GTS17BCRELCC General Electric Refrigerator - Instructions

1) I removed the icemaker and placed on work table.
2) I pried the front plastic cover from the control box to expose the front base.
3) I removed the three mounting screws from the base (it is not necessary to remove the screw in the plastic gear) and removed the front base. This exposed the back base
4) Using an ohmmeter, I was able to isolate a bad contact on one of the three microswitches in the control box (the one that was mounted to the back base). Replacing this microswitch solved the problem.

Simple install. .

Remove the two nuts holding the top of the unit to the side of the freezer using a 1/4 in nutdriver. Pull the unit out and unplug it from the back of the freezer. Remove all pieces of the broken stripper. The replacement part fits onto a peg on the back of the icemaker and into a slot. Bend into place and slide into position.

The condensor fan in the unit appeared to have been chewed by a mouse and would not function. We had a service call to verify this and ordered the parts. Delivery was extremely quick and we were able to complete the repair and place the unit back into service within 2 hours.

All that was necessary was to remove the bottom cardboard cover, replace the fan and grommets, and replace the door bushings.

Thanks!!

Pulled refrigerator plug from socket.
Removed all freezer items. Put them into sink to keep cool.
Phillips head screwdriver removed screws from plastic housing fan cover from rear of freezer compartment.
Removed fan housing panel by lifting up and out. Panel has two small tabs that fit into back panel.
Removed back panel with phillips head screwdriver.
Fan is now exposed. Not working.
Plugged power cord back in.
Disconnected power adapter to fan.
Voltage meter sees power to ground and hot wire.
Fan not working
Unplugged power cord.
Removed fan from rear by socket tool.
Used hair dryer to remove ice build up in styrofoam insert between freezer compartment and lower section.
Removed foam insert....broke a couple of pieces off.
Test new motor with a line cord wire stripped at ends
Motor works. (Old one did not work with same test)
Replaced fan into bracket.
Replaced bracket into rear of freezer.
Plugged power cord in.
Fan does not work.....Whoa!!!..closed freezer door and heard fan running!!! It works.
Replaced everything...foam insert, panels, food.
One week later, still working.....
(Now...I don't know why the fan did not start right away...it may be that there's a small round thermostat sitting on a copper tubing, that needed some time to kick in...but that's a supposition.)
Have fun

Easy Peasey. Had to make one adjustment 24 hours later. Set the fan too far into the shroud. After the adjustment it works great!!!

Removed 2 vegetable drawers and phone book and cd case supporting the vegetable drawers. Removed food items sitting on top. Lifted out cracked pan cover and put in place the new one. Reinserted all items originally removed except for phone book and cd case. It was a perfect fit and probably the easiest repair job I have ever done. I do not know why I waited 2 years to find the part.

I discovered the ice bucket missing from my rental unit at the beach. I was able to go online with my Blackberry, easily navigate your website using the model number to look up the part information , order it, and have it in place for the next renter.
Without access to a friendly user website, I would have faced considerable delay in getting this part.

Referenced a couple of videos first, held up the new gasket to ensure fit, then carefully pulled the old gasket off by hand. Wiped down the ridges/edges of the door, then installed new gasket first on opposite corners then along all sides. Simply pressed in to the door ridges/bracket. Used a putty knife to ensure the edge of gasket was not folded under itself, and the blunt edge of the handle to ensure it was snugly installed all the way around. Didn’t have to remove the door as I had expected to. Very easy and took maybe 30 mins.

I removed one screw to loosen the cardboard panel that covered the old valve and one screw to remove the valve assembly. I disconnected the two wiring connections and unscrewed the two water line connections. Replacement was really easy since the bracket was the same as the old valve. The down stream water connection was different for the new (push in) than the old (threaded) but I cut the old threaded connector off and figured out that the new push in connection was solid (directions would have really helped here) Reconnected the inlet tubing and electrical wires and replace the panel and it was done.

just unscrewed the 3 screws, attached the rounded plug that came with the unit and screwed back only 2 screws. ice magic in about a couple of hours

I removed the fan housing , this was the hardest part , this took loosining two screws and snapping the housing loose , and there it was , settin there Idle and the coils were all ice , I let the coils thaw while I unscrewed the fan mount from the back wall of the freezer , then pulled the fan and mount out far enough to snap the wire connector loose, then I removed the two screws that hold the motor to the mount , the new fan motor comes without the blade so the blade is removed by pulling fairly had on the center off the shaft , the old motor is taken out of the mount , the new one replaces it perfectly , then the screws are replaced and tightenen , then the blade is pushed back on the shaft , the motor and mount are placed back on the back wall of the freezer department and screwed in place , the wires connected , then the housing is snapped back in place and the screws tightened , turn the dial to cool or number 2 or 3 and " bingo " it,s just like new , I can thank part select for speedy service and delivery

While the switch did last for 9 years, the design is poor due to the failure mode. The failure should be to fail off or not able to turn on the lights which would be inconvenient but would not warm the refrigerator contents. Arcing at the contacts eventually caused the switch to "weld" closed. It is not obvious that this is occurring so it took some time to recognize why the temp inside the ref was high while the freezer was OK. Replacing the switch was easy once it was recognized as the problem. All that was required to replace the switch was to remove the screws holding a fiber cover and then pulling off the aluminum cap which covered the switches. Unplug the switch an squeeze the keeper on the switch to release it and pull down. Pop the replacement switch in place and plug the wires harness back in. All in all it took much less time to replace than it has to write this up. T Pope

It has been my experience that these motors sometimes die when the refrigerator is overfilled and motor strains to keep refrigerator cold. And this motor is used in several models of refrigerators. That said, sometimes the hook-up is slightly different between other units. The available video is good, but like I said, circumstances will be slightly different between various models.

After cleaning out freezer (plug disconnected first), start to remove outer plastic covers. If you want to keep track of the different steps, you can take pictures with your cellphone. And if there are any connecting wire attachments you think you might not remember, again, you can take a picture, or label with tape (colored tape, or by writing on the tape). And for keeping track of the different-size screws, I place them in a muffin tin, keeping an order of left to right and top to bottom in the tin. When removing Styrofoam blocks in bottom center, make sure you remove any remaining ice underneath in the hole so refrigerator can "breathe". Freezer air is moved below to refrigerator compartment, so a blocked vent hole will strain refrigerator as it tries to maintain its temperature setting and can be the cause of your failed motor.

After replacing motor onto bracket with grommets and blade, don't completely tighten. Position plastic cover with hole opening over motor and blade assembly. Twirl motor blade to see if there is any interference with cover. If not, take away cover and tighten motor on bracket. If there is any rubbing, adjust motor/blade assembly accordingly before tightening in place. Putting everything back together is in reverse order.

My husband did the repair, and even though our refrigerator is roughly 20+ years old, he was able to adapt it to work in all the right spots and we now have ice cubes! I'm very happy we did not have to spend $2000 on a comparable refrigerator.