TFX30PPDACC General Electric Refrigerator - Instructions

------------- defrost heater replacement --------------------------
- unplug the refrigerator
- unload all shelves underneath ice maker
- move ice crem into the refrigerator section
- remove all shelves and the bottom tray.
- remove light bulb cover and the bulb
- unscrew two 1/8" screws on top corners of the back panel
- unclip the ground clip on top
- pull the back panel up; pull the left side toward yourself
- test 3 thermistors (see instructions below)
- test the thermostat (see instructions below)
- if either thermistors or the thermostat units are defective, they may be the reason for fan malfunction, not the fan itself.
- unscrew 2 philips screws on either side of the defrost heater
- pull it out and unplug the 2 wires on either end. Replace with a new part.
- putting together is the reverse of disassembly
- move ice cream back to the freezer


--- thermistor testing

- unplug the refrigerator
- locate thermistors to be tested. There's one on evaporating coils, one on bot. left of the freezer (behind deep tray, with white wires), 1 in fridge section (top left, in the corner, inside square white wire conduit; undo the top 1/8" screw ONLY and pull conduit up).
- without disconnecting from the circuit, place a thermistor in a cup of ice water. Wait for 5 minutes
- locate the main control board. Locate and unplug the J1 connector. The pinout, starting from the side with all wires connected:
* pin 5: ground
* pin 4: evaporator thermistor
* pin 3: freezer
* pins 2,1: fresh food thermistor
- use an ohmmeter to measure resistance. Push the needle of the ohmmeter into the socket, where the wire plugs in, without trying to remove the wire. It should be 16.3 kOhm +/- 5% (for 0 deg C)

to replace a thermistor
- cut out the old thermistor, leaving as much wire as possible
- strip the wires, twist them pairwise
- use a bell connector filled with RTV silicone, to ensure that no moisture can get to the connection
* others have also used butt splices and screw-on caps with electrical tape (for moisture isolation)
- using a proper crimping tool, squeeze the bell connector to secure the wire

------------- thermostat testing ---------------------------------
- it's a round quarter-sized cylinder w/ pink and orange wires
- check for bulging (= burnt)
- locate temperature ratings on the side of the thermostat. It should read e.g. 140-30F. This means it's switches to open circuit when >140F is reached and switches to closed circuit when <30F is reached.
- unplue the 6 pin connector that has thermostat.
- test the thermostat. Orange wire is in the 6-pin connector; pink wire can be disconnected from the defrost heater under the evaporation coil. It should read closed circuit (no R).
- place the thermostat into a cup of boiling water. It should open.
- if OK, reattach the thermostat

There are Great videos on YouTube!!! Turned off power,Removed trim ring, Pushed a philips head screwdriver in one of the holes underneath the electrical panel with the selector push buttons. This releases the electrical panel. There are Three wire sets with plugs. I removed the plugs and took the electrical panel out. Removed four Phillips head screws and pulled out the big paddle switch. This then exposes the flapper. Replaced flapper with new one and reassembled everything. When I had everything apart, I cleaned with window cleaner. It was pretty moldy from the water leaking. Turned power back on and tested everything to make sure I didn't mess anything up. Works great

Turned the wire protector to the side. Turned out the old bulb and replaced it with the new. Turned the wire protector back in place and I'm like new.

I just followed the instructions on the video and it was exactly as they said......no surprises.

Remove the one screw holding the unit in place, unplug it, slide in the replacement, plug and screw it in.

ordered drawer face - perfect part- snapped right in. done. order came within 10 days.
will order again if needed.

Screwed new bulb in socket

Remove the burned out bulb and install the new light bulb.

Concerned about removing and attaching front panel to broken drawer. Rep. said wasn't sure but most just snapped together. Rep. was correct. No tools required.

Followed the online video. Unplugged refrigerator, removed trim piece, lifted control board cover, removed 4 screws retaining circuit control board and removed the 3 connectors from the control board. Located flapper and removed by using small flat tip to take tension off flapper connectors. Helper held flash light to illuminate flapper connectors. Reversed procedure. New flapper seals well and cured problems. Circuit board was a bit different than one in video, but still had the 3 connectors. Marked each connector with grease pencil at top edge to ensure correct reconnection. Should note how wires are threaded around circuit board to ensure they are tucked back in correctly in reassembly. Remove trim piece carefully. I broke 2 of the 8 plastic pins that hold trim on. May be due to age of unit as they were brittle. 6 pins still hold trim piece flush.

My husband took out the old icemaker in about 5 minutes. The new icemaker was a perfect fit even though the refrigerator was >10yrs old. The only difficult part was the plug extension that was needed so that it would fit into an older appliance. The part was included, it just made the cord about 3 inches longer than it needed to. After working with it for about 20 minutes we were able to fit it on the back side of the icemaker. Now it works great!!

It took me longer to remove all the shelving than it did to replace the part, at first I had a small short, [a bare wire was open, cut off too much casing,] thought it was faulty, but I cut back on the wire, wire caped it, then taped it with electrical tape, reinstalled, workes just fine now, at temp #6on dial. should have paid " MORE ATTENTION TO STEVE". I would highly recommend [ PARTS SELECT] TO ANYONE WHO NEEDS A PART, IF you pay attention to the video, you will find it not too difficult to repair.
Mr. PAUL KLUGH [KLU] THANK you PARTS SELECT. PS THEY would have replaced the part if need be.

Replaced flapper. Followed the video. The lamp caused the removable plastic bracket (which supports the control panel and the ice chute) to fuse with the plastic frame in the door. Eventually broke the fused plastic, removed the bracket, and filed the rough broken plastic before reassembly.

Use small putty knife to cut internal sealant on ice maker door trim piece. Then you can easily remove it.

Remove front cover did not remove wires remove ice and water unit took off flapper put new one on 5 minutes back together