FPES21TRL1 Frigidaire Refrigerator - Instructions

Turned off Refrigerator by thermostat switch in Freezer Compartment,(allowing for light to work in freezer). Then removed all food from freezer side,then all shelves & basket drawer. Next, unplugged refrigerator from electrical source. Removed back of inside of the freezer. Located the Thermostat for defrosting cooling coil. Removed and replaced with new part.(Tip-unplugged the wires for the original thermostat, remove from freezer and cut off and splice with connectors provided with new part, it's easier because you're not trying to do this in the narrow space of the freezer). Then attach the thermostat with new bracket and plug thermostat wires back in, replace back panel, shelves, plug in power supply, turn thermostat switch in Freezer to normal setting. Wait for Freezer to cool and replace food. It's currently working like new. BTW I thought I need a defrost time as well...however after I ordered that part and received it, I turned the existing defroster timer manually with a straight ended screwdriver very slowly and it cycled and the defrost rods glowed/functioned just fine. Therefore I didn't replace defrost timer. I'll save the new timer for future repair if needed. All in all it was fairly easy, and I didn't have to buy another fridge. I was really pleased with the service of this website...and the parts arrived very quickly via Fedex. Thanks www.partselect.com ! KJ

I original tried to repair the motor but was not able to. I remove the screws on the back plate and removed the the back plate. Removed the shroud for the motor and screws, unplug the power connection and removed the fan motor. Installed the new fan motor and reassembled everything. The refrigerator is working great.

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..

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 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.

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.

1st. replaced the defrost thermostat pn 5303918214 did not fix it next replaced the defrost timmer pn 215846602 that did not fix it,next replaced the defrost heater pn 5303918247 still did not fix it,has the same problem as when I started I don't know what to do next guess will call for a service tech to come out,or get a new refridgerator. Looks like I wasted my money on these parts. Refridgerators are not as easy to fix as yall make them out to be. I have to say all the parts were easy to install and your instructions and videos were great, they just did not fix my refrigerator Thanks Tom

with patience

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.

I needed to determine if the heating coil was ok. I bypassed the thermostat, rotated the defrost timer manually with a flat screwdriver until it clicked. The coil heated up and turned a glowing red. So the coil was ok. After looking at the wiring diagram located on the back, the only parts in line was the timer and the thermostat. So I ordered both, replaced them, and everything is working fine. I went online about noon on Thursday, placed the order. The shipping indicated 2-3 business days. To my surprise, they were delivered to my home on Friday, mid morning. Great service from Part Select.

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!

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.

Removed screws that fastened bracket to fridge. Next, I replaced the motor and carefully lined the brackets up so the motor would rotate smoothly. Put the fan blade on the motor and screwed the brackets back on the fridge. Motor kept popping out of alignment while I was screwing the brackets back in but I kept snapping it back in till it stayed.

bottom left cornerof fridge defrost timer replaced two bolts and a wire