PIG21MIMFFBB General Electric Refrigerator - Instructions

First, turn off power - since I did not want to pull the refrigerator out on my wood floor I tripped the circuit breaker to that circuit and opened door to make sure interior light was off (ensuring power was off). This unit has a bottom freezer, I took out all shelves, ice maker and all parts in the way of accessing back of interior of freezer section. Removed back plastic section by removing one screw in middle top of back panel and prying it out. This was a bit difficult as it was in there a bit tight but once the plastic warmed up it pulled out ok. This revealed the compressor section and temp sensor that was attached to the copper coils with of all things - a zip tie! In pictures of this that I looked at on various web sites the sensor was on a metal bracket attached to the coil so it made me wonder if tf the factory took a shortcut? I cut the old sensor wire, stripped the two wires 1/2", and connected them to the new sensor wire with butt connectors, I put some silicone into the ends of the butt connectors to prevent moisture from entering into connectors and wrapped the connection in black electrical tape. I then "attached" the sensor to the coil using a zip tie, put the plastic back piece back on, inserted everything I took out and put power back to refrigerator. It's been 3 days and temp of refrigerator is stable, ice maker not clogging up, and compressor not running all the time! So far so good.

Replaced both the Defrost Thermostat and Defrost Heating Element. The You Tube repair video clips were extremely helpful for both operations. My difficulty was getting access to the parts that needed to be replaced in a very tight side by side freezer space. Otherwise, the repair went smoothly and the refrigerator is back in normal operation in time to save the perishable food inside.

You guys ought to win some sort of website Emmy. I found your site as I was searching for a new motherboard, thinking this was the cause of the temperature control problem. I took the time to go through the little diagnostic process you offer and I discovered that the much less expensive defrost thermostat was more often the root cause of the problem ($8 vs $160 for the new motherboard). The part arrived within 3 days and the installation video was enormously helpful. Removal of the rear panel was more difficult than suggested on the video. I'd suggest removing the freezer light fixture before trying to remove the panel as it is nearly impossible to bend the metal panel around the light bulb bases. Anyway, the whole job cost me about $16 for parts and delivery and the fridge is running fine. The combination of the diagnostic tool and the installation video were fantastic...far beyond expectations.

Remove front cover did not remove wires remove ice and water unit took off flapper put new one on 5 minutes back together

This part worked marvelously. I followed a YouTube video to completion. Essentially, I removed the water filter cover by squeezing the tabs on the side. Then, I removed the housing for the light based on the tabs placement. I unscrewed the lighting fixture, unplugged and set aside. After that, I removed the bottom part of the damper assembly (that's not included but virtually attached to the damper) by pulling on its tabs' placements. Then, I pulled off the damper assembly, unplugged the cords and added the new assembly WITH the inclusion of the damper gasket assembly that doesn't seem to have been a part of the old assembly. Rescrewed and reattached everything and now the fridge is as good as new!!!

The trouble with DIYers is that they don't have very much experience with and the benefit of several repairs on the same appliance. So they must rely on their mechanical abilities and the youtube help of Steve. So they must resort to eliminating the variables as their diagnostic approach. In my case I was unable to find the exact description of my problem, so I began with what seemed like the most likely and the least expensive replacement. So after I had replaced the water valve, the micro switch and the main board I finally found the problem was the water filter by ordering and installing a water bypass valve which I did not have readily available at the start.

Use small putty knife to cut internal sealant on ice maker door trim piece. Then you can easily remove it.

Went online and read all the problem an found it could be my Air Inlet Kit...did not know it had one ..was online and ordered it...came in couple days..
to replace the damper I just remove the light at the top of the frige and the cover around it .I also removed the filter and filter cover..then the damper assembly only has 2 screws .I removed top three glass trays for more room...was a little easier than I was expecting..just about 30 minutes to hour ...(1) unplug Ref and last (plug it back in). Thanks ...

Taken longer to remove food out of refrigerator than replacing the part. Easy

WE (WIFE) took out the old parts an replaced with new one ..Be careful to get the placement of the Grommet or they "POP" out on you. fast ship on the parts too.

Followed the online video. Unplugged refrigerator, removed trim piece, lifted control board cover, removed 4 screws retaining circuit control board and removed the 3 connectors from the control board. Located flapper and removed by using small flat tip to take tension off flapper connectors. Helper held flash light to illuminate flapper connectors. Reversed procedure. New flapper seals well and cured problems. Circuit board was a bit different than one in video, but still had the 3 connectors. Marked each connector with grease pencil at top edge to ensure correct reconnection. Should note how wires are threaded around circuit board to ensure they are tucked back in correctly in reassembly. Remove trim piece carefully. I broke 2 of the 8 plastic pins that hold trim on. May be due to age of unit as they were brittle. 6 pins still hold trim piece flush.

spent 10 minutes trying to clip in the seal without any success. I emptied the crisper drawer and removed it flipped it over clipped the seal. replaced the drawer. Secret is to remove the drawer from the refrigerator.

Replaced dispenser door flapper by following the do it yourself video in this site. It was really easy. Just be careful when removing the dispenser black bezel. I broke one of the little tabs when taking it off.

Unscrewed old bulb, inserted and screwed new bulb into place

repair (replacement of the broken piece) took less than 2 minutes. I can't believe I waited so long to fix this. Piece was expensive, especially after shipping costs -- but now it looks brand new so I am happy.