ECT17GKAR0 Whirlpool Refrigerator - Instructions

Unplug the refrigerator. Remove the rear shelf supports by lifting them straight up. No tools required. Remove the screws holding the rear cover of the freezer. Use a nut driver to remove the 4 screws holding the fan housing. Unplug the wiring harness, then remove the fan and install the new one. Remount the housing, plug in the harness replace the rear cover, install the shelf supports and plug in the refrigerator. It was 30 minutes start to finish, which includes the time to gather the tools, unload and reload the freezer, and putting the tolls away!

I was a Sears repair man for fourty eight years , so I don"t think I should say how easy this was.

removed rear wall panel took off old fan motor disconnected motor. Installed new grommets re-installed motor inserted new fan. Didn't have to trim fan re-connected wires and rear panel and reconnected power. no problems...

1. Unplug Refrigerator 2. Remove inside back freezer panel. (4 Screws) 3. Remove Duct Cover (3 Screws). 4. Cut electrical connections to fan. 5. Remove Old Fan motor (2 hex screws. 6. Install ground wire (was not one there previously). 7. Put slide-on electrical connectors on remaining 2 motor wires. (Were not any on original unit.) 8. Replace Fan Motor (Don't forget the rubber vibration pads) 9. Reconnect electrical wires. 10. Press on plastic fan blade. 11. Plug in refrigerator to test install. It works. 12 Unplug refrigerator and replace ducting and back panel to freezer. Plug it back in. Voila, Quiet again.

The evaporator fan is located in the freezer behind the back wall. If you have the ice maker remove it first then remove the screws on the top of the panel. You will notice the side brackets for the top shelf will make it hard to remve the panal but by slitly binding the center the panal came right out. The fan is held in a bracke tha comes right out. The wire unplu right from the fan so do not try to unplg the seal plug to the left side. Swap the fan with the new one useing the new rubber monts re-connect the wires and reasymble. Put the bottom of the back panal in first then work each side in past the shelf bracket binding the center slightly.

I used a socket and ratchet to back out part way the screws holding the seal. There are 4 pieces of metal strips that the screws go through to hold the seal on. Don't remove the screws completely or the plastic panel of the door will fall or come off. Take the new door seal and power it with baby power. This will help make the seal not hang up when you close the door. Now, shake off excess powder outside and then begin to install the seal. Start at the top left or right corner and work across pushing the lip of the seal into the recess of the metal strip. You will want to tighten some of the screws as you go but leave enough looseness to push the seal into the strip's recess. Proceed down each side and the bottom last. I should note that you could remove the door first and you wouldn't have to stand on your head to screw in the bottom of the seal.

With the help of the website I was able to verify that the part I removed (in the area of the clicking sound) was probably the part required for replacement. I ordered it, installed it... IT WORKS (I knew it the moment I plugged in the power cord and heard the compressor kick on). Saved me from buying a new fridge or calling a repairman. I'm a 58 year old woman with no appliance experience. I watched the videos and installed the part without any trouble. Thank you PartSelect for your easy to use website instructions and helpful hints.

I tried to remove the old light switch using a putty knife and a hammer. It was hard to compress the plastic tabs to pull it back through the hole, but all of a sudden, the lights came on. I guess banging on the switch freed-up the contacts. The new switch is now a spare part in case I need it.

My fridge is a little different from the video model. The Controls in the fridge are located on an "arm" which swings down when the two screws are removed from the sides. It was not necessary to remove a front plate or knobs. However, I found when I got in to it that the old timer was not held by screws, but by plstic posts which had these "speed nuts" on them. This is a little metal plate which fits over the plastic post and bends to lock it in place. When you try to remove it, it acts like a barb, holding the little sucker on. I ended up bending the ends of those little suckers up tight against the post and twisting and pulling with needle-nose pliers. I broke one post like others before me commented, but one stayed intact. The only break at the top, so there ie still post left to hold the new timer. Once it was off, I was able to replace easily. The directions for choosing the right prong were a little confusing, but follow your gut and go with the wire colors. My schematic found in the bottom of the fridge did not look like any of the drawings, but I could match the wire colors. I also asked "Just Ask" for help, to make sure. My gut instinct was right. My fridge is now working again beautifully. If a housewife with no appliance repair knowledge can do it, so can you. I fixed my dryer with PartSelect too!I will never call another repair man until I have checked this site to see if I can do it myself. Bet I have saved $600 so far at least!

I did the repair just as your video showed me. It worked out great.

I just simply eliminated the ice buildup with hot water and a knife. But I still have the Defrost Timer Kit for future use.

First of all the part was not located in the section of the refrigerator that was shown in the video. I wasted a lot of time taking that section apart only to find that the part wasn't there. After some investigation I finally located the defective part. It was behind a piece of sheet metal that had to be bent out of the way to unscrew the part. If I hadn't bent it out of the way, it would have been a major disassembly to remove the sheet metal. Once removed, the installation of the new part was fairly simple. The only confusing thing about the installation was determinig which of the prongs on the part that the internal wire to the new part was to be attached. There were 3 options given and the instructions were not very clear as to which one I should use. Apparently I guessed correctly because the refrigerator seems to be functioning perfectly since the repair.

One day the ice cream in the freezer seemed mushy, but the ice was still frozen. There was not water in the ice bin. However, the problem resolved itself. This suggested that the defrost timer had become stuck for an extended time, but then continued to run. The fact that the freezer went back to frozen, implies that all the components of the cooling loop (compressor, condenser & fan, evaporator & fan) were fine. It was possible that the problem was caused by a bad defrost (?evaporator?) thermostat but everything I saw on line suggested that the defrost timer is the culprit about 40 - 50% of the time. Anyway, I followed the instructions in the on-line video at this site for replacing the defrost timer and it was easy. It would have only taken 15 minutes, but I spent a while reading the defrost timer instructions and hunting down a schematic for my refrigerator, to determine which pin the loose wire should go on.

Took the old fan out and put the new fan in.

Remove back cover of freezer compartment; Remove old fan assembly, new fan terminals did not exactly match old one so I had to remove one of the terminals from old fan and attach it to new fan/ then install new assembly and repaced freezer cover