle switch in a 17 year old fridge. Used screwdrivers to pry out with some resistance Had to cut the molded plug in half and split wires, because replacement contacts were farther apart than the original. End result, works great.

I pried the old one out with a screw driver and pushed the new one in. I expected instructions in the box it came in but there were none.

My owners manual said to unplug fridge from elec outlet, use a kitchen knife to gently pry off the switch plate
(manual had a pictoral example), unclip the two wire, replace with on new switch and replace the switch. Close
door and plug back in. Open door to check that the lite
works. Walla! It did. Thanks!

Sincerely, Ron Marshall, Billings, MT

Popped the old one out with a kitchen knife and popped the new one back in. It tool less than 15 seconds!!

I pulled down the wire around the glass cover. . . Released on end of the wire from its holder being careful to not let the glass cover drop. Unscrewed the bulb and replaced with replacement. Easy, easy.

had it done by my husband, I did not do it

Please bear in mind I am 65 years old & it was harder to get up & down off the floor then to change the switch. Was very easy - watched video, unplugged unit. I used the putty knife at the right front corner to work loose, when it came loose had to loose the left side a little. The unit pulled out easily. detached the wired that had a single plug with 2 prongs on it. Attached the plug, pushed new switch into place. There was no way you could place wires on wrong prong. When done, plugged refrigerator back in & checked if working. I CAN SEE THE LIGHT and the food in the freezer now. Thank you for making an easy repair.

ordered the parts. The bar took awhile to come in. The bar was too long for the fridge, so I had to hack of the end of it, then slid it into the two retainers I had put into the fridge.

The part could not be installed without home made angles which were attached to unit so that it would only protrude from back of refrigerator about 2" instead of 6".

I tried to remove the old light switch using a putty knife and a hammer. It was hard to compress the plastic tabs to pull it back through the hole, but all of a sudden, the lights came on. I guess banging on the switch freed-up the contacts. The new switch is now a spare part in case I need it.

First attempt was difficult. Part was different and instructions applied to previous part that did not have quick connect. Not clear where quick connect was to be used. Result no ice!second attempt used quick connect in reverse connections and now have plenty of ice. Combination of change in part appearence from previous one ,and different from instructions included with new part, resulted in confusion in installation. In the long run, it worked out well.

Researched this problem on the web. Disassembled the main refrigeration unit (slide out freezer floor panel). The cooling coils were completely iced up. Thawed overnight. Tested the coil thermostat with a multimeter and discovered it worked. Note that the activation temp on this thermostat is 15 degrees Fahrenheit so the ice-water bath test on many web videos will NOT work. My test was in another refrigerator freezer compartment (everyone has two, right?). When the temperature went below 15 and stayed there for 15 minutes, the thermostat opened the circuit. Further investigation revealed that the defrost heater was burnt and shorted. Replaced the defrost heater only to discover that the defrost timer was also broken. After replacing the defrost timer and testing each component thoroughly, the refrigerator is back in service. Freezer maintains about 8 F and the main refrigerator stays at about 36. The unit cycles off properly and the defrost timer is correctly initiating a defrost cycle. Further, when the defrost heater is cycled on, the thermostat correctly shuts it off once the coils are defrosted. Watch the youtube videos. Find your parts and note their specifications so you can test them properly. And good luck.

Unscrewed the right control knob. Removed the left temperature control knob (there is no screw holding it), removed one screw to rear of small panel then pried open from the rear of the small panel, there are two plastic tabs in front of the small panel holding it in place. Unscrewed the failed control unit and replaced it with the new one. Replaced the small panel and screw then the left side control knob, making sure of the alignment in the "off" position as the knob has to be pressured into a clamp arrangement on the cold control thermostat. Re-screwed the right knob into place, as well.

Thought we'd try the Water Valve before replacing the ice maker. Ordered new valve online on Saturday, it arrived on Tuesday. I installed it twice in less than 30 mins. Had a little leak the 1st time, so I uninstalled it, trimmed up the water line with a box cutter and reinstalled without issue. No leak this time. Easy Peasy. My husband said "You're good, you." :)

After receiving the new part almost immediately,using two screw drivers, removed the broken switch from the plastic frame. Be careful not to scratch or otherwise tear the plastic...very pliable. Since the original switch was factory installed and the wires were packed in fiberglass insulation, the switch came out but the wires and clips were still in place and could not reach the new switch. It was necessary to pull them down with bent long nose pliers...used a lot of "pull" but the wires held up.Connected the switch, turned the power on and there was light! Reports from other users really took the uncertainty out of the task.