RC20KN-00 Magic Chef Refrigerator - Instructions

Just like the video showed me.It still does not work. Have to turn it off and on to make it start up.I also replaced thermostat in freezer. Does not work.

Removed all screws in rear panel & removed (this was easy) . unpluged heater wires & fished out not easy. Used string and 3/8" nut for weight, droped behind evaporator to pull elect wire from heater. ( this was not easy) replaced rear panel & all screws.

The most difficult part was determining what the problem was, was it the defrost timer, the themostat or the heater. Once I diagnosed the heater the ordering was easy. Installing it took about 30 minutes but waiting for the frig to cool to the point where the thermostat opened took a little longer than I thought. When I saw that orange glow from the heater I knew I saved myself a hundred buck.

Screw bulb in and place cover over bulb.

I did remove the run capacitor of the starthing kit of compressor and another one new. It work fine.

Unloading the freezer and removing the back panel were the most time consuming aspect of this repair. Many models only have 4 screws, but this one has 9, and being a side by side it was a tight fit to reach them. Once defrosted we tested the thermostat, found it "dead", and ordered a new one. The part came within 3 business days. Installing it took minutes, since we had not permanently screwed in the back panel again. We didn't want to reload everything until we knew things worked properly, so we didn't put everything back right away. We thought we had further problems as the freezer got really cold but the frig still didn't get down to temp. Turns out we just needed to reinstall the fan shield which we'd taken off along with other parts to access and check the vents. The fan shield must be in place to direct the cold air into the vent to the refrigerator. Duh! It was an oversight that once caught made total sense! Now all works fine on this 20 year old Maytag side by side!

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.

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

Removed the six screws holding the bottom access plate found at the rear of the refrigerator. This gives you easy access to the run capacitor that has a retaining clip. Remove the wire clip and pull out the capacitor (it has two quick disconnect terminals). Reverse the process using the new run capacitor to complete the repair.

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.

removed back sheet from inside of freezer unit. removed upper and lower coil brackets. undid clips and replaced coils. reattached wires to top , replaced back sheet.

I removed the cover that protects the freezing tubes, they were frozen solid,used my heat gun to melt away the ice, being very careful not to burn any wires. Then I removed the old heating coils,connected the new ones, replaced the cover and I was done. The thing that took the most time was melting the ice, you cant do it in a hurry because you may burn wires

Having watched the Maytag technician perform this same repair a few years ago, I was sure I could do it myself! The take down was quite easy. The actual repair was a little more difficult, as there isn't much space to work in. Others have posted their procedures and mine was no different, so I won't repeat what has already been said, other than to add that when I installed the heater assembly, I dropped a length of string ( with a small nut on the end for weight) down the inside of the cabinet alongside the evaporator, and tied the wiring to the string and pulled it through to the top. That metal flange and those fins on the evaporator are very sharp! I'm not comfortable working in gloves, so if you are, I suggest you wear them... The thermostat was simple 'plug and play'! The refrigerator/freezer is working fine now. Thanks to y'all at PartSelect for your prompt shipping of the parts that I ordered.

Pull box out ""unplug box"" empty frezer including storage baskets,place ice maker in off remove ice cube box, do not remove ice maker, useing nut driver loosen side rail screws about 1/4"slide basket rails in or out and pull to center of box should slip off screws, remove light bulb cover & bulb, remove 4 screws holding ice worm drive motor "" hold "" will fall it is atached to a electrial plug un plug and lay aside,unscrew back panle screws 4 left 4 right on back cover, " remove hiden screw at top center of back panel and pull up and pry out at bottom silde out downwerds,remove cross plates one center one bottom these hold defoster bars, unwind wires center defroster bar somewhat difecult bottom one just slide down unplug from panel at top behind where ice cube drive was located, replace new defroster assm reasemble defroster bars into cross bars wind in & plug up new wires behind cooling fins being carefule not to cut or nick wires of bend cooling fins replace screws,wires are 1 small plug 1 large,reinstall back panle top center screw first don't tighten aline side screw holes replace side screws then tighten top screw. Replace drive motor being sure to conect,replace bulb,bulb cover,side railes,bens,ice cube box & put ice maker lever in on poss. Plug box in weight 8 to 10 hours with box set at mfg 's starting settings. Should work like a charm.