GSR23YBPCWW General Electric Refrigerator - Instructions

Took panel off back of inside of freezer section, took off old sensor from the evaporator, spliced new sensor into the existing wires, waterproofed spliced connections, snapped sensor back onto evaporator, then put panel back on the inside of the freezer. Really, it took only 10 minutes to fix. Now refrigerator defrosts like it used to, and temps have settled in at specified temps.

Cause: Failed relays on main circuit board. Fix: Main circuit board replacement: Unplugged refrigerator. Removed 10 screws securing main circuit board metal cover (located on back of refrigerator) using a nutdriver. Disconnected 7 multi-pin electrical connectors from the circuit-board by firmly pulling each connector from the circuitboard sockets using a needlenose plyers. Depressed the small locking prong on each of the 4 plastic circuit board mounting pegs while pulling the board off the mounting pegs.
Pressed new board in place over mounting pegs. Re-plugged in all connectors (no confusion because each connector has unique pin counts). Replaced all mounting cover bolts, making sure to pin green ground wire to last bolt. Plugged in refrigerator. Done.
Note: I determined the main circuit board was bad by removing the auger motor assembly from the freezer and testing the auger motor harness power pins. AC voltage should jump when ice demand lever is pushed (while pressing the internal door light off switch). If no voltage jump, then auger motor relays on main circuit board have failed, indicating board replacement is needed.
Another check would be connecting an extension cord to the auger motor terminals and plugging it in. Motor should run. If it does, then motor is good and main circuit board is bad. If it doesn’t then auger motor is bad and needs replacement.

Very easy repair to do. Read instruction sheet before starting! Unplug unit prior to removing panel cover.

Remove three hex head screws holding control panel cover in place and reveal the circuit board.

Remove all the wiring harnesses by gently pulling them from the sockets on the board. Do not pull the wires - make sure you pull on the plastic socket so that the wires aren't damaged. If plugs seem tight use needle nose pliers to gently wiggle them out. Remove earth (green) wire from spade connection on fridge chassis. The new board has a slightly different connection for the earth wire.(No spade connector - wire now has a ring connector that attaches between panel cover and fridge chassis using one of the hex head panel screws when the cover is replaced.

Using needle nose pliers locate four plastic mounting tabs holding the board in place and squeeze in the end of each tab whilst gently pulling the board off it. Repeat for all four tabs and remove old circuit board.

Making sure the new board is the right way round locate it on the plastic tabs and push gently until you hear the tabs click. Gently pull the circuit board to ensure it is locked in place.

Re-install all the wiring harnesses. Put a hex head screw through the cover panel and slip the earth wire ring over it and screw panel to chassis. Replace two remaining hex head screws and plug fridge back in.

Voila!! No more ticking sounds and a plentiful supply of ice and water!!

Noticed the problem in November 2009. Replaced Hi Limit Sesor for Defrost thinking it was the freezor temperature sensor. Did not fix the problem. Replaced Motherboard. Did not fix the problem. Called Sears Repair. They mis-diagnosed the problem and told me it was the sealed system. I doubted them and sent them home. Replaced the correct freezer temperature sensor that connects to the motherboard. FIXED.
Removed a panel, cut two wires, soldered and insulated two wries, reinstalled panel.

I popped out the old one and popped in the new one.

Replacing the heater is very easy. Remove the wire racks and the two lower rack bracket screws. Remove the two screws to the back panel, unclip the ground wire and remove the panel. Two screws hold he heater on and two wires for the connection.
However, this did not solve my problem. The story is this. The fridge was getting warm because the coils were freezing over. I called the local repair guys "poncho and lefty" and they came out and replace the themostat and charged me $150. It still froze over a week later. They came back and said it must be the circuit board and charged me just for the $125 part. Nope, it still froze over in a week. So I thought I would take things into my own hands and tell poncho and left to hit the trail. I then ordered a new heater because the old one looked bad even though it checked out okay with an ohm meter. Unfortunately, that didn't solve the problem either. The last thing is to replace are the temp sensors. But before I ordered anything I submitted my problem to a "fix it" forum and someone suggested to check the part number of the themostat that was put in. This turned out to be a brilliant observation. It seems poncho and lefty replace the thermostate with one that is used with a timer. This fridge has the timer built into the circuit board and has a very different temp range than the one they replace it with. Their first clue should have been that the wires were a different color than the one they were replacing and that the part number was totally different than the one they took out. So I ordered a new thermostat and the three temp sensors and replace all of this and the unit works as good as new. The forum also told me that the bullet shaped temp sensor were faulty and should all be replaced, which I did.
Now I have all new parts, so it should be good to go until the compressor takes a nose dive. Hopefully, that will not be for 5 or 6 more years.

Removed old bracket (2 screws), ordered new bracket and installed. Discovered that the bracket had been redesigned due to numerous failures as described above.

Removed old circuit board and replaced with new

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.

I lifted the old switch with a flat screwdriver, attached wires, and popped into place. Saved 80 bucks for a repair call.

went online to an appliance repair site and found out that this model has problems with the damper malfunctioning. went to partselect and ordered what I needed and it arrived in two days. to replace the damper you just remove the light at the top of the frige and the cover around it . the damper assembly only has 2 screws and is easy to remove.

Initial diagnosis indicated faulty cold air damper, so first action was to remove the light assembly and then the plastic housing that contains the FF fan and damper. The two hidden screws at base of housing required removal of lower decorative plastic duct that turned to be held by snap in-tabs at top and slide away fastener at bottom. The damper housing is held to the roof of the FF chamber by two screws that were taken out to remove the light assembly.

When the plastic housing is pulled towards the front of the refrigerator, the multi-pin wire connector can be disconnected and the damper assembly easily removed.

Installation required need of a thin plate to seat a sponge rubber seal without damage, so I used a thin metal kitchen spatula. Nothing unexpected was encountered in reversing the disassembly process.

Although the new damper corrected the excessive cold situation, the temperature max-min span remained in excess of 15 degrees F, so the control panel was swapped in the small covered cavity located in the outside back of the refrigerator. A 1/4" nut driver and needle nose pliers were all the tools necessary for this operation.

Together the two replacement components have solved the frozen food problem and the over night max-min FF span is now 5 degrees or less.

Unplug refrigerator,remove the freezer bulb, trays and rear cover to expose coils and heating element/defroster, The telltale sign its bad was it looked like an old flashbulb/burned, the old one was open, melt enough ice to remove and replace the defrost element(2 screws 2 wires) and reinstall components, reconnect power, thats it.

The defrost heater failed. The coils frosted completely over so no airflow to the fridge. Step 1. Empty the freezer. Ice maker and top shelf can stay. Remove power, pull plug or open breaker. Step 2. Remove shelves and bottom food drawer. Step 3. Remove bottom food drawer rails. 2 phillips screws on each side. Step 4. Remove back panel, 2 screws at the top. Work panel out. Note there may be a green ground wire hook on it at the top. This will expose the heater and the cooling coils. The heater is at the bottom of the cooling coils and is the width of the coils. Step 5. There will be 2 wires, one on each end, and two phillips screws holding it in. Wires pull straight out. Note which way the heater is installed and remove the 2 screws. Step 6. Assemble in reverse order. Be very careful with the heater. It is in a glass tube and is very easy to break.

First my wife and i took the panel off the back, unscrewed the old mainboard, unplugged all the switches from it and prayed that the new one would work. We were without a fridge for 2 weeks beginning 2 days before Christmas!!!!! Gingerly, we put the new board in place, screwed it into the fridge, connected the switches, attached the ground wire, and held our breath as we plugged it back in. Within seconds, the familiar sound of water filling the icemaker was hear and there were cheers all around!!!