FCM15SPAWH General Electric Freezer - Overview

This freezer was given to me by a neigbor. It had set closed/unplugged for over a year. The gasket was so moldy I couldn't clean it. Unplug the freezer! I removed the old gasket pins using needle nose pliers. There were about 50 plastic pens holding the gasket and inside cover of the freezer lid (chest freezer) The plastic pens were ... Read more difficult to remove. The insulation was wet so I braced the lid open and let the insulation dry for a couple of days. When the insulation was dry I attached a plastic pen at each corner of the gasket and then placed pens at even intervals around the rest of the gasket.. None of the holes lined up past the 3rd hole so I used a punch to make the necessary holes. The instructions say to put a bead of silicone gel around the outer edge of the gasket. I haven't done that yet but plan to do that last step.

I ordered four leveling jacks from this site for the refrigerator using a slightly different model number (my model was not listed). I assumed that the jacks all had the same shaft diameter and thread size. However, it turned out that the two front jacks had half-inch shaft diameters. It could be that originally there were rollers in fro ... Read more nt. The two rear jacks had quarter-inch shafts with "feet" for supporting them on the floor. So, I had to return the four jacks I had ordered and find another solution. I found two half-inch threaded bolts at the local hardware store that fit the front holes perfectly. I purchased 3.5 inch bolts to give me enough room to find the proper adjustment. I used wooden blocks and a crow bar to raise one side of the refrigerator high enough to screw in the leveling jacks. I used an adjustable crescent wrench to turn the bolts' hex heads until they were the proper height. I used the two original quarter-inch jacks in the rear holes and adjusted them to the proper height to level the refrigerator on the concrete floor where it is located. Then I removed the wooden blocks and tested to make sure the refrigerator did not wobble. I found that using the two bolts (no leveling jacks for the front holes could be found) for the front jacks proved to be the ideal solution. The job took me about thirty minutes, including the time it took to move the refrigerator into its final location and adjust the leveling jacks once more to create a solid stance so that the refrigerator did not wobble. While I had the refrigerator away from the wall, I removed the rear panel and cleaned the blades of the cooler fan and removed dust and dirt build up near the compressor with a vacuum cleaner. Then, I screwed the panel back into position, moved the refrigerator into its final place in a corner of the garage and made sure there was enough air space around it to allow for proper air circulation. This took me about twenty more minutes. I plugged it back in and listened to it come alive again. It is old but has never needed a repair and keeps everything cooled or frozen. I would suggest using threaded hex-head bolts in place of original leveling jacks if they cannot be obtained. Problem solved.

Ordered from PartSelect, got the gasket very quickly && even has the best cost over SEARS & 3 other places. I followed the instructions in the pkg. but it may be that the freezer is too old or the lid needs to be readjusted. Who knows but would suggest this company to anyone for parts! Thanks again!P.S. it took longer than most