GTR22KSPBRBS General Electric Refrigerator - Instructions

No instructions came with new parts. Access to element was impossible until I accidentally discovered that the two styrofoam cushions at the ends of the coils were removable. Once removed, access to the heater and thermostat was very easy.

Unplug appliance, remove freezer shelf, cold air ducts, back of freezer, disconnect light, (My model does not have ice maker. This may also need to be disconnected.)
1.Remove styrofoam cushions at end of coils
2.Locate element between bottom two coils
3.Disconnect the male/female connections
4.Remove support clip under center of element
5.Remove element
6.Replace new element in reverse

Connecting the thermostat wires was challenging because they were somewhat behind the coils.

1.With styrofoam removed, unclip thermostat from coil
2.Carefully cut wires (leave enough to connect new wires)
3.Connect new thermostat wires (color of wires matched on my fridge)
4.Clip new thermostat in place
5.Replace styrofoam
6.Button it all up

With these steps, this job would take maybe 30 minutes; somewhat longer if your model has an icemaker.

Hope this helps.

Poped out with screwdriver the old swithch and unplugged the two wires. Plugged in the wires to the new swithch and pushed it back in the hole where the old switch was before.

I pulled the inside cover in the freezer off, pulled the motor out of the bracket, replaced the fan blade , motor, and grommet and that was pretty much it. Very easy to replace. Parts select was fast and had the cheapest price available.
Thanks
Steven Roffey

While the switch did last for 9 years, the design is poor due to the failure mode. The failure should be to fail off or not able to turn on the lights which would be inconvenient but would not warm the refrigerator contents. Arcing at the contacts eventually caused the switch to "weld" closed. It is not obvious that this is occurring so it took some time to recognize why the temp inside the ref was high while the freezer was OK. Replacing the switch was easy once it was recognized as the problem. All that was required to replace the switch was to remove the screws holding a fiber cover and then pulling off the aluminum cap which covered the switches. Unplug the switch an squeeze the keeper on the switch to release it and pull down. Pop the replacement switch in place and plug the wires harness back in. All in all it took much less time to replace than it has to write this up. T Pope

The existing light switch was very hard to remove. I ended up having to grab it with a pair of pliers and pull it out. Once it was out, it was very easy to put in the replacement and it seems to be working fine.

Unplugged the appliance for safety. Removed two 1/4" screws that held the assembly in place. Carefully removed the wire guard that retains the glass shield. Unscrewed old light bulb and replaced with new part. Reversed the steps after cleaning glass cover.

I had to call for a appointment for repair with GE Appliance because I thought then it . .was something electrical. The technician came out & checked everything out, turned out it was not electrical, The technician went out to his truck got a light bulb from his truck, put it in & it worked. It cost me $121.00 for trip charge from GE appliance for a light bulb that worked, your light bulbs were defective twice. Very disappointed with your products, cost me alot of money for a good light bulb thru GE appliance

as described, I used a thin screwdriver to wedge in and pull down existing, broken switch. I was able to pull it down about a 1/4 inch, but wasn't quit able to disegage it until I gripped it with pliers. I then pulled it out, unplugged the old switch, plugged in the new switch, and carefully tucked the wires back into the fridge and snapped the new switch into place.

10 minutes total.

I noticed that if I unplugged the refrigerator and plugged it back in a while later it would start working but eventually would stop. I deduced the problem was likely the defrost thermostat. I ordered the thermostat but it was in a difficult place behind the evaporator coil which I could not remove. While I was trying to work it into position my hand pressed against the defrost coil and shattered the glass sheath. I ordered the coil and finally managed to get it and the thermostat installed. The refrigerator seems to work fine now.

Thanks to the very fine posts on this site, and availablity of parts, I didn't have to call in a repair man. Due to the near-10 year age of unit, I first ordered a new fridge for the kitchen and moved the GE to the garage. Let it manually defrost. Figured based upon comments posted here I was dealing with the defrost system problem so ordered the temperature sensors for top and botton, the defrost thermostat, and the defrost heater. As a wise poster said, if I am going to pull the damn thing apart, I'm going to make sure I have all three parts in case I need a particular one. Do not have the skill or gauges to troubleshoot electrical components. Parts arrived from Parts Select in great time, and excellent packaging protection. Parts Select also has great diagrams of the unit, although I could not find written repair instructions anywhere. At first I was going to wait for the parts to arrive and replace everything, but since there was a dely in getting the new fridge in, and the freezer section of the old fridge worked fine, once I had defrosted the old fridge, and cleaned up a few of the rusted over connections, I put everything back together, to await new fridge and receipt of parts for old fridge. Well, as is the story of my Karmic life, once fridge defrosted, and I put everything back together, plugged old unit in inside garage, everything came back up working perfectly on the recommended settings for both freezer and fridge sections. Has continued to maintain correct temps for over a week now. Also have new fridge. Don't recommend the top freezer Maytag one for about $700, as construction is cheap, and temps fluctuate all over the place. Had Home Depot exchange out for the LG $740 top freezer model, and am really impressed with its construction and performance so far. (Both units are recommended buys by ConsumerRepots.Org) Not sure how long old unit will keep running correctly, nor what caused it to come back to life after the defrost. Perhaps a simple clogged drain tube, or shorted out rusted electrical connections that I cleaned. Anyway, am keeping Part Select parts on hand for possible future breakdown, and enjoying having both fridges running. We needed additional freezer space, and got the peace of mind of a new unit for the kitchen.

I opened freezer and removed Ice maker. Then removed top fan hood and finally the freezer back panel. Unplug fridge.Removed fan bracket and swapped gromet and fand blade to new motor. Put back in fan bracket and reassembled.Note: Tried without putting back together to see if the fan worked and it won't. Must plug all connections in including ice maker for fan to function. Fixed problem and fridge is better than it ever was. Part Select was excellent,Fast shipping! Thanks

removed ice maker, back panel and two additional plastic trim pices to get to fan. Single molex connection for the wires. I got the part the next day. Wasn't expecting part for three to five days. Very impressed!

Removed the broken slide (two screws) replaced with the new part

Replaced defrost thermostat along with temp sensor watched the video on this page simple fix

I read stories from the website how others did it so I figured I would give it a try. I put all the frozen stuff in the refrigerator piled up. Took out the shelves. Took out 2 screws with a socket extension ( nut driver will work fine.) Remove the light bulb. lifted up on the back panel...it came right out. Saw the coils and on top the sensor. Took it off, cut the wires, spliced in the color coded new one ( pink to pink, orange to orange) Stuck it in the top coil in the original position and crossed my fingers! I put all the pieces back easily, restocked the freezer and waited. HOORAY!! My ice cubes are all separate and free. NO frost inside. A very easy fix for $20.

Note: If there is a large amount of ice build up on your coils a hair dryer works great. The drain is on the bottom anyway. Also , you may want to seal around the wire nuts to keep moisture out. I did