RT21F7YX3A Gibson Refrigerator - Instructions

I found this website via a google search and clicked on the link suggesting solutions for the symptoms I had. I decided to order the part (defrost timer) that was proven the larger percentage of time to fix my issue (warm refrigerator) but decided to also purchase the evaporator fan motor as it was suggested by my brother to replace it as well. We powered off the refrigerator and removed the back wall of the freezer and completely defrosted the unit. This seemed to be the most work and longest time to complete. We used a hair dryer to do this. Once the ice was gone, we replaced the defrost timer, which seemed to fix the warm refrigerator part. We didn't immediately swap out the evaporator fan as the power plugs did not connect properly and it was a little confusing on how to accomplish this. I called partselect back and they didn't have anyone that could talk to me throught the replacement process but recommended we call frigidaire. Meanwhile, we found out that the defrost timer corrected the warm refrigerator and now that the evaporator fan could move (no longer frozen in ice) it was making a lot of noise. So we contacted fridgidaire, and they were able to provide me with a similar video on connecting the power between the new evaporator fan motor and the refrigerator. . We ended up snipping both power connectors (from fridge and new part) and twisted the wires togehter and now the fan is moving without noise, the freezeer and refrigerator is working like a champ! Very happy outcome!

Removed shelving, and rear panels. Replaced condenser fan and defrost thermostat. Defrost coil ohmed fine. Reassembled and plugged in fridge with thermometers inside. Freezer at 22degrees and fridge at 32 degrees. My first time repairing a fridge. the partselect videos were very helpful.

I followed the advice posted by others at parts select website. This made the repair process easier. Everything went very well, and my refrigerator is working just fine. I definitely will use parts select in the future for any appliance parts and repairs I may need.

I first thought the defroster heater broke - took the back wall of the freezer off and cooling fins were fine. Then took the defroster timer out and opened it up. The contacts were badly burnt so the compressor and fan ran during only part of the cooling cycle. Replacing the timer took less than 5 minutes - turn off the power, remove one screw to take out the control box, cut the ground wire (new timer housing is plastic and does not have a ground connection), remove two screws to unmount the timer, unplug the old timer, plug in the new timer, fasten with two screws, put the control unit in and fasten with one screw, turn power back on.

Unplug the refrigerator unit from wall. I removed freezer rack, plastic light cover, the ice rack shelf on the right side, then removed the plastic back cover panel, (4) retaining screws, gently tilting the panel toward me, unplug the wiring harness by depressing the clips on the side of the plug, removed panel from unit, set aside. If the unit was froze up, so I defrosted the cooling coils carefully with a common hair dryer until it was thawed. Be careful not to touch or bend the coils , since they are very fragile and SHARP! I located the old thermostat unit attached to a straight length of coolant line. The new unit looked like the old one, so it was easy to locate. I cut the two wires of the old unit close to the round base to make sure I would have enough wire to reconnect. Since my new unit did not indicate a polarity(Neg or Pos), I just wired each wire I cut to one of the new unit. I used the shrink tubing provided and heated the shrink till it was fully melted. I double ck'd to see if the wires were basically waterproof and a good connect. Also, before I replaced the rear panel, I made sure that both wires I had spliced had a drip loop to it so water would not drip down into the newly spliced union. Also made sure the wires will not interfere with the colling fan on the back of the rear panel. Reverse the procedure in reassembling. Plug in unit, and wait and listen for the unit coming back on..I kept a regular thermometer in the upper and lower compartments. Allow 24 hrs. for the unit to return to normal operation. It may defrost several times till the whole operation is back in sync.

Unplug the refrigerator. Removed the right hand top shelf. Used a 1/4" nutdriver to remove rear center mounting screw for Control Housing. Used Phillips screwdriver to remove two mounting screws for timer. Unplug cable from timer and plug it into the new timer. Install the new timer and re-install the Control Housing. Plug in the refrigerator and adjust the timer to start the unit. This was a snap with the diagnostic provided by Part Select. At first I thought it was the fan rubbing but when I removed the cover (two screws) it was obvious that wasn't the problem. The diagnostic hinted that it was either the timer or the motor capacitor making the noise. Because the noise continued after turning OFF the control, I thought it was the timer...I was right.

removed everything from door, removed screws in gasket around door, laid door face down(insulation side up)applied rtv around edge of gasket and door, waited 10 minutes and started with top screw in middle of top then middle of sides and bottom then installed remaining screws checked levelness of refrigerator, the you are done

I watched the video you had on-line and it was simple. Thank you so much

Emptied freezer, removed fan motor cover (2 screws), removed fan and motor (2 screws), removed old motor from bracket and reassembled with new motor, transferred fan blade from old motor to new), re-installed new fan/motor (2 screws) and reinstalled cover...

1. Unplug the refrigerator.2. Remove the storage rack and back panel in the freezer. 3. Locate the thermostat. 4. Defrost the freezer coils , i used a hair dryer. 5. Remove the thermostat from the cooling coil and then clip the connecting wires close to the unit. 6. Strip the ends of these wires and connect these wires to the wires of the replacement unit using the supplied wire connectors. 6. Heat seal with a lighter the connections using the water shield sleeves provided and further wrap connections with electrical tape. 7. Reconnect the thermostat to the cooling coil at the location it was removed from. 8. Replace the freezer back panel removed earlierand the storage rack if you have one. 9. Plug the freezer back in. My refrigerator has been working ever since the repair. There are several YouTube videos available that walk you through the diagnoses and repair process. They are very good.

The old drain pan had a 1 ½” tall bushing attached to the center of the pan. The new pan did not have this bushing which was great. I had to cut about 1 inch off the bushing to remove the old pan. Also after cutting the bushing I had to screw the bushing off after cutting the old pan from the bushing. I installed new pan onto the ½” of threads that was left on the top of the compressor. Checked repair two days later all was great.

I original tried to repair the motor but was not able to. I remove the screws on the back plate and removed the the back plate. Removed the shroud for the motor and screws, unplug the power connection and removed the fan motor. Installed the new fan motor and reassembled everything. The refrigerator is working great.

Turned off Refrigerator by thermostat switch in Freezer Compartment,(allowing for light to work in freezer). Then removed all food from freezer side,then all shelves & basket drawer. Next, unplugged refrigerator from electrical source. Removed back of inside of the freezer. Located the Thermostat for defrosting cooling coil. Removed and replaced with new part.(Tip-unplugged the wires for the original thermostat, remove from freezer and cut off and splice with connectors provided with new part, it's easier because you're not trying to do this in the narrow space of the freezer). Then attach the thermostat with new bracket and plug thermostat wires back in, replace back panel, shelves, plug in power supply, turn thermostat switch in Freezer to normal setting. Wait for Freezer to cool and replace food. It's currently working like new. BTW I thought I need a defrost time as well...however after I ordered that part and received it, I turned the existing defroster timer manually with a straight ended screwdriver very slowly and it cycled and the defrost rods glowed/functioned just fine. Therefore I didn't replace defrost timer. I'll save the new timer for future repair if needed. All in all it was fairly easy, and I didn't have to buy another fridge. I was really pleased with the service of this website...and the parts arrived very quickly via Fedex. Thanks www.partselect.com ! KJ

Ordered new parts, removed old parts, put in new parts. Done.

Part Select suggested probable causes and supplied videos of how to make the repair of a 25 yr.old refrigerator along with the specific parts to order. I was about to trash the old refrigerator but after replacing the parts for a total of about $40 and 1 hour of time it works fine now.