31861-1 General Electric Refrigerator - Instructions

Remove the top cover above the door by lifting it slightly and pulling forward. I used a mirror to make sure that there was nothing in the way of accessing the switch from above. I used a blade screwdriver to press against the switch retainer on the topside, while GENTLY prying from below with another blade screwdriver to get the switch dislodged. Once the retainer was past the opening, I wiggled the switch downward and then rotated it to the left when the rounded top right edge of the switch was visible. This allowed the wiring to the connector to pass thru the hole. I pushed the wiring from the top and pulled from below to get the connector below the opening for the switch. I then unplugged the switch, plugged in the new switch and reversed the removal process feeding the connector thru first then rotating the switch to the right to get the rounded edge of the switch thru the opening, then pressed the switch up into the opening until it snapped into place. Total time less than 10 minutes.

Pop out switch, pull wires, attach wires to new switch and pop back in. Easy smeasy!

This was so easy I think it took me 2 minutes. I am not very mechanically inclined but that didn't matter! Works perfect thank you!

I unplugged the refrigerator. Pressed the tab near the light bulb. Unplugged the socket and reconnected it.

Repair was super simple. Everything was a direct fit. Hardest part was unloading freezer to access evap motor. My freezer was old making my wire shields very brittle so I cut the shielding and used heat shrink tubing for a neat clean repair.

Allow 24 hours for new gasket to flatten out from packaging. Gently peel off existing gasket. Clean dirt and mold from mount area.
Mount gasket beginning at a corner. Press gasket into place every inch around perimeter. Done! Water is no longer in bottom of refrigerator and it is running more efficiently (less time running) due to the fact that it can maintain the temperature for longer periods of time.

Placed new gasket into dryer,( recommended by 2 u tubes) high heat for about 10 minutes and was a snap getting softened gasket into little tiny slot actual placement was done twice as there was a twist in the seal i missed the first time so did do twice but was so easy this way was almost sad thinking it would have been 100$ deductible having someone do it and who knows what normal cost would have been......thanks u tube

1- youtubed the potential diagnoses, 2- resourced and ordered parts, 3- removed old socket, installed new one :-)... My fridge is an older fridge and could've used a screwdriver for eyeglasses. Plug and play easy... YAY!

Removed drawers and glass shelf. Removed screws that hold old slide rails in place. Installed new rails and re-installed cover for vents. Placed assembly back in and installed drawers.

Removed freezer door then refrigerator door. Layed it on a big drop cloth to work on it. Replace feeezer door and cover refrigerator opening with plastic or something to help keep the cold in.
Removing old gasket was easy. Just pull it out. Align the new gasket with metal bracket that holds it then firmly hammer it into place. You’ll know when it’s attached correctly cause it hugs the door properly.

Water was leaking from under the GE dishwasher, but once we pulled it out, had apparently been going on for a little while. Turning the water off to the dishwasher made it stop, so it was happening even when the unit was not running, potentially indicating somewhere early in the path of the water to and into the machine.

Indeed, inspecting the water inlet vale showed a slow leak. Getting the replacement part was fine, and it fit the electrical, water inlet (existing 90-degree water inlet elbow), and water outlet connections just fine - but the original machine screws that held on the original water inlet valve did not work. It took a little research to figure out the new type of screw required, which was apparently a 10/16 Type AB, which seemed to be a less common type of sheet metal screw (with a point), as opposed to the original flat-ended machine screws. So, after ordering those separately (which were a bit expensive), it went together fine.

A note on the water inlet valve part just indicating the the threading on those parts has changed over time, so potentially ordering the screws to attach it might be worthwhile, would be good information to add about the water inlet valve.

Took out shelf & brackets. Removed plastic shelf. Unscrewed broken bracket & screwed in new bracket.
Put back in & replaced the shelf.

I had to remove the glass shelve, the two drawers, and the middle rail. Once I did that, I slide the unit out together. I placed the unit on the floor and removed the one screw located on the far backside of the unit. I had to remove a slip cover (it had the kenmore logo and the writting on it) it was a snap on, so no problem. Glad it was not gluded on. After the old part was removed, I put the new part on. Put the two screws back on and snap the cover back on. Then I put the whole unit back in. This included the glassshelve and drawers. The process was pretty easy. Good luck with your change.

Took out both draws and glass shelf, removed the entire lower shelf housing. I snapped off the front rail aluminum face to expose the screw. Unscrewed both screws and removed the rail and then just reversed the procedure to put new rail on. It was the most cost effective way of doing it. All the pieces are there on the GE website as long as you know the model number. You will save a lot of money by doing it yourself.

Extremely easy repair, the hardest part was getting the old switch out. I used a pair of needle nose pliers to squeeze the tabs in and it came right out.