2538791290-1987 Kenmore Refrigerator - Instructions

bottom left cornerof fridge defrost timer replaced two bolts and a wire

Unplugged refrigerator. Removed control knob and cover. Unwired control and removed same. Removed plastic tube from old capillary tube and placed on new unit. Installed and wired in new unit, making sure new unit was in the "off" position. Plugged in refrigerator, turned control knob to the first numerical setting, and was rewarded with the startup of the refrigerator compressor. Voila!

we removed the food from the freezer, disconnected the fridge , removed the cover, the evaporater fan was running, condeser fan was running, then we checked heater with multimeter and it was ok. next step we replaced the frostimer, and defrost thermostat . and then the refrigarater was working ok, problm was the frost thermastat damaged.

Simply replaced the defrost timer located inside the frig just behind the temp dial. Very easy job. Removed the 3 screws holding the temp sw and light assembly. Removed the defrost timer w/ 2 screws and put i all back together. 15 mins at most. Suggest you watch the install video for pointers.

After some troubleshooting to ensure the thermostat and heating element were working, determined that the defrost timer was the problem. With the defective part, I was able to manually advance the timer to activate the defrost cycle, but it wouldn't do so on its own. Unplugged the refrigerator from the wall. Timer is located in the refrigerator compartment at the very top. The compartment houses the cooling thermostat, the light bulb and the defrost timer. Using 1/4" nut driver, remove 4 screws holding compartment cover to top of fridge. Lower a bit to access electrical wiring. Wiring harness can be unplugged to work on the timer away from the fridge which makes it a bit easier. Timer is mounted with 2 phillips head screws. Remove screws and unplug timer from wiring. Install new timer, plug in wiring, secure with the phillips head screws and remount entire compartment.

The repair was straightfoward. The evaporator motor I received from partselect was a different model with different wiring configurations. I cut the wires from the new motor per the instructions I received with the new motor and I did the same with the wires that connect to the fridge. Once I matched the wires and secured them with electrical caps I began to put the evaporator motor to the base and started screwing the screws the way I took them off. Once I connected the wire harness to the back of the freezer and turned it on I noticed a big difference in air flow. I was surprised at how easy it was to fix my refrigirator problem. It's been a few weeks now and the fridge is cold and working like it should. Don't be afraid of this task. it's very easy and will save you a ton of money. Thanks partselect.

change the evaporator fan motor kit working perfect

followed the video very esay

After reading other posts, I decided to change the defrost thermostat, so I watched the videos, and did that. It got better, but the problem persisted, and the ice was still building up in the freezer section. So I decided that the problem was with the defrost heater. I ordered a new one, that was here under 24hs (using the Fedex ground). I replaced it, measured the old one and saw that it was not passing any current at all (so it was really burnt). Now the fridge is good as new, maintaining the proper temperatures both at Freezer and Fridge sections. Thank you Parts Select ! With $ 70 in parts I was able to get back my appliance working !!!

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.

I order defrost timer then replaced it but it seemed doesn't work. I order defrost thermostat again then it worked fine until now. Thanks. Part selects.

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

According to the information from the parts select website the thermostat and the defrost timer where ranked number 1&2 as likely to fail and cause the condition experienced. To replace the Defrost thermostat just remove the freezer bins and the lower panel covering the evaporator. Remove the old thermostat, measure the wire lengths and install the provided crimp splices. Note: the heat shrink tubing is WAY over-sized and will not shrink to the size needed. You will need another means of sealing the wire connection. Install the thermostat and replace the panel and shelves. The timer is real easy. On my model it is located under the freezer door under the kick panel on the front. Simply remove 2 Phillips head screws, unplug the old unit and install the new one. Be sure to cycle the thermostat past the defrost cycle on the timer (rotate until an audible click is heard once for the beginning of the cycle and one at the end) so that the unit will start up when power is reconnected. This resolved my problem and the unit is working great!

One of the three top comments from other replys had similar problems, so I took their advice, since the prices were resonable, I went and replaced two parts instead of just the defrost timer. If I had to do it a second time I could probably do it all in about 20 mins.