WRT5B1EW4 Westinghouse Refrigerator - Instructions

My husband watched the video on your website and found it very easy to do the repair. The repair company that diagnosed the problem wanted $210 to do it. The part I ordered was under $20, and after he installed it the refrigerator has been working great. We would highly recommend your site to anyone who needs to fix anything!

bottom left cornerof fridge defrost timer replaced two bolts and a wire

Followed Internet video instructions for both parts. Two suggestions: Forget the heat shrink tubing and use electrical tape instead, tubing is short in length and difficult to use unless you have a correct heat gun. Secondly, my timer didn't click twice but due to instructions I could determine that the timing was correct in the operation after the first click. This method could be explained as well as when to start it in connection with usage to be the most efficient in temperature and operation.

I literally just watched the video while I was repairing it at home. This is coming from a very girly girl who was desperate because she did not want to spend money on a new fridge while risking everything to fix it. If I can fix it...anybody can do it! I didn't even use the fancy melting machine, I used regular old wire tape and it is as good as new!

I just watched the videos on the website and it was just as easy as the videos made it look.

Checked defrost timer. It was a shocker: it was completely burnt out. Replaced it with the new part very easily. I thought now it would defrost properly but unfortunately the thermostat also was shot. I had ordered it along with the timer just in case. It was not expensive at all and I saved time but having it with me when I replaced the timer. NOW ALL IS WELL AND REFRIGERATOR SECTION COLLING PROPERLY. THANKS TO VIDEO AND PARTSELECT.

Using your online troubleshooter, it was probably the defrost timer and/or the defrost thermostat. Both cheap so I ordered both. The online repair videos showed how to replace those parts. Replaced the timer first with no problems. Removed the panel at the freezer back an saw a streak of black smoke on the white panel wall above the thermostat. Good chance this was the failure point. Video also showed how to replace this unit without any problem. Set the temperature control and let the frig run over night. Problem solved!frig at 38d and freezer at 0d.

The instructions given to me by part Select were very good.I replaced the Timer- checked the heater with oham meter it was good- checked the door weather striping it was good and replaced the thermostat with new .So at this point I may need to call a professional unless some one has another solution.

My unit was not defrosting. Defrost heater was not functioning. Defrost heater tested good with a meter. Thermostat (cold) tested bad with a meter. Defrost timer was working properly. I replaced the thermostat but I had to buy red crimp connectors because the blue ones that came with the thermostat are designed for wire bigger than 18 AWG wire. The thermostat leads as well as the wire in my unit were 18 AWG. The crimp was not tight enough for my liking with the blue butt connectors. I also purchased smaller heat shrink tubing. After replacement, the defrost heater started working. I could see it glowing. Unfortunately immediately after getting the heater working the contacts in the defrost timer arced and stuck together thus preventing the timer from exiting defrost mode. The heater went off at this point indicating that the thermostat was now working. I then purchased and replaced the defrost timer and now the fridge is functioning properly. I noticed both replacement parts, even though I looked up my fridge model, were different part numbers than the originals. I'm guessing the new parts are improved? I also noticed the timer was an 8/30 rather than a 10/30 like the original. The fridge is working better than when it was new so evidently defrosting every 8 as opposed to every 10 hours is better for my unit.

Long story short:

Buy the correct crimp/butt connectors before beginning replacement of the thermostat and proactively replace the defrost timer since it is rather inexpensive.

I followed the instructions in the video associated with the part that I ordered. The video was perfect and described everything I needed to do clearly. Repair is 100% successful!

The website said 60% of people with same refrigerator problem solved the problem with a new fan kit. I received the fan kit within 3 days of ordering. Was shipped from Fresno, CA to Long Beach, WA. The fan kit was to be installed behind rear panel in the freezer compartment. When I removed the old fan motor, I noticed the shaft turned harder than the new fan motor, suggesting a problem with the old fan motor. I plugged in the obvious fan motor power bundle with no problem. The instructions and diagram with the kit nearly steered me wrong. Instructions, diagram and splices with the kit instructed to cut the "extra" wire bundle and splice "similar" wires (should have said same color wires). Luckily, I ignored those instructions when I remembered the U-Tube video depicted the extra wire bundle was to be inserted into a factory penetration in the back panel, facing the freezer compartment. This power bundle is for adding an ice maker, which my refrigerator did not have. When reassembled and the refrigerator restarted, I could immediately feel forced air in the refrig, where there was no flow before fixing. I observed that all the refrig and freezer dials do is act like a valve to increase or decrease air flow to the compartments. The dials have no mechanical or electrical connections, just designed to divert air flow from across the cold 'evaporator' fins. I recommend other consumers to remember carefully what they see in the video and watch again if stumped during the job. The video was better than the instructions which may have been written in China or India. I am happy. Repair was a lot cheaper than a new refrigerator and I would not have bought another Frigidaire. Thanks to this website. r. andersen

just followed the instructions from part select website - everyone is a repair man with the easy to follow and attention to detail the videos provided - time will tell I replaced the defrost timer and thermostat at the same time - the refrigerated was running a lot and the freezer was icing up on the back right of the freezer compartment mostly - " it has been doing this since the day we bought it from sears - we had a repair man over more than once but still had the same problem and had to max out the controls to keep things close to were they were suppose to be temperature wise. we also purchased a few extended warranties The freezer was running around 15 degrees and running all the time. The heating element checked out at 35 ohms so it must be ok. Will let you know in a few days. One serviceman even tried to say it was frosting up because we didn't have ac lol

remove food, then the shelf, then use a hot air gun to defrost and loosen the back panel, then remove the panel, then defrost the coil and thermostat area. using wire tools, replaced the defrost thermostat,and re-assembled freezwr and test

I hesitate to say anything since I did exactly what their video told me to do, and it fixed the problem. Couldn't be happier. Was positive I was looking at 1000$ for a new fridge. Love being able to fix it by installing 15$ part myself. Thanks guys.

The freezer was still making ice, but the fridge portion was barely cooler than room temp. I came to the website and saw that the defrost thermostat cured this problem over half the time. I was quite dubious because I don't see how that would affect the non-freezer part of the compartment, but since it was a cheap and easy-looking repair, I figured what the heck, lets see if that's it. Sure enough, it's like new again. I still don't understand it, but I'll take it. The repair itself is simple, just cutting out the old switch and splicing in the new. Two wires, and clip it to the copper tubing where the old one was. The switch is accessed easily after taking out four screws in the back of the freezer compartment. The only hard part was removing the ice-maker, and that's just because the two screws that hold it in are a little hard to get a good grip on. Alas, you have to get the ice-maker out to pull out the back panel, so there's nothing for it but to wheedle those screws out.