CST20KAXFAD Hotpoint Refrigerator - Instructions

Checked continuity of defrost timer and marked to make sure was cycling. When checked continuity of top defrost tube-it was fine but, soon as looked at bottom tube could see problem. Tube was black, no continuity, and left side of tube was separated from the rubber connector, thought obviously water entered tube during defrost and shorted unit and since wired in series with bottom unit not working would not allow power to reach top unit. New replacement kit simple to install-4 phillips screws hold the 2 units in place- thermostat clips to top coil and wiring runs along the coils to top with thermostat- connect 3 prong plug to existing hook up and put on cover plate with 2 cap screws and 2 phillips the job was completed, IMMEDIATE RESULTS. Suggestion- even though tubes are available separately the time to rewire into the existing harness to save couple $$ is not worth it- the other unit will have lost some continuity in comparison to new install so will have tendency to go bad quickly-spring for the difference and have piece of mind for many years to come for replacement of this part. 2 day standard shipping by ground right to door and the little woman thought I was superman of repairs. Since this model was built by GE for Sears- check on Sears was double and inquire in tech repair was double again-Part Select is quality,speed in processing and makes tight budget go the distance.

Removed everything from the refrigerator door. Removed the screw holding the cover over the top hinge. Removed the two (8mm) bolts holding the top hinge to the refrigator. Removed the door. Removed the plastic grill/cover and the two (8mm) bolts from the lower hinge assembly. Installed the new hinge assembly. Replaced the closing cam (included in the hinge assembly kit) on the bottom of the door. Put the door back on the lower hinge. Installed the upper hinge. Adjusted the door and tightened the bolts on the upper hinge, and replaced the hinge cover. Done!

Turned off water to ref , removed bottom kick plate , got a towel and disconnected the water line plastic fitting and un screwed the (2) tube clamps un screwed the coupling and ((carefully )) slid out the tube from the compression ferrels ! ( Be careful and do not break or distort them + remember exactly the order they are removed ! Slid the protector spring shroud from the plastic tube , took ogg the top hinge cover then remover the top hinge . Carefully lifted the door off feering the plastic tube through the bottom hinge with my foot ! Got the door off removed the bottom hinge + put the new on on, then removed the door cam which was broken on the bottom of the door , lifted the door up and carefully fed the water line through the new bottom hinge . Attached the top hinge and reassembled the rest same as I had dissambled it . Turned on water ( checked for leaks ) ! All working 100% a-ok ! This company is the best ! Ordered the part at 1 pm and had the part at 2 pm the following day many thanks : )

The refrigerator was no longer cooling and it was suggested by my father that it could be our defrost timer as he has owned many Hotpoint refrigerators in his lifetime and he said the defrost timer was always the problem he had with them when they were not cooling properly. I removed the cover and unplugged the defrost timer, ordered a new timer through this website and installed it by plugging it where the old timer was, replaced the cover and plugged the refrigerator back in. The refrigerator is now cooling again and just in time for Christmas.

Removed guard at bottomof frig. Located timer & performed tests. Manually rotated timer motor until defrost cycle start. Watched timer for several hours. Timer did not come out of defrost.. Rotated timer more until compressor started. Cooled fine several days then started to get warm again. Manually defrosted and started compressor again. Ordered part. Followed wiring diagram on timer for push on lugs. Frig now back to normal operation.

put the gratefruit knife behind the old switch pooped it out pluged the new one in piece of cake 5min.even vacumed the dust off the coil

0. As a safety precaution, unplug the range or hit the relevant fuse breaker before you start. You might also want to grab a flashlight. Definitely do not try to do this while the oven is hot.
1. Pinch the wire over the light bulb cap to remove it. This is inside the oven at the back.
2. Pop off the hemispherical glass cap.
3. Unscrew the old light bulb, and screw the new light bulb in its place.
4. Put the cap back.
5. Secure the cap by putting the wire back in its slots on the cap.

No tools needed, the cap is just held in place with pressure from the wire.

First I removed the top hinge of the refrigerator door and then lifted it off the bottom assembly. I had to turn the door on its side to work on the bottom where the broken part was located. I unscrewed the bottom assembly and replaced the broken part with the new door cam. Put it all back together and now the door closes but must be manually pushed to close. When the door was working properly it would shut automatically when released from any position. I think I need to install an additional part - maybe a shim? to make it close automatically. That will be another story.
This was a fairly simple jog to do but since I did not have the proper tools it did take me longer than usual to remove the bolts. I'm happy I did it myself and saved a big repair bill! Thanks to the people at PartSelect.com.

I knew that the compressor was cooling because the freezer was half-working. The back wall was frozen-up and found that the iced-up coils where blocking the air circulation. So even if the fan was running, there was no air circulation. Hence the deforst cycle was not working.

Removed the top hinge cover held by one screw. Removed the top hinge held by two screws and them lifted the door up and off the bottom hinge. Laid the door on the floor and replaced the cam piece from the kit on the bottome of the door. That required removing one screw and losening another. Removed the lower hinge (two screws) and replaced it with the new one in the kit. The lower hinge includes the other cam piece. Lifted the door onto the lower hinge and then replaced the top hinge and cover.

It seems my refrigerator was old enough [1987] that the spacing on the holes for the bracket were different than the part that is currently sold. The holes on the new bracket were 30 mm apart on center, but on the old bracket they were 20 mm apart on center.

Clamped the old and new brackets together in a vise to use the old bracket for spacing and drilled a new hole through the 4mm of steel.

After which it was a snap installing the new hinge assembly.

Read the how to's AFTER ordering the part. 2 things....1) I wish I had read the comments first and 2) it was much easier than the comments led me to believe.

Had I read the comments first, I would have known to order BOTH the upper and lower cam....though there not a problem with the operation of the door. It would just have been a tad better if I had both. I'm not wanting to have to pay shipping for an additional part when the door works satisfactorily as it is.

As to the comments on how to do it....I took none of them. I (instead) removed the top hinge, and lifted to door off. I did have to have assistance to get the hole in the door aligned with the post, but that was rather easily done.

Would I do it again.....in a heart beat. I feel that I've save on the repair man making a call at the house, and experience has had me charged $60-$100 for virtually the same amount of service. My cost...shipping and all was under $20.00

The plastic door closing cams had broken after 17 years of use. It was tricky figuring out how the new cams fit as the old ones had disintegrated. Also you need 2 cams - not one. I first ordered only one. A detailed parts diagram would have helped. First unscrew the top door mount cover and then the top door mount. The fridge door then lifts up and off the lower door mount. Next is the hardest part - drilling off the old pop rivet which held the lower cam. The lower door mount had to be removed to get at the underneath of the pop rivet, and a bench vise was handy to hold it as I drilled off the old rivet. Then you need small stainless steel nut and bolt and split washer or lock nut to replace the rivet. Next unscrew the old upper cam from the underneath of the fridge door and replace. The large hole in the cam goes through the door hinge pins. The two plastic cams should interlock in a way that makes the door swing close. Anyway, now the door works fine.

At first, I noticed the refrigerator door didn't close at the same level of the freezer door. I started to adjust the hinges and noticed a chewed up black 'washer' at the base of the door hinge. Ppartselect.com was awesome, in that I easily found the schematic of my fridge, and the part I needed. Ordering was a snap, and it came to the house pretty quickly.
Installation, first raise the door up as high as you can, then scotch it with wood blocks (closed door). This takes the pressure off the bottom hinge you must remove.
Taking the hinge off is a snap, but then the problem presented itself. The old door closing cam was riveted to the hinge. I couldn’t get the old one off! I ended up taking it to the garage and breaking out the Dremmel tool with the abrasive cutter (the one that will cut through nails. I ended up cutting off the rivet. This was a pain.
I then found a small nut/bolt and put the new piece on, then put it back into place and removed the blocks. Works good as new. The toughest part by far was getting the old cam off… but there may be some easier way to get the rivet out that I’m not aware of.
Good luck.

Remove drawers and shelves. Remove and save the 2 screws holding each old rail. Replace new rails using old screws. Replace shelves and drawers.

Be careful: PartSelect lists several different rails for the same number in the parts diagram. Make sure the rail you buy matches the one you're replacing.