GSS22JETBBB General Electric Refrigerator - Instructions

First I disconnected the Power from the unit. Pulled out the freezer drawers and the ice machine used a 1/4 inch nut driver and removed the sheet metal from the back of the freezer exposing the evaporator coils. I defrosted the coils. Then I removed the two screws holding the defrost heater braket assembly and removed the two electrical connections from it. I then installed the new heater put everything back together(reverse of installation)and it works like a brand new fridge and freezer.

I followed the partselect videos for the temp sensor and defrost thermostat and the refrigerator has been working well for a about a week now. The refrigerator is old enough that I was just going to replace it. When I called the repair company I use, they said it would cost $200 to $300 for the repair, but I didn't want to put that money into an old refrigerator. I did a little research, found this site and figured it would be worth buying about $20 in parts and giving it a try. I have absolutely no experience working on refrigerators, but the videos were so easy to follow, everything went smoothly. The old thermostat was definitely broken when I checked it with a meter, so I'm pretty confident that the problem is fixed.

The repair did not go exactly the way it was described in the YouTube video, but basically it was similar. After unplugging the power cord, emptying the freezer, removing the shelves and the ice reservoir, I removed the ice maker assembly by unscrewing a Philips head screw and unplugging the power connector. The connector had little retaining tabs on each side that I pried open with a straight blade screwdriver. Then the ice maker lifted right out. Next I removed one screw holding the auger motor assembly, unplugged the power connector, and lifted out the assembly. This where things got difficult. After flailing around a bit, I removed the panel on the back wall of the freezer below the evaporator fan assembly, exposing the evaporator coil. I saw that the fan assembly was attached with two screws at the top and two screws at the bottom. The top screws were easily removed, but when I removed the bottom screws, which were situated in very tight quarters, I DROPPED BOTH SCREWS DOWN BEHIND THE EVAPORATOR COIL. Be prepared with a magnetic nutdriver so this doesn't happen to you. I could not retrieve the lost screws, but fortunately it appears that the top screws hold the assembly securely enough. The assembly was loose, but it was still attached by a power cord that I could not disconnect. I removed the tracks on the side walls for the ice bucket, and then I could maneuver the fan motor assembly just enough that I could reach over the top of it, grab and pull off the old fan blade, and slide the new fan blade onto the shaft. Reassembly was straightforward, replacing each part (except two lost screws) in reverse order to disassembly. After getting everything put back in and plugging in the power cord, I was amazed at how quiet it ran.

lower left of back of fridge. remove cardboard. remove bolt. unplug electrical connectors. remove water inlet line with wrench. cut water outlet lines as close to valve as possible. slide outlet lines into new valve in same holes until they stop. they are secure. attach inlet water line. plug electrical connectors back in. bolt it back to fridge.

Removed the back cover over the control board, and made sure that the board was the same. It didn't look exactly the same, but figured that it was the same, just updated. Took out the board, moved the wires to the new board and reinstalled. Plugged it in and it came on, so I reinstalled the cover. Seems to be working to this day.

For troubleshooting, I took off rear panel inside of the freezer compartment & determined that icing of the coils was not the problem & it did not apprear to be a defroster malfunction. All components appeared to be working properly except the compressor would not turn on and only room temperature air was being circulated by the fan. After narrowing the probable causes down to a faulty Main control board by reading as many similar posts as possible,I ordered the new control board. When it arrived the following morning via UPS(less than 24 hours!), I unplugged the wiring connections attached to the old board, (which was somewhat different in appearance), and then gently popped the circuit board off of the plastic retainer studs by pushing in the little retaining clip part of the studs in with a small screwdriver so the board could be released easier as I pulled outward. I popped the new board on the studs by gently & evenly pushing with a larger hut driver over the studs until it was locked in, being careful not to damage or over stress/bend the board. I placed the wiring connecters onto the pins on the board.....every connecter had a different amount of pins so improper connection was not possible. I placed the ground wire connection of the new board between the metal cover plate @ an adjacent screw location to ensure grounding to the back of the fridge sheet metal. I plugged in the refrigerator and was quite relieved when I heard the compressor start up after a second or two! Within moments the temp began to fall until it reached the proper temp in both compartments. Success!

used prior reviews, was good, I was not sure how to remove fan blade. It just pulls off.
space is tight but every thing went ok.

Unplugged fridge and removed back panel inside freezer compartment . Unclipped defrost thermostat and snipped off with wire cutters . Installed new defrost thermostat with wire nuts , clipped back on , re-installed back panel , turned on fridge and within a couple hours food compartment began cooling down . Thermostat looks like a small metal can clipped onto the heating coils with 2 wires attached . Also noticed excess ice build up on coils melted and drained into pan under fridge once unit started working .

replace shelf

I pulled the refrigerator out so I could get behind it. Then I turned off the water at the tubing valve near the floor and pulled the electrical plug. Next I removed the metal panel on the back at the bottom. The water tubing to the valved helped to locate that valve that need to be replaced. I disconnected the electric wiring to the tandom water valves (there are two valves in one body, one for the water in the door and the other for the ice maker). There is only one water tube(copper) connected to the valve inlet and two outlet plastic tubes, one for the water and the other for the ice maker. I used a wrench on the inlet tubing and just cut the plastic outlet tubes with a knife. I then removed one screw holding the valve bracket to the referigerator flange and removed the valve. The installion was in reverse order with the valve bracket being attached with one screw and then connecting the copper inlet tibing with a wrench. The two outlet plastic tubes just push in to place in the valve bodies, since one is larger than the other, they can't be reversed. Once this is done, connect the electric wiring to the two valve sections, they are not be switched either. then install the rear metal pannel and plug in the electrical cord and roll the refrigerator back in place and try out the water in the door to see if it leaks or not. It will start making ice when the ice ben gets low enough. (One more thing, it might take a little longer to perform this task if your wife has to clean behind the referigerator while it is convenient.)

I bought the GE Refrigerator about 4 years ago for about $1500. The defrost Heater failed about one year ago. Then I called local repair guy, he replaced the Defrost Heater and charged me about $250. Now it happened again. I think we should try it to fix it by myself. I found the parts from partselect.com, it costs me $50 with 2-3 days shipping. After it replaced, it works fine again.

Note: Symtom: cannot make cool air, Frozen area with frost on the wall. Regeriator "leaking water" on floor since iced food started to melt...

Solution: open the cover of the wall inside of frozen zone, use hot water to defrost it gradually. removed the failed Defrost Heater and replaced it with new one.

Note: after you defrost the area inside of the wall, your refrigerator will work normally without the Defrost heater without any issue about week while you are waiting for the parts coming.

The control board and access panel are on the back of the refrigerator, so you will need to roll/slide the refrigerator away from the wall to gain access to the panel. Be careful not kink the water line if you have an ice maker connection.
Unplug the power cord from power outlet on the wall.
On this model the control board is located behind a rectangular panel that is about 8" x 10". The panel is about 3 feet above the floor on the left side (as viewed looking at the back of the refrigerator).
Using a Phillips (cross point) screwdriver, remove the screws and the access panel cover. Look closely at the control circuit board and you will see 4 small white plastic protrusions sticking through the board -- these are the plastic posts that hold the board in place. There is a small tab that locks the board to the plastic mounting post. Use your needle nose pliers (or other small pliers) to compress the small tab on the post; and while squeezing, pull on the control board until it releases from the post/clip. Repeat this for each of the four posts and the board will now be free from the mounts.
Look at the plugs that connect the wires to the board and note the orientation of each plug. Each plug is a different size, so they will only fit into the socket of the correct size. On my refrigerator, there is one plug that is not connected to the board and is hanging loose, so don't get confused when connecting plugs to the new board - this one remains unconnected.
Firmly pull each plug from its socket on the board -- try not to pull by the wires. If you have a stubborn plug, grab it with your pliers and pull it out. There is a green ground wire connected by a screw into the refrigerator cabinet. Remove this screw and ground wire. (Note: on some models the green ground wire is fastened with a screw that holds the cover in place - just be sure to reconnect the wire when replacing the cover).
Insert all of the plugs into the new board -- be sure they are seated firmly. Reinstall the ground wire. Place the board over the plastic posts and push until the tab locks the board in place. Replace the cover.
On the sheet that comes with the refrigerator they instruct you to remove the lower panel on the refrigerator that covers the compressor motor compartment. They instruct you to look at the power cord connection to the compressor and to locate a green wire from a capacitor. If your power cord does not have a capacitor exactly like the one pictured, there is no need to proceed on this step. Replace the lower panel. If it does have a capacitor as illustrated, follow those instructions and then replace the panel.

Now plug in the power cord to the wall power outlet. Before pushing the refrigerator back into place you want to make sure it is operating properly. To make sure that there is no "Glitch" during start up, I suggest that you set the temperature control inside of the refrigerator to "OFF" and wait about 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, set the control to the desired temperature (about 37 Deg for Refrigerator and 0 Deg for the Freezer).
If the refrigerator is running, you are finished. Being careful not to kink the water line, push the refrigerator back into place.

Removed cover plate on rear of unit - 3 screws

Removed connectors and ground wire

Removed board (use needle-nose pliers to compress plastic mountig posts)

Replaced board, inserted connectors, attached ground wire, put cover on

Everything worked properly

I must admit - I thought I'd attempt to do this repair and end up calling a service guy to finish it. I'm not mechanically inclined AT ALL but thought I'd give it a shot after reading others experiences. I'm glad I did. The fix was easy, but there was initial anxiety while reading the instructions that came with the part - as they mentioned the possible need to cut some wires. Fortunately that was not necessary..... Removed three screws from the rear plate to expose the part needing to be replaced. Remove the fittings from the old board (needed plyers to do that - be gentle), take the old board out by using needle nose pliers to squeeze the white plastic tabs and pull the board free. Reconnect fittings to new board and you are done. Works better now than ever - obviously the old board had an issue that GE should have recalled, as many others had the same problem.

Ordered a new Main circuit Board. It arrived next day. Unplug the fridge to take away electrical power. Unscrewed the panel on the back of the fridge near the top. I then pulled the wire connectors off the circuit board. Gently pull the board off the plastic tabs. Push the new board onto the tabs. Reconnect the wire connectors. Screw the panel back on.