RT18BKXXL00 Whirlpool Refrigerator - Instructions

with vidio

inst said,"50 pct of the time this calls for new capacitor," so we changed the capacitor. Same prob. It also said,"25 pct of the time it's the bi-metal thermostat" So we ordered it. We removed the plastic rear panel from inside the freezer comp. using small nut driver. Here we found much ICE surrounding the defrost unit, three inches thick. We thawed the whole mess. and the freezer has worked fine ever since. I think my habit of getting ice cubes from the inside container rather than from the ice cube dispenser, had kep t the freezer door open too much, interfering with the normal defrost cycle and allowing ice to build up over time so that it finally defeated the system. My new rule, "get ice cubes only from the front."

Reviewed Youtube video as a reference. Unplugged refrigerator. Removed old defrost timer. Matched the color of the wiring harness to the diagram that came with the part. Attach new part to wiring harness.

Removed the access panel on back of unit located the Run Capacitor on the compressor and removed the bad one and put the new one on and pugged refrigerator back in and it started up and works fine now

Used the suggested problem list here to narrow down that the repair was most likely the run capacitor. Poped the new one in and I now have better control of my compartment ranges. I have a temperature gauge in each compartment. Check them every opening of the doors.

The Defrost Timer is located in Refrigerator section (not the freezer) where your temperture guages are. Move panel and replace the non working Defrost Timer with the new one. It took my husband about 30-40 mins to fix. This was about 2 weeks ago and my Freezer and Refrigerator are working like new. I bought this Kenmore Reftigerator brand new in 1996 and I lost the manuel to it. Thanks to my daughter who found the Defrost Timer on the Internet, I thought I was going to have to buy a new one. This was real easy to fix. The instructions that came with the part was easy to understand and very self explanatory. It also had very good diagrams to follow.

Pried out old part with screwdriver. Unplugged. When new part came, just plugged it in and pushed the part into place.

removed shims on screws holding motor together, enlarged hole in mounting bracket so motor screws could also go through mounting brackets.

Each side of the door had a metal strip bracket that was held in place by 1/4" sheet metal screws apprx. 8in. apart.. the outer lip of the gasket was tightened into these brackets..loosening the screws allowed the removal of the gasket from all 4 sides and corners..It was just the process of fitting the new gasket into the brackets that took the most time..making sure the new gasket was fitted all the way in for aligned proper fit,then tightening the screws evenly around the door frame..Then, 2 weeks later, this 27-year-old refrigerator's lower compressor went out,,and the refrigerator was history! YEAH!!

first confirm that freezer is cold. if is frozen solid it needs to be defrosted. take the freezer items out,take shelf out, bottom cover, 2 screws. then ice maker, 3 screws and unplug wires. then back panel 2 screws. In refrigerator compartment were the controllers are located, look under it you will see 1 hole, insert a flat end screw driver and turn clockwise till it stops. this action will turn on your defroster, also the compressor will stop. is the heater melting the ice? if so soak up water and clean tray, use hair dryer in drain hole to aid in the defrost, check tray under fridge and if its dry keep defrosting. it should take half an hour. now take the flat head screw driver and turn the defrost timer clock wise out of defrost mode a quarter turn or so. the compressor should come back on, soon after the fan in the freezer compartment should also come on. this steps lets you no that the defrost heater works, fan works and drain hole is clear. if its defrosted place parts back in the reverse order. if not defrosted replace heater or mother board. in refrigerator compartment were the dials are located their are 2 screws, one on the left and the other on the right side take them out, the cover will drop down, you will find wiring schematics you will need them to install defrost timer. is timer making ticking sound? if no replace timer. new timer will be different from original so follow instructions that come with it. timer is above were the hole is located. the plastic hold downs will break when you try to take them off, unplug fridge, lift timer out and remove from wire harness. the new timer has a black wire that slips over either 1 or 2 depending on color of wire on the wire harness. check schematics. some silicone adhesive will keep unit in place, ad some into the plastic shaft prior to installation, plug wire harness return wiring instruction along with new one inside of cover, plug in fridge, turn defrost timer clock wise with flat head screw driver making sure that you hold timer from above so it wont move. did compressor come on?. put all paper work inside of cover before installing cover

When we got the part, we read the instructions, which were easy and very clear step by step. Taking the old part off took most of the time, it was attached a little differently than was described in the video and the instructions for the part. Once we detached that, the replacement part went in very easily and quickly. It took a short while for the cycle to start, we were actually a little worried that it wasn't going to work. Then it started cycling. After the first day the freezer had started icing up, we took a blow dryer and melted it and waited. It hasn't started freezing up again. The refrigerator is keeping the proper temperature and the freezer is also working properly, it's been a week. We seem to be obsessed with going out and checking to see if it's working but I think it's a success. Doing this ourselves only cost $26.00. A huge savings if we had hired someone else to repair it for us. We will definitely choose this option with any other appliance that needs repair. It was easy and simple to find the correct part thanks to the website. And the video tutorial was very informative and helpful.

Took just a few moments to install. The parts fit like a glove,

We looked up the problem online with the model number of the refrigerator. We ordered the part and followed the video installation that was sent with the order and was found online prior to purchasing

Replaced missing stud.

Eased the putty knife under the edge of the switch housing and pried it off. Pulled two wires off the old terminals and hooked them onto the new one and reinstalled into the refrigerator body.