RT218JCV0 Frigidaire Refrigerator - Instructions

Replaced the refrigerator thermostat. One hex-head screw in the rear and two tabs on the front hold the thermostat cover on. The temperature knob pulls off by friction, exposing two phillips-head screws that hold the thermostat in place. Two power wires and one ground wire are held on by clips. The replacement thermostat is a different shape than the original, but it is a direct fit. This replacement eliminated the problem. The only thing that made the job difficult was not having any instructions nor any wiring diagrams for the refrigerator.

According to the information from the parts select website the thermostat and the defrost timer where ranked number 1&2 as likely to fail and cause the condition experienced. To replace the Defrost thermostat just remove the freezer bins and the lower panel covering the evaporator. Remove the old thermostat, measure the wire lengths and install the provided crimp splices. Note: the heat shrink tubing is WAY over-sized and will not shrink to the size needed. You will need another means of sealing the wire connection. Install the thermostat and replace the panel and shelves. The timer is real easy. On my model it is located under the freezer door under the kick panel on the front. Simply remove 2 Phillips head screws, unplug the old unit and install the new one. Be sure to cycle the thermostat past the defrost cycle on the timer (rotate until an audible click is heard once for the beginning of the cycle and one at the end) so that the unit will start up when power is reconnected. This resolved my problem and the unit is working great!

One of the three top comments from other replys had similar problems, so I took their advice, since the prices were resonable, I went and replaced two parts instead of just the defrost timer. If I had to do it a second time I could probably do it all in about 20 mins.

The instructions given to me by part Select were very good.I replaced the Timer- checked the heater with oham meter it was good- checked the door weather striping it was good and replaced the thermostat with new .So at this point I may need to call a professional unless some one has another solution.

The temperature was slowing rising in the refrigerator section of a side-by-side. As a precaution, I changed out the defrost timer and defrost thermostat. The parts were not expensive. I then tested the defrost heating element with a multimeter and found the actual culprit was a burned out heater coil. I ordered the part one day and it was delivered by FEDEX the next day. The three parts were much cheaper than a new refrigerator and took little time to install, thanks to the Parts Select website and the how-to-install videos. Now the fridge works great and we saved having to buy a new appliance.

Ordered new parts, removed old parts, put in new parts. Done.

1. Unplug the refrigerator.2. Remove the storage rack and back panel in the freezer. 3. Locate the thermostat. 4. Defrost the freezer coils , i used a hair dryer. 5. Remove the thermostat from the cooling coil and then clip the connecting wires close to the unit. 6. Strip the ends of these wires and connect these wires to the wires of the replacement unit using the supplied wire connectors. 6. Heat seal with a lighter the connections using the water shield sleeves provided and further wrap connections with electrical tape. 7. Reconnect the thermostat to the cooling coil at the location it was removed from. 8. Replace the freezer back panel removed earlierand the storage rack if you have one. 9. Plug the freezer back in. My refrigerator has been working ever since the repair. There are several YouTube videos available that walk you through the diagnoses and repair process. They are very good.

The old drain pan had a 1 ½” tall bushing attached to the center of the pan. The new pan did not have this bushing which was great. I had to cut about 1 inch off the bushing to remove the old pan. Also after cutting the bushing I had to screw the bushing off after cutting the old pan from the bushing. I installed new pan onto the ½” of threads that was left on the top of the compressor. Checked repair two days later all was great.

Part Select suggested probable causes and supplied videos of how to make the repair of a 25 yr.old refrigerator along with the specific parts to order. I was about to trash the old refrigerator but after replacing the parts for a total of about $40 and 1 hour of time it works fine now.

with patience

Unplug the refrigerator. You will ultimately need to remove the back panel of the freezer. But first, you will need to unscrew 2 screws on a small vertical fan vent and unscrew two screws on the fan. Maneuver the fan out of the round hole in the back panel and unplug the 3 prong wire connection. Then remove the fan. Unscrew the 4 remaining visible screwson the back pannel and remove the panel. This will expose the freon coils. On this model, the heater has two connections at the top of the coils. Unplug those wire connections. The heater extends down each side of the coils and along the bottom of the coils. Unhook two aluminum ties that connect the heater element to the coils. These ties stabilize the heater element and also prevents any current from flowing along the element because of the touching of two different metalic parts. Maneuver the heater element out of the coils. To install the new heater, reverse the above process beginning with installing the new heater element. If it hasn't already been done, it is good idea to test the old heater element with an ohm meter to make sure that the element is actually bad. The circuit should be open. This is the second heater element that I had to replace on this refrigerator, and it was actually burned in half both times, so I knew for sure the element was bad. Then test the new element to make sure it is good, and start the installation..

Based on other problems listed I determined I had a bad thermostat, defrost timer, or defrost heater. Since my refrig is over 14 years old I decided to replace all three components since I don't have testing equipment. As a former aircraft mechanic in the Air Force who did a lot of removal and replacement of components I didn't have any problems. Your videos were very helpful and on point. My refrigerator is now working perfectly. My rational for replacing the three components was it was still cheaper than having a refrigeration person to come out and I received your parts the next day. By the way, the defrost timer is located outside in the bottom left front of the refrigerator while the videos suggested that it was inside under the control panel. Thanks!

I followed the advice of many people with the same problem, and replaced the Defrost Thermostat and Defrost Timer. Both repairs were relatively easy, and the problem appears to be solved. The replacement of the Defrost Timer is very easy (about 30 minutes), and I wish I had stopped at that step and waited 48 hours to see if that fixed the problem. But, I wanted to replace both parts that I had purchased - - In my refrigerator, access to the Defrost Thermostat is through the back of the freezer panel. Not too difficult to get to the area, but I had a bit of a problem in replacing the part, and might have been better-off to see if step 1 fixed the issue. The problem that I ran into is that I don't have a crimping tool, and crushed both of the connecting sleeves when trying to 'crimp' them with a set of wire-strippers. Rather than to invest in a crimping tool, I connected the wires and sealed with electrical tape - - Now that the issue is resolved, I will likely re-open and use a proper connecting sleeve (with a proper crimping tool). My advice is to buy both parts, and replace just the Defrost Timer first. Chances are good that it may fix your problem, and you are only out $20 for the second part, which you can leave in your junk drawer until you may need it some day! All in all, it was a great way to spend $40 and avoid a costly service call!

This is a top and bottom frige. I unplugged the fridge and I took off the sheld in the freezer and removed the blower fan cover and unplugged the fan to remove the back freezer panel. Be careful when moving the fan. It looks sensitive. I used a hair dryer to melt the frost to get to the screws. Because it was frosted the back panel was hard to take off. Don't force it too much, just keep melting the ice. Once it was off the radiator looking thing was completely frosted and iced over and I couldnt even see the thermostat. I started blowing it with the hair dryer and it started melting. It took an hour to get the ice melted enough to actually see and remove the thermostat. You may want to leave the fridge off for a day. I didnt have a choice because I didnt have anywhere else to place the food. I was using the freezer as the fridge. Thats how cool the freezer was. I cut the wires for the thermostat. Im sure you could check which is positive and which is negative. I just looked at the direction the wires went. This works but it is not guaranteed. Check for ground. Google it if you need to know how. I used the clamp connector things but I didnt have a clamper so I used a plier. It works but I didnt like how it clamped. The little tubing didnt work for me becuase I didnt have a solder gun to warm it up and using a match is not good. You'll burn the wire. Buy electric tape and wrap it around. Dont use regular tape. Go to home depot it costs 99 cents. Make sure all ice is melted. Go over everything with the hairdryer to melt the ice. You dont want it to start freezing and clog up the vents, expsecially the one that goes from the fan to the fridge. Before I put everything back together I changed the defrost timer because I figured its best to change it since you never know. I loosened the two screws but first I took offf the screw holding the timer panel. I changed the defrost timer and connected it back. Then I screwed everything together. Then I screwed in the back freezer panel but not the fan cover so I could see if the fan is working. I plugged in the fridge and the fan didnt work. If you look under the defrost timer panel, the timer has a round part that you can move with a flathead screwdriver. Move it lightly clockwise and the fan will start. I read that the fan goes for 8 hours and then it turns off for a half hour. Seems like a lot of time to be on but its been a week and the fridge and freezer are working real good. This website is good and the aprts are cheaper than Sears.

First I removed the inner door which was easy and used a drill with a hex head driver to undo all of the screws behind the gasket. Trying to fit the new gasket on was a fidely nightmare. It's not too bad to get the sides on but the corners are very difficult. At first I had left the door on the fridge after an hours worth of swearing I took the door right off and laid it flat on a table. When I finally got the gasket all on, with a couple od small tears, I hit it with a heat gun and got most but not all of the wrinkels out. When I put the door back on the fridge it wouldn't close properly - gaps in the gasket. I leaned some weights against the door and it the gasket with the heat gun again. Gradually over 2 days it fit fairley well.