FP18TLW2 Frigidaire Refrigerator - Instructions

I first thought the defroster heater broke - took the back wall of the freezer off and cooling fins were fine. Then took the defroster timer out and opened it up. The contacts were badly burnt so the compressor and fan ran during only part of the cooling cycle. Replacing the timer took less than 5 minutes - turn off the power, remove one screw to take out the control box, cut the ground wire (new timer housing is plastic and does not have a ground connection), remove two screws to unmount the timer, unplug the old timer, plug in the new timer, fasten with two screws, put the control unit in and fasten with one screw, turn power back on.

Looked up troubleshooting info on your web site. Decided to replace the defrost timer. Ordered it using Paypal. Received the Shipment in about 1.5 days in Rural NC. Watched Your Video, cut off power to the fridge, removed the top self and unbolted the panel, removed the defective defrost timer, installed the new one and re-installed the panel and top shelf. Set the timer to defrost to check the operation (looked inside the freezer to see that the defroster was glowing red - it was) waited about twenty minutes to ensure that the fridge started cooling again. Fixed!

I went on partselect put in make and model number, a list showed the probable cause. I watched the how to video. When I received the part in short order I loosened 2 screws disconnected the wiring plug (sprayed it with contact cleaner) pluged it in, removed screws from old part put them in new one. Put timer back in its location and tightened the screws. Very eazy, works fine.

I pick up very fast at these kind of small jobs but because of my very busy schedule I decided to call (2 times) technicians about my problem but none of them had any idea. About my repair, I removed the grill at the bottom of the refrigerator, unscrew a small plate (located on the bottom left side) that's holding the defrost timer. I plug on the new part, screw back the plate with the defrost timer and that was it. Don't forget to turn clockwise with your finger the timer until you hear a "click" and then turn it slightly more to the right. There is also a video on U-tube.

At first my husband did not think the parts fit right and were too lose. But I was able to click them in and it was just perfect. Thanks, Joan

open freezer door two screws just below unscrew slide piece to side unplug reinstall very simple.

Watched the video once. Removed four 1/4 inch screws with a nut driver unplugged the unit, took out two screws securing the timer. Replaced did all of this in about 10 minutes. It was "exactly" as the video showed and it's worked perfectly since the replacement of the faulty timer. I saved a $75.00 service call minimum and the part was more than likely cheaper from Part Select than from the repair facility. Although I'm a pretty good handy man, you would not need any experience to make this repair. The instructions are precise and the part fit perfectly.

replaced the defrosting timer and saved a lot of $ by doing it my self.

Unplug the refrigerator unit from wall. I removed freezer rack, plastic light cover, the ice rack shelf on the right side, then removed the plastic back cover panel, (4) retaining screws, gently tilting the panel toward me, unplug the wiring harness by depressing the clips on the side of the plug, removed panel from unit, set aside. If the unit was froze up, so I defrosted the cooling coils carefully with a common hair dryer until it was thawed. Be careful not to touch or bend the coils , since they are very fragile and SHARP! I located the old thermostat unit attached to a straight length of coolant line. The new unit looked like the old one, so it was easy to locate. I cut the two wires of the old unit close to the round base to make sure I would have enough wire to reconnect. Since my new unit did not indicate a polarity(Neg or Pos), I just wired each wire I cut to one of the new unit. I used the shrink tubing provided and heated the shrink till it was fully melted. I double ck'd to see if the wires were basically waterproof and a good connect. Also, before I replaced the rear panel, I made sure that both wires I had spliced had a drip loop to it so water would not drip down into the newly spliced union. Also made sure the wires will not interfere with the colling fan on the back of the rear panel. Reverse the procedure in reassembling. Plug in unit, and wait and listen for the unit coming back on..I kept a regular thermometer in the upper and lower compartments. Allow 24 hrs. for the unit to return to normal operation. It may defrost several times till the whole operation is back in sync.

1. Disconnected electrical. 2. Removed upper console in refrigerator by removing 2 nuts. 3. Disconnected wiring from console. 4. Removed 2 screws from defroster timer part and pulled off from connector. 5. Replaced with new defroster timer and put everything back together. Thank you Steve for the U-Tube step by step video.

After some troubleshooting to ensure the thermostat and heating element were working, determined that the defrost timer was the problem. With the defective part, I was able to manually advance the timer to activate the defrost cycle, but it wouldn't do so on its own. Unplugged the refrigerator from the wall. Timer is located in the refrigerator compartment at the very top. The compartment houses the cooling thermostat, the light bulb and the defrost timer. Using 1/4" nut driver, remove 4 screws holding compartment cover to top of fridge. Lower a bit to access electrical wiring. Wiring harness can be unplugged to work on the timer away from the fridge which makes it a bit easier. Timer is mounted with 2 phillips head screws. Remove screws and unplug timer from wiring. Install new timer, plug in wiring, secure with the phillips head screws and remount entire compartment.

I watched the video online where it described the troubleshooting tips for this type of symptom. So I knew exactly what the problem was which is the defrost timer. After the part came in I just unscrewed (4 screws) the box which houses the thermostat and the defrost timer from top ceiling of the refrigerator section. Then I just unscrewed and unhooked the old defrost timer and replaced it with the new one. After finishing the installation I turned the fridge on. At first nothing happened. So I turned the dial on the defrost timer with a flathead screw until it clicked and the fridge came alive. I waited for an hour or so. The cooling cycle completed and the fridge stopped as expected. When I opened the door I noticed the interior is much colder than before and right after closing the door the fridge hummed back into life again. So I know my fridge is working again. Thanks to PartSelect for providing the right part for my refrigerator. I will definitely buy from them again if anything goes wrong.

I order defrost timer then replaced it but it seemed doesn't work. I order defrost thermostat again then it worked fine until now. Thanks. Part selects.

Unplug the refrigerator. Removed the right hand top shelf. Used a 1/4" nutdriver to remove rear center mounting screw for Control Housing. Used Phillips screwdriver to remove two mounting screws for timer. Unplug cable from timer and plug it into the new timer. Install the new timer and re-install the Control Housing. Plug in the refrigerator and adjust the timer to start the unit. This was a snap with the diagnostic provided by Part Select. At first I thought it was the fan rubbing but when I removed the cover (two screws) it was obvious that wasn't the problem. The diagnostic hinted that it was either the timer or the motor capacitor making the noise. Because the noise continued after turning OFF the control, I thought it was the timer...I was right.

removed everything from door, removed screws in gasket around door, laid door face down(insulation side up)applied rtv around edge of gasket and door, waited 10 minutes and started with top screw in middle of top then middle of sides and bottom then installed remaining screws checked levelness of refrigerator, the you are done