39761-1 General Electric Refrigerator - Instructions

Propped the door up with wood so we could change it without removing the whole door.
Removed &Replaced the cam and bracket quite easily. It did require 2 people, one to help hold the door while the other did the work.

First I diagnosed the problem being a defrost timer as the symtoms are the same as the heater elements. I installed the timer and it worked great for about a week until the frost build up on the evaporator became too much again and then the symtoms returned. I then checked the heater elements and found that both were bad PLUS two clips to the elements were corroded. I then ordered the 2 heater elements. There is more than 1 heater element. Make sure you measure the length of each and then use the graph picture with "Parts Select" on the new ones before you order. There is about a 2" in length difference. Also one comes in a kit with thermostat and wires. Wrong for me. I really wanted that unit as I needed the harness for the bad terminals but it was the wrong heaters and it also came with a new thermostat. Luckly I did not order that one but did order a new thermostat to make sure I did not have to go through this ordeal again. When the parts came I had already replaced the terminals and was ready to go when FedX came. Just make sure you check your heaters before just buying the defrost timer as it may keep you from going back to redo your repair. Just doing your home work before ordering may save you much time in your repair. "PARTS SELECT" was one day on both orders and I just ordered standard shipping. They are great to do business with.

I found instructions on the web about how to do this repair, so I ordered the part with confidence. But the instructions simply said "pull out the old switchlight". That was actually somewhat difficult as the clip on the side intended to hold the part in was stubborn. I eventually used a utility to slice off the clip. From that point, it was just a matter of plugging in the new switchlight , which was very simple.

First, I removed all items on the door shelves and the shelves themselves to reduce the weight of the door. The door came off by itself because the bottom hinge had broken. Then I placed the door horizontal on the kitchen floor to have easier access to the bottom of the door. I had a piece of blanket under the door to prevent any scratch. I then removed two screws holding the door closing cam and shim and replaced them with the new parts. Next, I removed the base grill to have easy access to the old hinge assembly on the refrigerator itself. All I had to do was grab it firmly at either end and pull it forward. I replaced the hinge assembly with the new one. I removed the cover on the top hinge assembly and removed the two screws that secured that hinge (I was not able to put the door back without removing the top hinge assembly). All down hill from this point. Time to reinstall the door, aligning the bottom of the door cam over the hinge assembly and setting the door down on it making sure the door sets on the hinge assembly cams. To the top of the refrigerator. reinstalled the top door hinge assembly and cover (I had to make sure the door was standing straight vertically before I tightened the nuts), I also put a small amount of white grease into both the top and bottom hinges.

Remove contents of door , Remove top hinge cover - phillips screwdriver , remove top hinge screws ( 2 ) - socket wrench , lift door off lower hinge pin , lay door on edge , remove cam retention screw ( 1 ) - socket wrench , remove broken cam , install new cam , apply vasaline to cam and hinge pins , repeat above steps in reverse . Door now self closes .

Turned off water to ref , removed bottom kick plate , got a towel and disconnected the water line plastic fitting and un screwed the (2) tube clamps un screwed the coupling and ((carefully )) slid out the tube from the compression ferrels ! ( Be careful and do not break or distort them + remember exactly the order they are removed ! Slid the protector spring shroud from the plastic tube , took ogg the top hinge cover then remover the top hinge . Carefully lifted the door off feering the plastic tube through the bottom hinge with my foot ! Got the door off removed the bottom hinge + put the new on on, then removed the door cam which was broken on the bottom of the door , lifted the door up and carefully fed the water line through the new bottom hinge . Attached the top hinge and reassembled the rest same as I had dissambled it . Turned on water ( checked for leaks ) ! All working 100% a-ok ! This company is the best ! Ordered the part at 1 pm and had the part at 2 pm the following day many thanks : )

First we removed the door. Then we had to hammer the old part off including the old rivot. We fould a screw that fit and put this piece on. We held the door in place and screwed the hinge on the main unit.

I first rolled out the refrigerator, unplugged it, and emptied the freezer contents into a cooler.

Then removed the shelving (side by side freezer / refrigerator) and the four screws holding the back panel.

The coil and defrost heaters were covered with ice, so the paint heat gun made quick work of defrosting them.

The heaters were held in by two screws each, so replacing them with the new units took little time.

Then it was a matter of routing the wiring and thermostat to the top of the coil, and plugging them in.

Replaced the back panel and shelving, and plugged in the refrigerator.

Saw that everything was operating, so I rolled the refrigerator back in place, and replaced the freezer contents.

In a few hours everything stabilized in the refrigerator and we were back to normal.

First I took everything out of the fresh food door, then I removed the top hinge cover using a philips head screwdriver, and a nutdriver for the two screws holding the upper hinge. Lifted the door off the bottom pin, and placed it on the floor. Then took off the bottom hinge and used the Dremel tool to grind off the rivet holding the broken door cam on the bottom hinge. Used a nut and bolt to hold the new cam in place, and put the lower hinge back on. Then replaced the other cam on the bottom of the door itself, using the nutdriver. (Be sure to buy two cams, and have the bolt and nut to replace the rivet). Reinstalled the bottom hinge, put the door on, replaced the top hinge, and presto! Works great! Thanks to the others on this site for their stories - really helped make it an easy and quick repair!

I followed the troubleshooting instructions for freezers with ice build-up. First defrost the freezer. This makes a huge mess. The tray for water buildup is very small. I suggest covering the hole so no water gets to the tray and collecting the water as it melts in the freezer. (DO NOT pry the ice off with a knife. I did that when I was 14 and punctured the freon lines.) After the ice was gone inside the freezer, I removed the back panel of the freezer (a pair of 5/16" nuts on the bottom and a pair of #2 phillips screws at the top). The panel will then just pull straight out. Make sure the ice has melted from behind the panel as well before testing any of the components.

First component to check is the defrost timer. Pretty straight forward, using the instructions on the PartSelect home page and a multi-meter (looking for continuity or the lack there of). You need to remove it and check it out of the fridge. In my case the defrost timer worked correctly (bummer since it was much cheaper than the defrost heater kit). Next step was to test the Defrost Heater. I used a common since approach which was not mentioned in the instructions. I manually turned the defrost timer until it clicked. Then I put my hand next to the glass tubes that incased the heater elements. They did not get hot. I then turned the defrost timer until it clicked again. Again, the heater elements did not get hot. Since there are only two setting on the timer, it means the defrost heater was broken. If you can hear the refrigerator/freezer running, then you are not in defrost mode. Turn the thermostat for another click. All noise will stop...and heat should be found at the tubes (behind 6" thin tin covers), if they are functioning.

Removing the defrost heaters and thermostat was simple. There are four #2 screws (2 on each assembly). The thermostat is just clipped on. It is impossible to put the defrost heater assembly in wrong. Put the panel back on and your ready to go. The 30-60 minutes is not repair time but de-ice and repair time. I used a space heater to speed up the de-ice process.

Did not do the repair because the unit arrived damaged. The packaging was in good condition. The plastic around the plug in shattered, and some of the plastic was inside the motor. Very good, and fast on adjusting the order.

Removed the door by removing the top hinge and lifting it off the broken bottom hinge/cam assembly. Removed the broken hinge/cam assembly found out why the cam broke the doorstop was bent so I had to order the doorstop also. The ordering of the parts was so easy. They shipped them on Monday and they arrived the next day. I will use Parts Select again

replaced lights in refrigirator and freezer

Removed everything from the refrigerator door. Removed the screw holding the cover over the top hinge. Removed the two (8mm) bolts holding the top hinge to the refrigator. Removed the door. Removed the plastic grill/cover and the two (8mm) bolts from the lower hinge assembly. Installed the new hinge assembly. Replaced the closing cam (included in the hinge assembly kit) on the bottom of the door. Put the door back on the lower hinge. Installed the upper hinge. Adjusted the door and tightened the bolts on the upper hinge, and replaced the hinge cover. Done!

I replaced both lower hinges without removing the doors. First a couple of observations. The hinge kit consists of two parts; the lower part (bolted to the case) consists of an “L” bracket with a plastic cam, and the upper plastic cam (attached to the door). For some reason the upper cam is available as a separate part . If both cams are plastic both are worn out. Don’t bother ordering the individual cam. If one hinge is worn out the other probably isn’t far behind. Consider replacing both at the same time. Examine the door check. It is an inverted “T” shaped bracket bolted to the door that also holds the door cam. The crossbar of the T are metal tabs that check the door swing. Way too fragile IMO. On mine the refrigerator side was cracked and broke off when I removed it. Since the stops are the same right and left. I just swapped them when I replaced the hinges. Saved $22. Replacing the hinges without removing the doors. {Warning if this technique goes wrong you will be stuck with a loaded door you can’t open.} Remove the vent grill. Stack three 2x4’s along the bottom of both doors ( 26” is about right ). Shim the door(s) up to compensate for the cam wear. About 1/8”) Use a 5/16 socket to remove the hinge from the case. Pay attention to placement of the shims and spacers. Then remove the door cam and stop bracket. Install the new door cam. Leave the screws a little loose. Replace the lower hinge and tighten the screws. Do both sides. Then carefully remove the shims and 2x4’s. Finish tightening the door hinge screws. Check the door swing. I used this technique twice. One to replace the refrigerator side hinge, then again to replace the freezer side hinge and swap the door checks. There were no problems and I saved the hassle of unloading and removing the doors.