GDS20SBSDSS General Electric Refrigerator - Instructions

The replacement single outlet water valve was not an exact replacement and required a slightly different mounting position. The original plastic hose to the ice maker attached to the valve with a plastic nut. The new connection requires only pushing the hose into a hole in the valve. Easy and simple. However, the new mounting angle promptly broke the brittle old plastic hose. I was able to pick the broken pieces of hose out of the valve with a fine point pick saving the new valve. If I hadn't been able to pick the broken pieces out of the new valve I would have had to order another one. Off to the big box store to buy new 1/4 inch plastic hose and a coupler. Repair completed and no leaks. If the hose hadn't broken, the I would have been done in 15 minutes. I suggest you plan to replace the entire plastic hose when you replace the valve.

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.

I first replaced the ice maker and when that didn't work, I found out through this forum that another possibility is the water outlet valve.

When I got the replacement, it took some time to install because the bracket wasn't the same as the original. There are enough places on the bracket to mount the unit, but it may require using some force to bend the bracket so that it will flush with the wall.

After installation, it took about 2 days to fill up the ice bin. It cycles out ice crescents every 2-3 hours.

Thanks partselect for having this forum and saving me some money by having others share their experiences.

Super simple. Extremely fast delivery of part. Simply disconnect the 2 fast-on connectors to valve, disconnect intake and out lines. connect intake and out tubes to new unit, mount via screws to fridge, reconnect the 2 fast-on power connectors and your back in business. Could not be an easier repair.

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!

Obvious that main electronic board was fried. Refrigerator and freezer both not working although fan was running. Replaced main board and run capacitor. Compressor not running. Pulled starter relay and checked compressor connections for continuity. Checked ok. Ordered starter relay and installed with new capacitor. Compressor started and has been running quiet and cold ever since. Thanks to videos on partsselect website for offering the confidence to try the fix myself. Total spent on parts and shipping,$350. I had electric provider install surge protection behind meter for a cost of $5.70 a month. Hope it works as advertised.

Simply take off the back panel. Remove the old run capacitor which is attached to the compressor by a white part. It pulls right off. You will have to unplug two wires. I took a pic to ensure I plugged the wires back up the correct way. Then I attached the new capacitor to the white part and put on the sleeve that was included, plugged it back into the compressor and zip tied the excess part of the sleeve. Once done plug fridge back up (always unplug electric devices when doing maintenance) to check before replacing back panel. It may take a few minutes before it kicks on.

I opened the back panel of the fridge and exposed the compressor. Unplugged existing run capacitor and installed new one with the addition of the sleeve that is stated must be installed around the run capacitor.
Everything I read and on this web site says that based on these symptoms, that the problem is the run capacitor. I searched and search for a part called a start relay which plugs in to the compressor. This run capacitor plugs in to this other part which I take as the start relay.

Installing this run capacitor did not solve the problem. The fridge compressor keeps cycling on and off. Freezer doesn't keep as cold as it should.

replaced lights in refrigirator and freezer

Removed back wall cover over coil. Defrost all ice with a hair dryer. Cut white wires and replaced Temperature Sensor. It has been working for a week and no trouble at this time. If you have this system on your GE refrigerator do this before replacing the motherboard. I must admit I was thinking that was the trouble. Motherboard was replaced after 5 years old now 5 years later my thinking is this a 5 year problem. So try the Temperature Sensor.

Diagnosis of symptoms was condenser fan not running, due to faulty main board.

First: removed the cover over the main board, which was too hot to touch. Bad design flaw, no ventilation for the board, which I believe made it fail. We got another year of service with the cover removed.

Second: after reading people's experiences here, ordered the board and popped it in. (Note: needed a pliers to compress each of the 4 plastic studs holding the board in.) Works like a champ.

Third: did NOT replace the cover. At our altitude the air can't conduct enough heat to prevent cooking the board. Need to allow circulation.

I removed the board, unplugged all the sockets, took the new board, plugged in all the sockets, and replaced the new board into the refrigerator. I was to applaud this business. I was first able to diagnose the problem by finding this site, then one of the customers explained how to fix the problem ourselves. It save us at least $100. The $25 overnight shipping fee was well worth it. We could have lost $100's of dollars worth of food.

pulled the board away from the 4 plastic pins, unplugged the wires and plugged them directly into the new noard, pushed board back onto the four plastic pins.......job completed in under 5 minutes. Fridge working fine now for over a week......no problems.

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.