LRSD20A (BM05A) Maytag Refrigerator - Instructions

I took a chance and ordered a switch that is next to the top of the door. looked for how to remove it easily done in ten minutes works fine last long time.

The light rocker switch wasnt working. I found the part on the web site. It was so easy. I used a screw driver to pop out the old one and pop the new one in. It took 5 min. Thanks!!!

Removed ice maker bin,removed screws on back panel cover. Pulled out panel cover,thawed accumulated ice, unscrewed bracket holding defrost heater set, unplugged busted defroster, plugged in new defroster set,installed it back, installed back panel cover, ice maker and powered it on.More than a week after installation,I don't see any signs of ice accumulation on back panel cover.

Remove freezer contents, shelving, baskets, shelf brackets, basket rails. Then, remove the icemaker including the ice basket, the cube freezer and the motor assembly. Remove the back liner of the freezer compartment. Remove and replace the defrost heater assembly, using the old mounting brackets and connecting the wires to the same terminals. Reassemble. Discard excess screws :).

I removed the switch housing (4 screws), replacing the switch in the housing was a snap. It took 5 minutes, cost $8 and light works like new!

Why didn't I order this part and do the repair earlier? Very simple.

The can drinks in refrigerator were not as cold as usual. I opened the freezer and touched the back panel and noticed there was a frost buildup. Since I have had this problem before, I knew that the defrost heater must be bad. I removed all the shelves and the tracks. The back panel is held in by 8 small sheet metal screws. I removed the screws and pulled the back panel up and out. The refrigerator is in garage, so I put a fan in front of it and the fan melted the ice off the coils. I disconnected the wires and checked the the heaters (both wired together) with an ohm meter. The meter showed the heaters to be open. (bad). Actually only 1 of the 2 heaters were bad, but I replaced both of them since they are wired together as a set.

Very simple fix, remove 3 screws, two connectors to the old switch

Frist pulled everything out of freezer put in refridge then took out ice maker box then removed ice maker motor removed back panel took hair drier defrosted the coil then removed bracket screws that hold heaters in place removed bad heater, the hardest part of the job was getting the wirers back around the coils when done just reversed the process.I have a side by side so there was not a whole lot of room to work with. I only weigh 160 lbs it was a tight fit for me. But all in all it went well.
Thanks

use kitchen knife to pry out. replaced switch assemble and pressed back into place. Could not have done this with out help from previous customers. Thanks

evaporator coils were frozen solid and air wasn't flowing across them

read all directions first, then consider which steps you'd like to take

in any case...
- check for blockages in the upper and lower air vents that allow air from freezer side to cool the fridge-side
- inspect that the fan in the freezer side is actually turning and not blocked


- if no blockages and air is flowing between the sides...

- unplug the unit
- remove all goods from freezer and fridge
- remove freezer side racks
- remove rear panel on freezer side using philips screwdriver (note that the ice-cube tray motor housing must be freed by removing its screws. it can be pull out a bit to get to a single screw holding the top of the rear panel in place)
- allow the evaporator coils to evaporate all ice off, checking the drain pan under the fridge frequently - accelerate the process using a hair dryer or paint stripper (heat gun)
- disconnect the white wires from the connection block located about 2/3 of the way up the rear wall and check resistance using an ohmeter (see specs on back of fridge on circuit diagram)
- if you get a very high resistance reading, the heater element is likely broken. if so...
-- remove the 2 metal shields located horizontally across the evaporator coils (behind them are the two series-connected defrost heater elements)
-- visually inspect the elements - if they are discolored green or black, remove and inspect more closely (most likely they are blown, just like a light-bulb filament that shows black on the glass)
-- if you see nothing, remove them anyway (since high reading) and check connectors
-- replace them (likely only $30 to $75, depending on type)

- if coils seem ok, or if not suspect, check the defrost thermostat WHILE IT IS STILL IN A WORKING/COLD FREEZER.
- get the defrost thermostat into a coil chamber (other freezer or bucket of ice?) and check resistance using an ohmeter. It must be WELL-BELOW 40F to test it. When it is truly immersed in cold (as it would be in a working freezer), test the resistance. it should be 0-ohms when <<40F and some much higher resistance (>200KOhms) when > 40F.
- if not, replace it

-lastly, if neither the defrost heater elements are bad nor the defrost thermostat is bad, open up the defrost timer
-- the defrost timer is located in the fridge side, likely with the fridge thermostat knobs/controller
-- it is a 5-pin part that cannot be repaired. If all else is checked, most likely the defrost element is never coming on because the timer is not turning it on

Found a tip online that said to check the resistance of the defrost coil, when I had none I knew the coils had burned out. Before pulling the old coil out I tied on some long pieces of string as was suggested, that made things go very quick! The hardest part was reaching to the back of the narrow freezer space, but fortunately I have long arms. So far all is working well, and I have a great deal of satisfaction knowing I did the repair myself!

I unscrewed the support and replaced it with one that I ordered. It was fast and easy.

Pried out old part with screwdriver. Unplugged. When new part came, just plugged it in and pushed the part into place.

****Make are you order Capacitor & Starter relay too (we ordered separtely so had to pay shipping twice)**** Super easy just open access panel on back near compressor and remove retention clip with fingers, remove & replace both capacitor & starter, put clip and access panel back on, plug in and allow 8 hours to cool! Works like new again! Hope it goes another 10 years

Was told capacitor was problem 90% of the time.Capacior was not the problem.Bad start relay.