PLHS239ZDBD Frigidaire Refrigerator - Instructions

We opened our freezer last week only to find the bottom 2/3 was barely cold, while only the rear of the upper shelf was cold. In fact, it was covered in frost, despite being a frost-free model. Our frozen veggies were slushy, not rock hard, and our frozen juices were all liquid. We defrosted the freezer, plugged it back in, but immediately noticed that we didn't hear the 'whhoooooosh' that you typically hear when you close the freezer door. After 30 minutes, the rear upper shelf was frosty again, but the rest was still at room temp. We figured the freezer was a goner, so we started looking at new freezers. I headed online to see if I could fix it, and I eventually found this site. I had learned online that these symptoms can be caused by either a bad capacitor, or a bad controller (which the capacitor plugs in to). I guess you can't necessarily tell which of the two parts is defective, so I chose to order/replace both of them. I ordered the correct parts from partselect.com, and they alerted me that Frigidaire has a new replacement part for the capacitor. When the parts arrived (quickly, ftw!), I unplugged the freezer and snipped the two wires leading to the controller. Next I unplugged the controller from the compressor housing. I spliced the replacement controller's wires into the freezer's wires (using my own wire nuts...as none were included with my order :( ). I snapped the new controller onto the compressor mounting, and then plugged the capacitor in. I plugged the freezer back in, and it was time for the moment of truth. The interior light of the freezer came on, and I could hear the compressor 'humming'. I could hear it humming before the repair, so the big test was to see if it got cold. I was nervous because the freezer DIDN'T make the 'whoooshing' noise right away, but after just an hour, the 'test' mug of water was already turning into ice. It was fixed!!!! If you have these symptoms, you CAN do this!!! Unplug the freezer. Cut two wires. Unplug the controller. Splice two wires. Plug in the new controller. Snap in the new capacitor. DONE!!!

Repair was very easy - and to my great delight, they have replaced the old-style compression fittings with PEX push-fittings. You just clip the old compression ring and nut off the tubing and insert the tubing firmly into the fitting. SNAP! VOILA! PEX fittings are the greatest things since sliced bread. I used it to plumb my new house.

When I first noticed that my refrigerator coil was iced up, I read a little bit about the defrost cycle of a refrigerator. I decided to try replacing the least expensive parts first. First I tried the defrost themostat, it was a very easy repair. My coil still froze up after a couple of days. Then I learned how to force my fridge into a defrost mode (on a frigidaire you just click the light button in the fridge 5 times in under 6 seconds). Then I noticed that the defrost heater was not heating up...this repair was more difficult. You have to first remove the two shelves, bin, and tracks. Then you remove the back panel...4 screws. Then you have to take out a couple of screws and drill out one rivet on the drain pan and pull the drain pan out so you can get the defrost heater which snakes up through the coil from the bottom of the coil. Be careful, as the drain pan and coil fins are very sharp, I sliced a couple fingers messing around with these parts. The defrost heater itself is relatively easy to put in once the coil is in the right position (there are videos on youtube on how to do this). After I put in the new heating element, and buttoned everything back up, I was excited to check my work...I forced the fridge into defrost by clicking the light switch 5 times, and the heater still didn't come on! It dawned on me that this problem started about 5 days after a major power outage (hurricane Irene)...When the power came on, it must have surged, and zapped the defrost control board...Long story short, I replaced the control board (about $75.00 from partselect.com) and my problem is fixed...at least I have a 100% brand new defrost system now...Of course it won't be too long until my wife wants another fridge to match her Stainless Steel applicances...oh well, this one will do fine in the garage.

turned off water supply at water line to fridge. removed two hex head screws @ bottom of rear of appliance that hold the water valve in place.
Simply moved color coded elect. plugs from old one to new one, same with water lines. Only difference is, the replacement one I got uses push in water lines and my original was compression fit. No problem though, just cut the nipple off of original line going into new valve and you are good to go. Might want to have an extra 1/'4" brass compression washer though for the one remaining line. Whole process I did on my lunch break at home less than 30 minutes.
Only problem though was nothing changed. Spoke with service man over the phone and he said MOST of the time it is water freezing up in the inlet tube top of machine, inside. Remove water line from rear outside on top behind freezer and with a straw try to blow through, if it is froze it will not go through. Mine did not go through. Used hair dryer inside freezer in back on incoming line 5-10 minutes,thawed out, makes ice. Go figure. Changing valves was easy and well described as stated, just not necessary in my case, but now I know. Thanks, Warren in Iowa

After three years of cussing this 5-year old fridge for not ejecting the ice, and having to reach in and pull it out by hand, I fixed it with $100 and five minutes. Worse, I probably could have gotten Sears to honor the warranty and replace it when it first started acting up.

Repair could not have been easier. Loosened the two screws/fasteners with 1/4" drive socket set (straight-slot screwdriver wouldn't bite in the shallow slot). Do not remove screws completely; assy lifts up and off the screws for removal. Turn the unit slightly, unclip the electrical connector and remove. Installation is the reverse. Ensure assy sits flush on the screws to assure tray is level.

Although I probably could/should have unplugged the fridge first, I did not. I made sure the ice maker assy was off prior to installation to keep it from cycling on as I attached the ice maker electrical connector, which is before the remounting procedure.

Now it's making so much ice I have to find the plastic shelf cover for the ice bin to keep it from overflowing (which also helps move the ice level bar up to temporarily suspend ice production).

To access the part you have to remove the back panel of the freezer compartment from the inside of the freezer itself. There are four screws to this panel. I emptied the contents of the freezer, took of 2 shelves and brackets to gain access and removed the cover. Located the part , cut the wires with a wire cutter and left a small tail ....MAKE SURE TO UNPLUG REFRIG OF COURSE ... the part is clipped on the coils , added the new part. matched the color wires and added the connectors , crimped the wires and added a little electrical tape and put the panel and shelves back. THE REFRIG IS WORKING LIKE A CHARM

OK, what I really want to talk about is the really poor quality of the fan motor. This is the third time that it has failed (about once per year). Local maintenance shops do not stock the motor, hence the frozen food thaws before they can get a part. I always keep a spare motor so that I can immediately repair the fridge.

The repair is very easy - remove all racks in the freezer and then remove their slides. Then remove the screws in the back plate. Due to the ice maker, the plate will not come out, so just pull it up and tie it off. Remove the screws to remove the motor fan assembly. I did the repair with the power on, BUT BE CAREFUL if you do so. Uplug the power from the motor, and remove the assembly from the freezer. Disamble and replace the motor. Then revese the above and you're freezing again.

Unplugged fridge, removed all screws from inside freezer panel. Removed bracket, fan blade and wires from evaporator motor and swapped motor with new one. Very easy. Professional repairman wanted almost $200 to fix it. Total cost for me was $35 and 25 minutes on a Saturday afternoon. Thanks PartSelect for the quick delivery, low price and tips on the replacement.

I first noticed that my fridge was not getting cold, after some investigation I realized that the coil was frozen in the freezer, which blocked the flow of cold air into the refrigerator. I noticed that the heater element was not getting hot, so it couldn't melt the ice off of the coil. I first started out by changing the cheapest parts first...The first was the defrost thermostat (the piece that clips on to the coil), no luck. Then I replaced the heater element itself, no luck. Then it dawned on me, I first noticed my problem about a week after a major power outage (hurricane Irene)...When the power came back on, it must have zapped my defrost control board. I changed this out (it's located in the fridge section on the top left hand side under a molded piece of plastic behind the temperature controls. The new control box that came was orange, and the original was black...This didn't prove to be a problem, because after a 15 min. swap out, my fridge now works perfectly. So after about a total of $100.00 spent on parts my fridge now works perfectly.

After unsuccessfully trying to change the blown light bulb I discovered that the plastic light socket had gotten so hot that it melted and permanently fused with the blown bulb. After my new socket arrived in the mail I just popped the temp control assembly out with a screw driver and removed the old socket and placed the new one in. Whole operation to 5 minutes.

First I pulled the ice tray out so I could see the solenoid housing/ice tray support(1 unit). Below the ice tray there are 2 screws that hold the solenoid housing/ice tray support. After removing those the assembly lifts up so you can see the wiring harness to disconnect. I pulled it out and removed the 2 screws to open it up. There is 2 screws holding the solenoid in place and one ground wire. This was an easy fix and I know I saved a lot of money.

1.Unplugged appliance. Removed rear access panel, turned off water supply valve, removed two screws holding water valve assembly in place.
2. Removed and drained all water lines.
3. Removed three electric solenoid wiring connections.
4.Cut and marked all water lines to facilitate new connecting procedure (instructions provided with the new valve assembly).
5. Inserted the water lines into the new valve by applying a bit of vaseline on tubing end prior to pushing lines into O-ring fittings.
6. Clean the embarassing dust from under the appliance!!!

Note: All lines, wiring, and valves were color-coded to prevent connecting to wrong lines and electric solenoids.

Note: Be sure to remove water inlet supply trough to rear of ice-maker. This tube may freeze solid and prevent water from filling freeze tray. This is done by turning the inlet pipe on the back of the cabinet 1/4 turn and retracting from cabinet.

Repair was pretty straight forward. The Plastic around the glass cover of the crisper pan all broke where the stud holds it up. Replaced both of the plastic covers.

The broken support stud was a bit of a pain, you have to use a long nose pliers to try and pull the middle stud that locks everything in place. Forcing the entire support stud out will crack the plastic body of the fridge, so you have to truly find a way to get that middle stud out first to lose the clamps. Look at the new one you have and figure out how it works to give you an idea of how you can pull out the broken one.

All in all, was a pretty simple install. More annoying as you have a small space to work in.

I checked the dampener, it worked. The compressor and fan worked. I knew because my freezer was still hovering around 10 degrees. Coils were clean. Thermistor was the only thing it could be. Took all my shelves out. Removed four screws. Took the back panel off. The thermistor sits tucked in on the side. I piped it out, in clipped it. Used my multimeter to test the numbers. Numbers were off just a bit. Ordered the part. Crossed my fingers.,took less then 5 minutes to put the part in. Plugged in the fridge. It was sitting at 33 degrees in about an hour and a half. I can’t believe I fixed it. I knew NOTHING about refrigerators. For how big my fridge is, it would have cost 3,000 and up to get a new one with the same cu ft size. Instead, it cost me $44. That includes shipping. Thank you Parts Select!! Made it so easy to pick the correct part for my model fridge!

The parts came within 2 days. The delivery was great. I took the food off the door, then removed the top hinge. Lifted door off bottom hinge and laid the door on a blanket on the floor. I then had access to the closing mechanism top and bottom that is just two plastic cams that lift the door as it opens. The weight of the door then is used on the cams to help close the door with the appliance level. It was very simple and assembly was just reverse order.