36348042896 Kenmore Refrigerator - Instructions

By the time this failure (failed defroster heating element) is evident (top of freezer starts thawing), the entire freezer coil is encased in a block of ice & frost is visble on the back freezer panel.
Empty the freezer & unplug (or turn circuit breaker off) then remove all racks and the light bulb then remove the two lower drawer guides using a phillips srewdriver (2 scrwes each). Use a 1/4" nutdriver to remove the two panel screws on either side of the light bulb socket and pull the panel out, unclip the green grounging wire and set panel aside. this exposes the freezer evaporator coil which is probably encased in ice. If so, use a heat gun or hair dryer to melt the ice away. This takes a half hour of heat application and a bowl or other catchpan should be placed under the coil to remove some of the resulting melting runoff so the evap. pan under the fridg/freezer unit won't be overwhelmed with the excess water.
Replacing the defrost heater & bracket assembly itself is just a matter of removing two phillips screws on either side of the bracket assembly, pulling the bracket free and then uncliping the two electrical terminals. Clip in the new unit to the eletrical terminals & replace the screws, reinstall the rear panel (don't forget to reconnect the ground wire), install the drawer backets, light bulb, shelves and drawer & reapply power. Replacing the bracket itself w/o the defrost proceedure takes about 15 minutes.

Note: If this symptom occurs and is diagnosed (the heater tube will be black and electrically read as "open" using an ohmmeter) and you cannot get the heater assembly & bracket assembly immediately, you can use the heat gun (hairdryer) manual defrost proceedure noted above to get the the unit running while you await the parts arrival. I used the manual defrost procedure and there was just some moderate frost on the coils after five days when I was able to install the replacement part.

Removed cover in freezer over evaporator,unbolted element ,plugged ,and replaced, very simple. Should be first thing checked when theres a problem.

i unplugged the fridge, first i removed the racks, then unhooked the grounding clip. the i tool off two 1/4 nut screws holding the backplate. then i used my wifes hair dryer to thaw out the ice. after it thawed out i unscrewed the element bracket which is secured by two philips screw. after taking the screws off, its just unplug one end at a time and plug it to the new one to avoid confusion. then reverse install to put back together.

It seems my refrigerator was old enough [1987] that the spacing on the holes for the bracket were different than the part that is currently sold. The holes on the new bracket were 30 mm apart on center, but on the old bracket they were 20 mm apart on center.

Clamped the old and new brackets together in a vise to use the old bracket for spacing and drilled a new hole through the 4mm of steel.

After which it was a snap installing the new hinge assembly.

Had some knowledge of freezers and located Parts Select Web Site. Excellent advice and illustrations. Took four days to determine fault, locate part, order, receive and repair. Price was very reasonable and response was more than acceptable.

Good Job Parts Select.

1. Found Compressor and coils obstructed by
heavy dust: Cleaned
Re: No change

2. Check defrost timer for recycle. Good

3. Defrost freezer and initialize
Re:No Change

4. Check heater by setting timer for defrost:
Re: Not heating. Disassembled assembly and
found heater burned with open coil.

Located parts on web site exactly as depicted, Ordered part and Parts select did all the rest very responsively. Recieved the part in just over two business days. Fridge has been operating fine since.

Better than any service man.

I didn’t do the repair because I ordered two grommets. When they arrived, one of the packages was empty! Instead of just sending me another one, they refunded the part so I still need one. By the way, I was not refunded half the shipping either which was more than the part itself.

Fortunately while my refirgerator was still under warrant I had this same problem and watched the repairman fix it. To confrm my suspicions I cleaned out the freezer compartment, removed the back panel (2 screws), and used a hair dryer to defrost it. I suggest plugging the drain hole or laying a towel in the bottom of the compartment to catch the run off or your drain pan could over low. Once defrosted I was able to verify that the element on the defrost heater was burnt. Since it was Sunday I re-assembled and cranked it back up until I could get the part. I did a goggle search on Monday, found the part instantly using only the model number from the refrigerator at PartsSelect.com. The part arrived Wednesday as promised, I repeated the process from Sunday, removed the defective part (2 screws & 2 plug in type wire connections) and she works like a charm now. I do think the manufacture of the part should consider a new design since this is the second one my unit has needed in less than 5 years. At only $27.50 ea. I should have purchased a spare to have for the next time!

I removed the top hinge by removing three screws, I then lifted the door off the bottem hinge and set it aside. I then removed the two screws holding the bottom hinge,removed it and installed the new part. I removed the broken part from the door by removing one screw-installed the new part and set the door in place and reinstalled the top hinge. The door is now properly aligned and working like new. I spent as much time writing this as I did on the repair

First I placed a 2x4 under the frig door to keep it in place while I removed the hinge on the bottom of the door. I removed two screws holding the hinge and one screw holding the washer in place. I also loosened a screw adjacent to the washer so that I could more easily remove and replace the washer. The parts went in easily. The repair took much less time than I anticipated.

First I removed the drawers. Then I removed the 2 screws from each side. Then replaced the 2 pieces in the same manner using the same screws. It took about 15-20 min. Very easy. Drawers work perfectly now. Glad I found this site.

I followed the easy instructions included with the replacement part I ordered. I removed the back of the freezer, unpluged the broken heater and replace with the new heater. The heater just plugged in, very very simple. I put the back panel bach on with the two screws and it perfectly. Not back for a girl!

Removed shelves and light bulb cover. Then removed the two screws that hold the back wall of freezer compartment in place and removed cover. Thawed ice jam with hair dryer. Removed the two screws holding heating element in place and pulled element out far enough to disconnect the two wires. Reconnected wires to new element and put everything back together.
Installation instructions which came with new part were accurate and very easy to understand.
It took about 30 minutes total.

I had done this repair almost exactly 2 years ago. I also read in this forum about a guy who said he had to do it every 2 years... bad part design.

However, GE has replaced the original single element with a dual element, and that is what PartSelect sent me. I had to splice one wire, but the instructions were clear and it went like a breeze. Oh, and the part arrived less than 3 days after I ordered it with standard shipping. Way to go, guys! Thanks!

After easily finding the lower hinge here through Google, I paid about $30 w/shipping and had the part in 2 days. My Hotpoint fridge was made in 1987, but it still runs well...why not fix the door?

Part repair couldn't be easier. No instructions needed...just empty the fridge door of food, remove top hinge, replace bottom hinge and plastic bushing, and reverse order to button everything up.

PartSelect.com did a great job supplying a high-quality replacement hinge for my old fridge, and it's got a new lease on life now!

My right door (food door on side-by-side) stopped closing - I found pieces of the plastic washer (cam riser) on the floor. After reading the stories on the web I decided to order the new part - and YES there are many universal parts that work for Kenmore/GE. The part comes with two parts (hinge and cam riser) - you should install both to insure a good fit. I took 3 blocks of wood and a shim and supported the bottom center of the door, unscrewed the hinge off and dropped it out (3 minutes). The "only" tough part was unscrewing the cam riser from the bottom of the door - it required a very small socket and you will only have about 6-8 inches of work space. Be sure you have a socket that fits before you take the hinge off. The entire repair took less than 30 minutes and contrary to some of the posts, you DO NOT need to take the door off. Good as new again!