ZISS42GDXASS General Electric Refrigerator - Instructions

We had problems with the ice dispenser chute building up frost from condensation freezing due to the flap not closing properly. It would clog up completely and often. I had already replaced the flap and spring years ago but it didn't help much. I Googled this problem for my model and found a video detailing how to check and change the solenoid. Sure enough, the solenoid was completely corroded and crumbled in my hands as I removed it. I ordered the replacement part and made the repair myself. The video was perfect in describing. If your refrigerator is well used as ours is, you'll be shocked by the buildup and cleaning that will be necessary as you make this repair. I ended up taking much more of the dispensing assembly apart so I could clean it with warm soapy bleach water. Be mindful as you disassemble or take photos / videos with your smartphone to help put it back together. It took longer to clean than replace the solenoid. Also, be careful if you have an island or other cabinetry close by. If you have to pull the refrigerator out to unplug it, the handles can chip granite edges or the top corners can scratch wood work. We have cherry cabinets that surround ours. I chipped the edge of the granite when I pulled it out and I scratched the wood as I pushed it back in place. Minor repairs but can save you some frustration. Good luck!

The only tricky part was removing the front panel. Releasing the latches required considerable force. The best tool I found was a "jack knife" type Allen wrench set, using the medium size wrench, which fit into the release hole and upward pressure did the trick. The rest of the job was very easy.

just watch video simple

I started out replacing a bad thermostat, no problem,
when I hooked up the water, I found that the water resovior had a leak.
I replaced the resovior, easy fix, but I had to buy two 5/16 brass couplers.
then I found that the box would not get below 10 degrees, and the suction pressure was very low.
I figured that the fan motor was burned out, so I opened up the access covers, the fan motor was hanging there with broken mounts, so I replaced the motor, and repaired the mount.
Everything works great now, The parts shiping was very fast, I was impressed.
I thought I was going to get away without fixing everyones
HVAC problems when I retired.
Friends and family still remember that you are the HVAC man.
Tom

I followed your video and completely dismantled the refrigerator evaporator motor, fan, brackets, and grommet, I completely cleaned the refrigerator including the cooling coils. I then ordered the evaporator motor ,fan, grommets, lid bumper, and brackets. The order would take a week to arrive. In the meantime I cleaned and reassembled all the old parts, waiting for the new ones to come. Guess what! The refrigerator was quiet as a mouse. I really did not need the new parts, but I kept them anyway just for good luck. Not bad for a refrigerator that's twenty four years old.

removed the control panel ,using a paper clip, removed five screws, disconected wire connector, and removed the solenoid. reversed procedure to reassemble. ordered the part one day and received it the next day. Thank you for the prompt response.

I followed the instructions on a posted desctiption. It workded perfectly. Replacing the inner door panel was not as difficult as described. Just start the process with the screws in the middle of the door. Those two screw holes were not slots. All of the remaining screw holes had slots. I installed all of the door screws before tightening any. I workded right the first time.

We followed the instructions we found on this site.

First we unplugged the refrigerator.

Then we removed the control panel that has the ice type selection on it by releasing the three spring latches. These are accessible from the bottom of the panel looking up toward the ice dispenser. There are three holes. Press a narrow screwdriver or punch in each of these holes and then pull out the control panel. (Be careful not to disconnect the wires, but observe how the wires are routed.)

Then we removed the ice tube cover that covers the solenoid assembly. There were four screws. One was very rusty and it required some WD40 to loosen it. Once the cover was removed the solenoid was visible on the right. (It has a floating component that attaches to the "arm" of the flap. This is how the solenoid opens and closes the flap. The flap needs to close properly so ice does not build up in the door.)

There were three screws that had to be removed to get the solenoid out. (The top one you may just need to loosen once the bottom two are removed.) When the solenoid was removed we also removed the old floating component from the flap are and replace it with the new one. We slid this into the solenoid hole and then screw it in with the three screws.

Before we attached everything, we plugged in the refrigerator to test the solenoid. We dispensed some ice and waited to hear the flap close. (The flap close is slightly delayed so be patient.)

We attached the cover that was over the solenoid being careful to route the wires as they were when we started. We test the solenoid again. Then we snapped the control panel back into place and tested again.

We found that having the right size screwdriver made a difference especially dealing with rusty screws. It was also handy to have a good flashlight. Having extra hands was helpful to hold the control panel and cover while working on the solenoid and routing the wires.

I had no idea how to get the parts easily so i search on web , saw parts select.com,i read main folio of the site.which seems to me very reasonable.just one call and they delivered the part.nicely advised me if i need technical support to fix it but i was too confident and i did it.

no instructions came with the part so I wrote for help from your techs. They were able to tell me how to access the solenoid. From there I was able to figure the rest out. I had to remove the trim, electrical board, flap, springs and arm to reach the screws necessary to remove the solenoid. I removed some of the corrosion with a baking soda paste so I could remove the screws. I carefully noted each step and position of the parts I removed and reversed the process to put things back after replacing the solenoid.

Pulled ice tub, removed auger rotation motor and solenoid housing, removed solenoid and replaced with new one and reinstalled. Checked solenoid was working by holding freezer door open and closing switch to door an activating ice switch-- solenoid picked up. Put ice tub with auger back into freezer.

removed the dispenser and disasembled it repaced plate and reasembled.

had to remove ice maker and several panels to get to the fan. wires for fan encapsulated so had to cut old and new wires then solder them together while working inside the small freezer area. not too bad all in all took about an hour to get it done. no more wind thru the trees noise and is working fine

Unplugged the freezer. Then I gained access to the fan: remove the top freezer rack, remove the ice tray, remove the air flow manifold(needed to unscrew some screws), remove the manifold over the fan and cooling element. I unscrewed the fan mounting bracket. The fan motor's wires are plumbed through some plastic that i would have had to remove, so I decided instead to cut the wires and splice in the new fan motor. Then I put everything back together - the new motor works fine and doesn't make the whining noise.

I searched the site, found the part - solenoid, watched the "how to" video and the repair was a snap. Saved myself tons of money versus having a repair person come over. I do have an older model and needed to prop the front cover panel off with a screwdriver (just under the covering) saw this on a posting from another individual, thanks for the heads up.