GTS22KBPW General Electric Refrigerator - Instructions

First turned off power and removed top shelf.
Then I used a flathead to slowly pry the switch out by the two sides. You just anlge ita bit and it slideds out easily. Then I disconnected the wires from the old switch, connected the new one and installed the new switch by snapping it back into the cutout.

No self defrost. Measured heater coil with ohm meter which was OK (not open). Ordered 2 temp sensors (there are 2 in freezer, 2 in fresh food sections). The original and the new all meaured ~150 ohms. Replaced one by one. This did not fix problem. Ordered defrost thermostat. Original measured ~150 ohms - new one was ~100 ohms. Unpluged refridgerator. Removed coil panel (4 nut screws) in freezer and light cover (1 small phillips screw). Locate defrost thermostat clipped to top of coils (orange / pink wires). Cut wires and unclipped thermostat. Stripped insulation off of wires and reconnect using wire nuts. Clipped thermostat back to coils. Ran refridgerator without panel on coils to see if coils frosted up again and listend for fans/compressor to stop ( took hours). Opened freezer and viewed glow of defrost heater. Problem resolved.

No instructions came with new parts. Access to element was impossible until I accidentally discovered that the two styrofoam cushions at the ends of the coils were removable. Once removed, access to the heater and thermostat was very easy.

Unplug appliance, remove freezer shelf, cold air ducts, back of freezer, disconnect light, (My model does not have ice maker. This may also need to be disconnected.)
1.Remove styrofoam cushions at end of coils
2.Locate element between bottom two coils
3.Disconnect the male/female connections
4.Remove support clip under center of element
5.Remove element
6.Replace new element in reverse

Connecting the thermostat wires was challenging because they were somewhat behind the coils.

1.With styrofoam removed, unclip thermostat from coil
2.Carefully cut wires (leave enough to connect new wires)
3.Connect new thermostat wires (color of wires matched on my fridge)
4.Clip new thermostat in place
5.Replace styrofoam
6.Button it all up

With these steps, this job would take maybe 30 minutes; somewhat longer if your model has an icemaker.

Hope this helps.

Poped out with screwdriver the old swithch and unplugged the two wires. Plugged in the wires to the new swithch and pushed it back in the hole where the old switch was before.

First I removed the vegetable drawer and glass shelf. I matched up the 'new' drawer slide rail next to the broken slide.
I then used a phillips head screwdriver to remove the 2 screws that held the slide in place.
After removing the broken slide rail, I installed the new rail, replaced the vegetable drawer and glass shelf. New item worked like a charm.
The drawer slide arrived really quick after my order was placed. Approx. 2 days after ordering the part, it was on my front door step.

While the switch did last for 9 years, the design is poor due to the failure mode. The failure should be to fail off or not able to turn on the lights which would be inconvenient but would not warm the refrigerator contents. Arcing at the contacts eventually caused the switch to "weld" closed. It is not obvious that this is occurring so it took some time to recognize why the temp inside the ref was high while the freezer was OK. Replacing the switch was easy once it was recognized as the problem. All that was required to replace the switch was to remove the screws holding a fiber cover and then pulling off the aluminum cap which covered the switches. Unplug the switch an squeeze the keeper on the switch to release it and pull down. Pop the replacement switch in place and plug the wires harness back in. All in all it took much less time to replace than it has to write this up. T Pope

The existing light switch was very hard to remove. I ended up having to grab it with a pair of pliers and pull it out. Once it was out, it was very easy to put in the replacement and it seems to be working fine.

Unplugged the appliance for safety. Removed two 1/4" screws that held the assembly in place. Carefully removed the wire guard that retains the glass shield. Unscrewed old light bulb and replaced with new part. Reversed the steps after cleaning glass cover.

After I bought what I thought I needed for the repair. I asked a friend to come over and look at it. He changed the
the light socket and put the same light bulb in and it works great. I am returning the light switch but decided to keep the light bulb.

Getting on the internet was so easy. This was really very simple. Thank you for making what I thought would be a big ordeal into something very simple.

Paulette Johnson

I opened the back panel of the fridge and exposed the compressor. Unplugged existing run capacitor and installed new one with the addition of the sleeve that is stated must be installed around the run capacitor.
Everything I read and on this web site says that based on these symptoms, that the problem is the run capacitor. I searched and search for a part called a start relay which plugs in to the compressor. This run capacitor plugs in to this other part which I take as the start relay.

Installing this run capacitor did not solve the problem. The fridge compressor keeps cycling on and off. Freezer doesn't keep as cold as it should.

as described, I used a thin screwdriver to wedge in and pull down existing, broken switch. I was able to pull it down about a 1/4 inch, but wasn't quit able to disegage it until I gripped it with pliers. I then pulled it out, unplugged the old switch, plugged in the new switch, and carefully tucked the wires back into the fridge and snapped the new switch into place.

10 minutes total.

I replaced the three sensors, 2 in the freezer 1 in the refrigerator. This was rated as the most common problem. Did not fix the problem. I then checked the ohms on the new sensors then the old sensors they were all within .5 of each other. So I got smart and went down the list of causes on their list. I emailed partselect and asked what the parts should read. They replied with that information and it turned out to be the voltage converter on the compressor. I ordered the part on friday payed for overnight delivery and it arrived tuesday. This as you can imagine makes me angry. But the part was easy to install and my refrigerator started working right away. I would advise anyone with this problem to start at the top of the problem list use a multi meter check everything on the list and only replace part or parts that don't come up to standards. This will save time and money and hopefully fix the problem the first time as you are not switching out parts and hoping that it solves the problem.

I had to call for a appointment for repair with GE Appliance because I thought then it . .was something electrical. The technician came out & checked everything out, turned out it was not electrical, The technician went out to his truck got a light bulb from his truck, put it in & it worked. It cost me $121.00 for trip charge from GE appliance for a light bulb that worked, your light bulbs were defective twice. Very disappointed with your products, cost me alot of money for a good light bulb thru GE appliance

I went in with the toolbox, and couldn't see the screws to loosen, so I tugged the gasket to see how it was attached. It just snapped down into a groove in the door. Pulled out the old one, snapped in the new one, and voila, it was done! Happy day, lucky me! Didn't even need my husband's help.

I noticed that if I unplugged the refrigerator and plugged it back in a while later it would start working but eventually would stop. I deduced the problem was likely the defrost thermostat. I ordered the thermostat but it was in a difficult place behind the evaporator coil which I could not remove. While I was trying to work it into position my hand pressed against the defrost coil and shattered the glass sheath. I ordered the coil and finally managed to get it and the thermostat installed. The refrigerator seems to work fine now.