GSS20DBPJCC General Electric Refrigerator - Instructions

Replaced Defrost Thermostat. Tricky removal of light fixture cover and evaporator cover. Light cover screw removal is not intuiitive and the eveaporator cover tabs are not easy AT ALL to remove.Once they are removed, simply 2 screw removal of rear panel.

Had to unscrew screws holding cooling coils to gain access to thermostat mounted on a coil in rear.

Simkple matter to cut wires, remove old thermostat and splice replacement back on. Found it simpler to re-mount thermostat on top coil greatly simplifying process.(Why didn't they place the original unit in this much more accesible place?)
Re-attach coils to rear wall replace rear panel, light fixture cover and evaporator cover.

Refrigerator has been running fine this past week.

Received parts NEXT DAY! FANTASTIC!

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.

I followed the instructions from the repair video that was posted in the part description. It was exactly the same as shown in the video.

Removed cover exposing defrost heater. Defrosted the cooling system. Removed screws holding defroster, replaced old with new, by way of two quick connect eletrical clips. replaced cover. Pretty easy once I figured our that it was the defroster and not the timer.

Husband did the installation. Said it was easy and he had no problems with the repair. He's great at various do it yourself repairs.

I watched the video online and it said there were three sensors in the refrigerator, two in the freezer and one in the refrigerator. I only ordered one sensor and was going to try the one in the refrigerator first. He said the upper one in the freezer is the most difficult, but is usually the problem. So, I replaced the upper sensor and tried restarting the unit. Everything went well and it fixed the problem.

First let me remind you my husband is disabled so it was up to me to do the repair. I'm 70 yrs old. I first removed everything from freezer and then removed the back cover removimg 4 screws,then i removed the old defrost unit which held 2 screws replaced with the new one then i had to put cover back in place..then put everything back in freezer and so far its working...Only time will tell.But the part was so reasonable that if if i have to i will get another..but not for a while i'm hoping,

I diagnosed the problem using the guidelines on the website using the refrigerator model number. Refrigerator was warm and freezer had frost buildup on back panel. I followed the instructions in the video and removed the back panel with a screwdriver. The coils were completely covered in ice. I let the ice defrost by itself as this is a spare garage refrigerator and I had the time. Once the ice was melted I was able to remove the defrost heater harness with a screwdriver. The tube was black as described by others. Installation of the new heater harness was easy and the wires didn't need splicing because they were long enough. I also replaced the defrost thermostat as well as the sensors since I had the thing apart anyway. I am a 69-yr old woman DIY-er. Videos were very clear and I was able to save at least the cost of just a repair visit before parts and labor. Fridge has been running great for two weeks now.

I made my wife fix it.

I followed the onsite video and had no problems. Shut off refrigerator, removed storage trays and bind, removed the rear panel under the light, identified the orange and pink electrical wires and cut them. Spliced the new wires of the thermostat with refrigerator wire and capped them, applied electrical tape to insure no moister makes contact with wires. Replaced rear panel and storage racks and bind. Plugged in the refrigerator and it is operations like new. I was about to purchase a new refrigerator for $ 1,300.00 and the thermostat costed $ 13.00. What a Christmas present!

I first bypassed the thermostat by cutting wires and splicing them together. This made no difference. I then saw that the defrost heater glass looked dark and may be burnt out. I replaced thermostat and defrost heater in 15 minutes with the parts from part select that arrived in less than three days. I believe the thermostat was the problem and now freezer works great.

Removed the back panel of the freezer to inspect. The coils were totally iced up. Proceeeded to defrost coils with a heat gun. I then removed the defrost element to insepct and meter reading showed as open (infinite resistance). I ordered a replacement element and it arrive 2 days later. Replace the element and everything worked OK except for the ice maker. It seem that moisture had frozen on the motor impeller for the auger drive motor and locked it up. I removed the drive assembly and defrosted the motor impeller to free it. Everthing now is working fine.
Your blow up drawings made this a very easy repair
Thanks

This is the third time the defrost heater has failed, the part was shipped prompt, and the replacement was upgraded to a dual coil. The repair was quick and more cost effective than having a repair guy come out .

I got the wrong switch before so just need to put the right 1 in. Super easy, pop off old, plug in new, click back into place. Done. REALLY REALLY EASY for anyone to do

Followed the video you posted on your website and it went seamlessly.
Removed the full unit and after replacing the motor - placed back in slot, secured and ran perfectly.
Hot center bar no longer a problem