RB19KN-3AT Magic Chef Refrigerator - Instructions

My owners manual said to unplug fridge from elec outlet, use a kitchen knife to gently pry off the switch plate
(manual had a pictoral example), unclip the two wire, replace with on new switch and replace the switch. Close
door and plug back in. Open door to check that the lite
works. Walla! It did. Thanks!

Sincerely, Ron Marshall, Billings, MT

Popped the old one out with a kitchen knife and popped the new one back in. It tool less than 15 seconds!!

Please bear in mind I am 65 years old & it was harder to get up & down off the floor then to change the switch. Was very easy - watched video, unplugged unit. I used the putty knife at the right front corner to work loose, when it came loose had to loose the left side a little. The unit pulled out easily. detached the wired that had a single plug with 2 prongs on it. Attached the plug, pushed new switch into place. There was no way you could place wires on wrong prong. When done, plugged refrigerator back in & checked if working. I CAN SEE THE LIGHT and the food in the freezer now. Thank you for making an easy repair.

This is an easy fix, simply remove and replace. What I was impressed with is that a how to video was provided along with my part. I wish all manufactures would offer this, the video was easy to understand and you had a good view of the operation. Thanks, a job well done.

1)pry out the old/defective light rocker switch with a screw driver (flat head) and pull out the cables 2)unplug two connectors at the end of light rocker switch 3) connect new light rocker into two connectors 4)push the wires inside and put back new light rocker switch

I did exactly as the video showed. I popped out the old switch, disconnected the two terminals, connected the new switch and put it back. The light now works! The refrigerator is over 25 years old and the switch works! What a great website this is. Couldn't of done the job without Partselect's help.

After receiving the new part almost immediately,using two screw drivers, removed the broken switch from the plastic frame. Be careful not to scratch or otherwise tear the plastic...very pliable. Since the original switch was factory installed and the wires were packed in fiberglass insulation, the switch came out but the wires and clips were still in place and could not reach the new switch. It was necessary to pull them down with bent long nose pliers...used a lot of "pull" but the wires held up.Connected the switch, turned the power on and there was light! Reports from other users really took the uncertainty out of the task.

Unscrewed the right control knob. Removed the left temperature control knob (there is no screw holding it), removed one screw to rear of small panel then pried open from the rear of the small panel, there are two plastic tabs in front of the small panel holding it in place. Unscrewed the failed control unit and replaced it with the new one. Replaced the small panel and screw then the left side control knob, making sure of the alignment in the "off" position as the knob has to be pressured into a clamp arrangement on the cold control thermostat. Re-screwed the right knob into place, as well.

I tried to remove the old light switch using a putty knife and a hammer. It was hard to compress the plastic tabs to pull it back through the hole, but all of a sudden, the lights came on. I guess banging on the switch freed-up the contacts. The new switch is now a spare part in case I need it.

Researched this problem on the web. Disassembled the main refrigeration unit (slide out freezer floor panel). The cooling coils were completely iced up. Thawed overnight. Tested the coil thermostat with a multimeter and discovered it worked. Note that the activation temp on this thermostat is 15 degrees Fahrenheit so the ice-water bath test on many web videos will NOT work. My test was in another refrigerator freezer compartment (everyone has two, right?). When the temperature went below 15 and stayed there for 15 minutes, the thermostat opened the circuit. Further investigation revealed that the defrost heater was burnt and shorted. Replaced the defrost heater only to discover that the defrost timer was also broken. After replacing the defrost timer and testing each component thoroughly, the refrigerator is back in service. Freezer maintains about 8 F and the main refrigerator stays at about 36. The unit cycles off properly and the defrost timer is correctly initiating a defrost cycle. Further, when the defrost heater is cycled on, the thermostat correctly shuts it off once the coils are defrosted. Watch the youtube videos. Find your parts and note their specifications so you can test them properly. And good luck.

The old light fixture and socket were easily removed. This was done with the power connected, but I already knew the switch didn't need to be handled. The solderless connectors are all insulated, so I just had to be careful. The new socket would not accept the connector for the "hot" (red) wire in the fridge, due to a design change. This is, of course, why you furnished a loose 3/16 inch crimpon connector. Rather than cutting the red wire (remember, the power is still connected), I obtained an insulated 3/16 connector of the opposite gender, and a short piece of red-insulated wire from an old fluorescent tube ballast, and made a jumper. The connector I provided (male) did not fit tightly in the original fridge connector, so I put a layer of resin-core solder on my male connector. You need tight connections. If the solder layer is too thick, it's easy to file down. Make sure to heat the solder sufficiently that the solidified solder is shiny and not dull gray. I used a 100-watt gun. 20 watts would probably work too. DO NOT USE ACID-CORE SOLDER OR FLUX ON ELECTRICAL WORK! I knew the switch was good, because I had checked for voltage at the socket terminals using my voltmeter, before I ordered the socket. It read 120 volts every time the door switch was open, and zero volts every time the door switch was pushed closed. A simple voltage tester would work here, too. Be very careful if you do this test or this repair with the power connected to the fridge; there is considerable potential to find yourself touching 120 volts with one hand while your other hand is touching a perfect "ground". There doesn't seem to be any choice if you want to test the switch. You do have a choice with the socket replacement - - the jumper described above. If you're not going to use the jumper approach, cut the power! If you are going to make a jumper and are not comfortable working on a "live" circuit, cut the power.

followed the video as instructed. Saved two repairman calls, one to find the problem, one to install. Net savings was about $130.00

After plugging in the new relay to no avail. I replaced the thermostat. That fixed the problem.

I simply watched the repair video and did it! Super easy, needed start device and capacitor. As easy as unplugging the old and adding the new. The video helped and gave me confidence. Wives can fix fridges too! Saved me $2500. Looks like I'll need a new excuse if I want a new fridge.

I have never before seen a bulb with the filament intact not light. If the bulb's filament seems intact, screw the bulb into a known working lamp and see if it lights. When screwing it back into the socket in the fridge, it takes a bit of extra effort to fully seat (until it does, it won't light!). For replacing the switch, I unplugged the unit, used a paint scraper and worked it under the switch bezel from the right side. A bit of moxie, and the switch came out. The replacement switch had a different spade contact spacing than the original. I used a pair of scissors to cut the rubber bridge between the two switch wire connectors so I could connect to the new switch. In the end, it turned out to be the bulb. NOTE: The Model TC18KL is _not_ listed! What I finally found that the number "P7803211WL" on the sticker is actually a manufacturing code. Found this out by searching, and Sears' part search came up with matches.