AFFC1466DW4 Frigidaire Freezer - Instructions

It's easy to know how to use a key. I didn't have a difficult part, I didn't have the model # because I had lost my key and the model # is inside. I was able to find the energy saving paper that came with it but it had four model #'s. I called a couple places and no could me. I pulled up Part Select on line and just thought I would give them a try. I got a very nice person (Jeremy) He went thru every model that I had and three out of the four matched so he sent me a key and if it didn't work I could get my money back. I give him a A+ four taking that extra step, unlike the other places. Very satisfied!

I used the tool at Partselect that in theory allows diagnostic of the problem to be repaired. The result was that more tan 90% of the time with the introduced symptoms it had to be the thermostat. I order the part, got it quickly and installed. It did not fix the problem. So, be careful with the diagnostic tool, because it is just based on what most people buy when they have a particular problem. Videos for installation are great. If diagnosis was better, this would be fantastic. In my case there might be a different problem.

First of all thanks to all who posted their stories, because those stories helped me to narrow down what could have gone wrong with my fridge. I did not know how frost-free refrigerators worked at all, reading your stories and doing some on_line research I understood the theory behind the work. My freezer was working constantly, but fridge was warm, cold air would not reach to fridge because freezer was completely frosted.
I had ordered defrost heater, defrost timer and thermostat. I was sure one of these parts was the problem.
First I used flat screwdriver to turn the timer manually untill frdge stopped running(timer is on the left bottom corner behind the black decoratve plastic under the door) . Waited about 20-30 min, checked ,freezer was still frosted. I disconnected the fridge from the wall socket and took shelves out from freezer compartment. This is where hair-dryer came in handy or you could wait till ice would melt on its own, which could take long time.Then loosend 2 screws on left wall that were holding icemaker unit half-way , unplugged the icemaker and took it out. Then took the light-bulb and cover off. Next I unscrewed and took the posts out that were holding shelves in place. Then I took remaining screws from back wall out and gently pulled back cover up then forward a little until I could see electrical connectors behind the cover and unpluged them. Back wall cover was ready to come out. I discovered thick wall of ice covering entire cooling unit. Used handy hair dryer again. When the ice melted, I saw the thermostat was busted open ( Iguess water or moisture got into the unit, then froze and ice pop-openned the cover damaging one of the connecting wires). I diconnected wires and changed the thermostat , which was very easy, just one clip holding it in place . Then plugged the fridge and checked if heating unit was working by touching it. Negative. Closed the door and let fridge run for 15 min, turn timer with screwdriver until fridge stopped working, cheked heater again- wallah it was warm and then it got really HOT! and melted all of the new frost build-up(a sign that thermostat was working). Closed the door waited another 15-20 min, fridge came-on on its own. Unplugged the fridge, pulled it forward from the wall and used sponge to drain the water from holding tray- about one half gallon of it. This is a good time to use a vacuum clener to undust the back and under the fridge. Then put everything back, in reverse order, ofcourse. Cleaned fridge and freezer compartments with warm soap and winneger solution (really good- this was a present to my wife who took our two little daughters to grandmmas and out of my way), put everything back and turned the fridge on recommended settings. Its been 5 days allready and it works great ( I used thermometr to check temperature inside the fridge and freezer). I'm thinking of returning defrost heater and timer back.Thanks PartSelect.Com, I saved lots of money. Hope this story will be helpfull to someone.Thanks for your time!

Oh yea thanx to partselect it went great didnt get fisrtkey but when got the second key it worked great thanx partselect

Took about an hour previously to deice freezer, timer was running,drain was open, jumped defrost thermostat out and heater was O.K. Defrost thermostat was just a plug and play item, the time involved was in taking the freezer apart to get to it.

We were looking for a new freezer --thinking it wouldn't be worth calling a repairman. I was trying to determine the size of the freezer and couldn't find it in the manual. So I googled the model number and stumbled upon this site. Thought it would be worth a try and $12 plus shipping to replace the thermostat. Got the thermostat a couple days later, followed the video directions to replace it--not hard! Plugged it in and it is working great!!! SOOOOO glad I stumbled on your site! You saved us $700-$800!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

After testing and eliminating the temperature control and the timer as the problem, I turned to the thermostat. I had to wait for the ice buildup to thaw and then could remove the rear freezer panel (this was the 3rd time: first, to discover the ice buildup causing the problem, second when it came back after a complete thaw and test the thermostat, and this time to put the Partselect thermostat back in). My thermostat was visibly damaged from water melting into ice and expanding the casing and eventually breaking one of the connections. I connected the thermostat connection wires (not recommended) to get by while ordering the part, which shipped faster than local repair places could get it from their warehouses, and at a fraction of the cost. I'm really impressed with partselect's fast service and all the knowledgable customers who have explained how they installed them. I now have an intimate knowledge of how my fridge works and saved hundreds in repair, or twice that in replacement. Thanks!

removed screws with from the back panel of the freezer; located defrost thermostat attached to coil with a metal clip; unplugged thermostat and replaced with the new one. Put every thing back together and it works perfectly.

Parts Select is an excellent source for help and parts identification. I highly recomend them.
My first option was to replace the defrost timer.
After still getting ice and frost buildup in freezer I decided to replace the defrost thermostat.
Remove all shelves. Losen icemaker if applicable. Remove light cover and bulb. Remove all screws securing rear vertical cover. Carefully move back panel, disconnect icemaker and bulb assembly. carefully remove styrofoam cover at upper left and remove defrost thermostat. I tested the thermostat and found it was defective. It would not close circuit after being placed in a working freezer. Reverse procedure to replace thermostat.
This solved the problem

When i found out there was no thread in brace where bolts were supposed to screw in, I panicked. I thought I would have to send part back or go to a machine shop to make a thread. I called a friend for help and he told me the bolts would make the thread if I just screwed them in. Sure enough, the bolts made the thread and then I just proceeded to instal motor and put refrigerator back together. It was simple.

Unplugged freezer from electrical socket. Removed lower trays from freezer. Removed sound proof stripping from sides of back panel. Removed upper, lower and side screws from back, lower panel using No. 2 phillips screwdriver. Disconnected motor wires from quick disconnect power supply. Removed motor bracket from freezer back using nut driver. Removed motor from bracket using same nut driver. Replaced motor and screws in bracket. reattached quick disconnect. Attached fan blade to motor making certain to push blade on shaft securely. Replaced bracket to freezer back. Replaced back cover. Replaced stripping. Plugged into power supply. Total time 15-20 minutes.

We really didn t need to do a repair, we just ordered a freezer key that we didn t have. I must say the shipping was fast we received it the next day. It was worth the shipping charge. We will be ordering again. Great service.

inserted key and turned

The evaporator fan would make a very high-pitched whine/squealing noise usually after starting up after a defrost cycle, although, it would make the same noises during normal operation. After performing a thorough inspection of the fan blade and motor, I discovered that there was no interference to the rotating fan, and realized the motor must be failing. After removing the food and racks from the main body of the freezer, I had to remove 8 Philips-tipped screws that held the inside back panel cover on. I disconnected the fan motor from the main wiring harness, removed the fan mounting bracket (2 5/16" hex head screws), and then removed the fan motor from the mounting bracket (2 5/16" hex head bolts. I removed the fan blade and conducted a visual inspection, and found not blemishes of broken/damaged pieces. I mounted the new motor and used the existing fan blade, and replaced everything in the reverse order. I turned on the freezer and it has been operating perfectly since. I disassembled the old motor and discovered that the stator coils were worn, and the bearings allowed to much forward/aft motion.

I first noticed my ice cream getting soft. Then 2 days later the alarm went. I emptied the freezer, opened the panels and saw no frost. I saw that 99% of issues were resolved with a defrost timer and thermostat so I ordered those. I have to say the parts came quickly and they went in very easy. My freezer seems to be in the 1% category though. It's still not cooling even though I can measure the temperature at the front of the evaporator coil is cold but by the end of the coil it's almost room temperature. I think a repairman is called for.