RT196PCW1 Frigidaire Refrigerator - Instructions

1. turn off the refrigerator using the inside temp dial
2. take all food out of the refrigerator door
3. pull up the gasket along the door frame and loosen all
the screws starting with the bottom and the sides
4. loosen the screws underneath the gasket on the top of
the door (be ready to lower the door frame when you
loosen the last screw!)
5. pull the old gasket off the door frame
6. put the door frame on the floor insulation side up
7. lay the new gasket out on the floor and use a blow
dryer to heat the new gasket to make it flexible
8. put the new gasket on the frame by fitting the crease
of the gasket over the edge of the frame making sure
that the magnet side of the new gasket is facing the
refrigerator when the frame is re-attached
9. apply RTV Silicone sealant along the entire lip of the
gasket (on the insulation side of the frame) and press
the gasket to the frame to form a bond ( I got a tube
of RTV silicone at Wal-Mart in the automotive dept. near
the motor oils)
10. wait 5-10 minutes to let the silicone bond to the frame
11. lift the frame up and re-attach to the door starting
with the top middle screw first, the side middle screws
next, the bottom middle screw last (you may want to get
a second person to help hold the frame while you are
attaching these initial screws)
12. go back and re-attach all remaining screws
13. close the refrigerator door and check for a good seal
all along the gasket
14. your done!

Note: you may want to close the refrigerator door and block
it with a chair to keep in some cold air after you
remove the frame to install the new gasket

Twisted replacement bulb into place easily. Let there be light!

Did the obvious. Removed the stick-out cover, then the back of the freezer wall, after taking the bad evaporator fan out. Replaced the old motor with the new one, stuck the fan blades back on, and put the replacement back in place. Checked to see that the new motor and fan, before final hook up, had no issues. That was a success. However, when I put the parts in place, I had some significant vibrations. By taking things apart and re-doing the install, the vibrations went away. However, the final install, even if quiet, did not work. Apparently the condenser was kaput. No cooling after all the adjustments. We gave up and are replacing the fridge.

I removed the plastic cowl in the rear of the freezer to gain access to the fan, took out two screws that secured the brackets holding the fan. Then I separated the coupling wires which had a sort of locking mechanism that was simple to undue. I took out the brackets along with the fan, separated the brackets and removed the screw for the ground wire. Then I simply reversed the process.

Removed the old and installed the new. Electrical plug/socket made connection easy. Biggest problem is working space in freezer side of a side by side with the fan in the back. If I can do it anyone can.

followed documentation from Frigidaire website.

Removed old thermostat and replaced. really easy.

You lift the old seal and unscrew the nut, being careful not to break the plastic holding the seal down, do not remove the screw the whole way. If you take your time and be methodic it is not difficult, just time consuming. Remove the old seal and start putting the new seal in. I would advise finger tightening the screws every 12 inches or so as you go. Then go back and tighten each side as you complete it.

Wasn't sure if it was the derost timer or the heating element. Since the timer was much cheaper, I bought it and crossed my fingers.
My story is like the others. Unplug the refrigerator, snip the old wires, strip back the wire insulation, use the supplied connectors to attach the new defrost timer to the existing wiring.
Success! My coils no longer freeze up.
Only difficulty is I am a large guy, and fitting my upper body into the freezer was challenging.

I replaced the bulb using my hands to twist the bulb in the socket located at the top of the refrigerator.

First I remove the back panel which had 4 screws. Then I removed the ice maker. The icemaker is held in place by the 2 screws that requires backing the screws out just a litter, than lift up and remove the electrical connector. Used a volt ohm meter to check the resisitant in the heater element and the defrost timing switch. Both tested good and that left only the thermostat. Removed and replaced the thermastat swich. I cut the ends of the old switch and crimp the ends of wire with the crimps that came with the swict i purchased from parts select. My refrigerator is working properly and making ice like normal.

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.

tested defrost timer and heater. And then tested defrost timer with ohm test($6 at hard ware store) Closed and would not open replace and tested freezer take 30mins to get switch cold and retest.

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.

Remove the cardboard access cover at the bottom back of the fridge. On the left side, locate the run capacitor. Remove it by prying it loose from its socket, after first removing the wire hold down clamp. One wonders why the clamp is there, which makes it difficult to get the run capacitor out. Be careful not to disrupt in any way the copper refrigerant tubes. If you mess them up, you will have wasted your time and effort trying to repair the machine. I was lucky, since a failed run capacitor is the problem only about 12% of the time, based on what I’ve read. Hallelujah! It was the problem with my fridge.