FRU17B2JW13 Frigidaire Refrigerator - Instructions

Bought the defrost timer based on PartSelect recommendations, installed it and no change. Apparently the old one was fine but since the refrigerator was in a flood and this part got submerged in water I kept it rather than returning it. I looked at everything closely and realized all the mechanical functions were working properly. Rarely does a condenser coil fail so I decided to look into recharging the coolant. Bought a 1/4 inch bullet valve, a 12oz. can of R-134a and a cheap resealable can adapter with hose, gauge and R22 to R-134a adapters. After a $30. investment Bingo, after one squirt the refrigerator began to cool and after 4oz. it now works better than new. I understand that PartSelect is in the business of selling only their parts but please consider that there can be other simple problems.

Removed the old defrost timer by removing 4 screws on the holding bracket. Disconnected the wire harness. Reconnected the wire harness to the new part. Installed the new part with 2 screws on the top of the molded bracket. I am a 67 year old woman... easy-peasy. (the defost timer is located in the bottom left rear of the freezer.

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.

Used a ??. The repair was easy took less than 5 minutes

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.

I removed the top and bottom plastic bits that hide the screws. Then I removed the screws and put the new handle on with the same sheet-metal screws. No problems encountered.

It was almost too easy. All I had to do was screw 4 screws into the handle, put the caps on to hide the screws and I was done. And I saved money by ordering from Frigidaire vs my local appliance store where I actually purchased the freezer.

unplugged and removed the inside panel where the control switch was located. Unplugged the switch and replaced it with the new switch and put everything back together and plugged the refrigerator back in and set the control. Refrigerator is working likes it's new again.

The old defrost timer started making a screeching noise (probably bearings going out). The replacement part was a cinch to install. When I initially spoke to a PartsSelect person, they said the part number I gave them was not consistent with my old '94 Tappan Freezer. They were able to still find the proper replacement part number. The video that was on-line helpful also.

I did watch a repair a utube video which I asked for when ordering. Pretty much followed most of the directions but:

started in left corner an lossed all screws from left to right. took off old gasket in small sections and inserted the new gasket and semi tighten screws

proceeded down left side then right little by little as above. to get to bottom of door.

bottom corners were a little snug to get them into place. the last corner was snug but once connected. tighten screws not too tight. You dont want to strip them.

test door with piece of paper.

if paper is not a snug tug, you can adjust gasket with a hair dryer set to low.

it was easy. freezer is all set.

Partselect was great to deal with, support verified the part number was correct for my freezer and help with that video.

Removed the inside evaporator coil to do inside solder job, use torch to heat solder joints on the outside drier in order to remove it and install new drier. Soldered Heat exchanger line to drier and 1/4” copper line to compressor. Wrapped with new insulation wrap. Pulled a vacuum on system and then charged with 4.4 ounces of 134a freon. Works like a champ again!

The left swing hinge (297283901) that i needed is not available anywhere so I bought the right swing hinge (297283900), used a hydraulic press to pop out the pin and move it to the other hole. After that it was real quick to remove the screws and change out the hinge, changing the swing of the door. It is easiest to remove the top hinge and door first when doing this.

This did not fix the problem. Call a repairman and he cannot come until 9/11. Food is staying frozen. Alarm sounds for awhile and then shuts off for a bit.

The timer in this older unit is clearly exposed at the back of the freezer underneath the freezer compartment. It is attached with two Phillips head screws. After the screws are removed, the timer can be unplugged and the new one plugged in. The new timer has an extra flange to allow it to be used on more than one model of freezer. In order to mount the timer in this unit, you have to remove the extra flange by carefully cutting it away from the timer body, in similar fashion to what's depicted in the online video. This will allow you to mount the new timer to the mounting plate using the two screws from the old timer.

removed 4 screws-replaced handle-very easy-worked great