TFT20JABGWW General Electric Refrigerator - Instructions

After reading posts on this website, I determined I needed to replace the defrost heater. Removed heater to take a closer look and after testing with a voltmeter determined it needed replacing. Ordered part online and could not believe how quickly it arrived. Blue wire that travels down the left side of the freezer coils had some damage on the end of the plastic connector so was pleased to find that I was able to splice the extension wire provided in the defrost heater kit onto the blue wire and dispose of the damaged end. It's been about 10 days and I do believe my problem has been solved!

First I removed glass shelf on top of rail. I then removed the two screws holding rail to refrigerator side. Next I installed new rail using same two screws. Finally I replaced glass shelf on top of rail.

took 2 philips screws out,took off rail,and then nreverse.these steps,

Really simple, I used a can of soup and a small piece of wood set under the door, and tapped it tight with the hammer to hold it in place while I removed the hinge. Two bolts at the bottom and two under the door itself. Installed the new hinge set, bolted tight and removed the shim.
The whole thing took less than 5 minutes

Removed 2 screws replaced new part very easy

When the part first arrived I thought that I had ordered the wrong one. It was a dual element heater while the one in the freezer was a single. After reading the instructions it gave specific info on how to replace a single element with the dual. It was VERY easy to replace. i had manually defrosted the coils a couple of days before but they were already covered in frost. I know that I should have manually defrosted them again but I installed the new element anyway and it started working instantly (must have caught it on the 'on' cycle or when I repowered the fridge it started the 'on' cycle). The coils were defrosted within a few minutes. Amazing. Very easy to follow instructions.

After reading about what others had done on PartSelect, I decided to order the defrost heater and bracket assembly. When the parts arrived (very prompt) I removed the back panel of the freezer. Ice was covering the coils, so I took a hair dryer and melted the ice. Then I removed the defrost heater and replaced it with the new one. Very easy; only a couple of screws on the back wall to remove and one on the heater itself. Anyone can do it. I had called a repair service, and they wanted $75 just for the service call. I probably saved at least $100 by doing the job myself.

First I pulled the door up to the top hinge and propped it up with phone books. Secondly I used a nutdriver with an 8mm attachment and removed the bottom hinge. Thirdly, I removed one screw from the bottom of the door with a socket and 8mm attachment and removed the broken cam riser. Being careful as to take note of how the cam was positioned. I then attached the new cam riser to the bottom of the door, attached the bottom hinge to the refrigerator, making sure the pieces (cam riser and plastic on bottom hinge) matched up and after everything was tight, removed the phone books. Remember to first remove the vent on the bottom of the refrigerator and it is much easier to maneuver the door if you empty the contents on the inside. Very easy, I am not very mechanically inclined and this is the first job that I finished in the amount of time as stated. Also, do not chance just the riser as both pieces will be worn. Hinge assembly comes with all you will need.

First I removed the freezer compartment backplate by unscrewing three screws. Then I unscrewed the 2 screws holding the heater element in place. While holding it in one hand I pulled the wires off, one on each end of the element. Then replaced it with new part and put it all back together. Piece of cake.

Very easy. Just removed the two screws holding heater element in place. I disconected the wires on both ends then re-attached the two wires to the replacement heater and put both screws back on and WHALA! Done!

Easy repair. No need to remove the door. Simply prop up the door with blocks or books - remove hinge and riser assembly - replace with new parts. Total repair time about 15 minutes. Tools needed only an open end wrench.

The repair is pretty straight forward it is the preparation that takes time.
The food in the freezer portion of our side by side began thawing. We tried adjusting the temperature level to colder but to no avail. When we started emptying the freezer compartment I noticed a large amount of frost/ice at the back.
I turned the control to off and began defrosting the freezer using my wife's hair dryer. :) Once the outside layer was defrosted I removed the panel covering the coils. They were packed solid with ice and took over 30 minutes to defrost. Be sure to use a pan or container to catch some of the water because the catch pan under the refrigerator isn't large enough.
Once everything was defrosted I removed the heater tube assembly (at bottom of coils)it was a glass tube with a coiled wire element inside. The element had shorted out and the tube appeared black in that area.
I replaced this single tube heater with the double tube recommend on the partselect.com site. This required re-routing one of the wires and splicing in the plug/wire assembly contained in the repair kit.
Simply followed the instructions, reassembled everything and turned the control back on. No more problems. A very easy repair for anyone mechanically inclined and who owns a few basic tools.

Removed shelves and storage drawer from freezer.

Removed the two screws that mount the rear panel cover at the back of the freezer
compartment. Disconnected the grounding clip on the cover exposing the evaporator coils and the defrosting heater at the bottom.

Removed the remaining ice chunks on the coils.

Removed the two screws mounting the single element defroster. Disconnected the wires on each end of the defroster.

The replacement defroster was a two element heater and the instructions clearly showed how to re-route the single wire from the left side to the right side. The harness kit included a short piece of wire and a crimp connector to ensure the length would be sufficient to connect the new heater.

The only item missing in the kit was the RTV required to water proof the wire connection. A quick run to the hardware store took care of that.

Reassembled in reverse order, plugged the refrigerator back in and by the next day temperatures were normal in both the freezer and refrigerator compartment.

A service repairman had quoted $60.00 for the defrost heater plus $250.00 for installation. Using parts from PartSelect the total cost was $44.00 including shipping and about 30 minutes of my time. I'll take the savings anyday.

Thanks for the easy to read instructions and multiple status email notes of the order.

I unloaded the door and took the cover off at the top of the upper hinge (1 phillips screw) I then unbolted the upper hinge (2-28mm bolts) and lifted the door off. I was surprised how light it was. I laid the door down and installed the new cam riser on the door. I then unbolted the lower hinge (2-28mm bolts)and installed the new hinge.
I lubed the 2 hinges with vaseline and put the door back on the lower hinge. I then reinstalled the upper hinge and cover. It took about 15 minutes, and a lot of that was cleaning up. Oh yes, to get at the lower hinge you have to pull off the lower grate that covers the coils. It just snaps off and on. It was a very easy job.

0. As a safety precaution, unplug the range or hit the relevant fuse breaker before you start. You might also want to grab a flashlight. Definitely do not try to do this while the oven is hot.
1. Pinch the wire over the light bulb cap to remove it. This is inside the oven at the back.
2. Pop off the hemispherical glass cap.
3. Unscrew the old light bulb, and screw the new light bulb in its place.
4. Put the cap back.
5. Secure the cap by putting the wire back in its slots on the cap.

No tools needed, the cap is just held in place with pressure from the wire.