Models > TBF21CNC > Instructions

TBF21CNC General Electric Refrigerator - Instructions

All Instructions for the TBF21CNC
1 - 15 of 60
Keep searches simple. Use keywords, e.g. "leaking", "pump", "broken" or "fit".
Sticking Light Switch
I applied some tips learned by reading other reviews. So before I started I grabbed my trusty vise grip pliers and a small screw driver. I locked onto the switch actuator, the part that the refrigerator door pushes in, with the vise grips and pulled on it just hard enough to get the screw driver inserted in the right side to push in the catch clip so the switch could be pulled out further each time the catch clip was depressed to the next detent. Then I used the screw driver on the left site to encourage the switch past the detents on the left and very quickly the switch was out of the mount. The wires from the refrigerator pulled out with the old switch. I unplugged the old switch from the wires and plugged in the new switch and shoved the new switch back into the mount, wiggled it a couple of times to make sure it was secure and the job was done. Once I applied the vise gripes at first, the whole job took less than a minute.
Parts Used:
Light Switch
  • Jonathan from Lilburn, GA
  • Difficulty Level:
    Really Easy
  • Total Repair Time:
    Less than 15 mins
  • Tools:
    Pliers, Screw drivers
117 of 146 people found this instruction helpful.
Was this instruction helpful to you?
Thank you for voting!
Noisey fan/motor (bad motor bearing ?)
Removed 2 phillips head screws to remove ice maker (could have just loosened them)
Pulled fan off of shaft
Removed 2 phillips head screws on motor bracket , disconnected three motor wires & removed motor.
reversed process to install new motor & fan blade.
Space was a little tight for two hand and arms, but do-able.
Parts Used:
EVAPORATOR FAN MOTOR KIT Evaporator Fan Blade Kit
  • Keith from Fort Worth, TX
  • Difficulty Level:
    Really Easy
  • Total Repair Time:
    15 - 30 mins
  • Tools:
    Pliers, Screw drivers
37 of 44 people found this instruction helpful.
Was this instruction helpful to you?
Thank you for voting!
The refrigirator light would not come on.
Poped out with screwdriver the old swithch and unplugged the two wires. Plugged in the wires to the new swithch and pushed it back in the hole where the old switch was before.
Parts Used:
Light Switch
  • Jania from Novato, CA
  • Difficulty Level:
    Really Easy
  • Total Repair Time:
    Less than 15 mins
  • Tools:
    Screw drivers
24 of 39 people found this instruction helpful.
Was this instruction helpful to you?
Thank you for voting!
Motor rattled loudly
Turned off the refridgerator. Took everything out of the freezer compartment & put into ice chest with pleanty of ice on top. Removed 2 screws holding the ice maker in place & placed ice maker aside. Removed shelf. Removed one screw on back plate, pushed up on the holding tabs at the top of the back plate & removed the back plate. Removed 3 screws holding the motor bracket in place along with the 3 wires. Installed new motor & used the wire extensions provided due to the electrical connections on the new motor being on the opposite side. Had to bend one wire tab down to clear the motor bracket. Turned refridgerator back on to ensure correct rotation on the fan. Reinstalled back plate & ice maker & shelf. Waited 30 minutes before putting food items back in freezer compartment.
Parts Used:
EVAPORATOR FAN MOTOR KIT
  • Robert from Kingwood, TX
  • Difficulty Level:
    Really Easy
  • Total Repair Time:
    15 - 30 mins
  • Tools:
    Nutdriver
15 of 17 people found this instruction helpful.
Was this instruction helpful to you?
Thank you for voting!
Switch failed on which kept the refrigerator warm due to heat generatered by light bulbs.
While the switch did last for 9 years, the design is poor due to the failure mode. The failure should be to fail off or not able to turn on the lights which would be inconvenient but would not warm the refrigerator contents. Arcing at the contacts eventually caused the switch to "weld" closed. It is not obvious that this is occurring so it took some time to recognize why the temp inside the ref was high while the freezer was OK. Replacing the switch was easy once it was recognized as the problem. All that was required to replace the switch was to remove the screws holding a fiber cover and then pulling off the aluminum cap which covered the switches. Unplug the switch an squeeze the keeper on the switch to release it and pull down. Pop the replacement switch in place and plug the wires harness back in. All in all it took much less time to replace than it has to write this up. T Pope
Parts Used:
Light Switch
  • Terry from Simi Valley, CA
  • Difficulty Level:
    Really Easy
  • Total Repair Time:
    Less than 15 mins
  • Tools:
    Pliers, Screw drivers
18 of 26 people found this instruction helpful.
Was this instruction helpful to you?
Thank you for voting!
Wouldn't cool
I removed the 3 screws that held the motor and fan. Exchanged fan blades and reinstalled the fan and new motor

I was surprised to find the motor. The refrigerator/freezer was over 28 yrs old. Works fine now
Parts Used:
Condenser Fan Motor
  • Clarence from Great Cacapon, WV
  • Difficulty Level:
    Really Easy
  • Total Repair Time:
    15 - 30 mins
  • Tools:
    Socket set
16 of 22 people found this instruction helpful.
Was this instruction helpful to you?
Thank you for voting!
I was getting irratic temperture control. I determined that tapping on the control would cause it to turn on or off as it should, on if the frig was to warm, or off if it was to cold.
The temperture control was mounted on the back wall of the refrigerator. One screw and a couple of tabs appeared to be the only attachments. After removing the screw, the freezer control appeared to be an issue since it was also attached to other parts. A little careful pushing revealed that the control knob simply snapped into the cover over the thermastat. Once unsnapped the thermastat and it's plastic cover were only attached by the three electricl connections. Pulling them loose off the terminals left the unit free. Simply examining how the old thermastat was mounted in the cover, and replacing it, and then reinstalling it in the frig was as breeze. All was well again.
Parts Used:
Temperature Control Thermostat
  • Dennis from Kalamazoo, MI
  • Difficulty Level:
    Easy
  • Total Repair Time:
    15 - 30 mins
  • Tools:
    Nutdriver, Screw drivers
14 of 17 people found this instruction helpful.
Was this instruction helpful to you?
Thank you for voting!
Existing light switch was hard to remove.
The existing light switch was very hard to remove. I ended up having to grab it with a pair of pliers and pull it out. Once it was out, it was very easy to put in the replacement and it seems to be working fine.
Parts Used:
Light Switch
  • Stephen from Jupiter, FL
  • Difficulty Level:
    A Bit Difficult
  • Total Repair Time:
    Less than 15 mins
  • Tools:
    Screw drivers
14 of 18 people found this instruction helpful.
Was this instruction helpful to you?
Thank you for voting!
Noisy Fan Motor - Bearing went out.
Moving the frig out and cleaning was the hardest part of this job - lots of dust collected over the 17 years the frig was in place. Once all the cleaning was done, with the frig out and back cover off (10 -12 screws taken off with nutdriver),I plugged the frig in and observed the the problem was a noisy fan motor. The motor is at the very back of the frig with easy access to the 3 brackets holding it in place.
Pull off the electrical clip. Remove the screw holding the bracket to the frame on the front bracket, leaving the bracket attacked to the fan. The other two screws remove from the fan, leaving the brackets in place.
Reverse the procedure when you receive the new part from PartSelect(great company to deal with)!
Parts Used:
Condenser Fan Motor
  • Robert from Carpinteria, CA
  • Difficulty Level:
    Easy
  • Total Repair Time:
    1- 2 hours
  • Tools:
    Nutdriver
11 of 14 people found this instruction helpful.
Was this instruction helpful to you?
Thank you for voting!
Switchlight was broken on tennant's refridge
as described, I used a thin screwdriver to wedge in and pull down existing, broken switch. I was able to pull it down about a 1/4 inch, but wasn't quit able to disegage it until I gripped it with pliers. I then pulled it out, unplugged the old switch, plugged in the new switch, and carefully tucked the wires back into the fridge and snapped the new switch into place.

10 minutes total.
Parts Used:
Light Switch
  • Mark from Somers Point, NJ
  • Difficulty Level:
    Easy
  • Total Repair Time:
    Less than 15 mins
  • Tools:
    Pliers, Screw drivers
10 of 12 people found this instruction helpful.
Was this instruction helpful to you?
Thank you for voting!
refrigerator did not cool
i put a new evaporator motor in and now it works fine
Parts Used:
EVAPORATOR FAN MOTOR KIT
  • Carl from Kent City, MI
  • Difficulty Level:
    Really Easy
  • Total Repair Time:
    15 - 30 mins
  • Tools:
    Nutdriver, Pliers, Screw drivers
10 of 14 people found this instruction helpful.
Was this instruction helpful to you?
Thank you for voting!
Refridgerator was running constantly and condesor would get very hot, condesor fan would only turn on if I spun it.
Unplugged fridge removed the three screws that held fan on to fan frame unplugged condensor fan removed brackets from old fan and put them on new fan installed new fan plugged in fridge and now it works great!
Parts Used:
Condenser Fan Motor
  • Raymond from Los Lunas, NM
  • Difficulty Level:
    Easy
  • Total Repair Time:
    15 - 30 mins
  • Tools:
    Nutdriver, Socket set
8 of 9 people found this instruction helpful.
Was this instruction helpful to you?
Thank you for voting!
Defrost clock failure
Contact points on original defrost clock burnt out after 36 years of continued use. Hotpoint does not stock replacement defrost clock. PartSelect replacement clock was a simple substitute which fits directly into the original mounting bracket. Space is tight to get the part out, so remove screw in upper right hand corner of bracket to disconnect clock from bracket. Then remove bracket and pull clock out. NOTE: Original part had wire color codes on the clock and the replacement part does not. Make a note of the order of the color connections and connect new clock in the same order. Replacement part has no ground wire since housing is entirely plastic. Push clock back behind frame. Reposition bracket. Install screw to mount bracket to clock. Then screw bracket back into frame. Glad I found Part Select online... saved me the hassle of getting my old spare fridge out of the basement!
Parts Used:
Defrost Timer
  • Ronald from Matawan, NJ
  • Difficulty Level:
    Easy
  • Total Repair Time:
    15 - 30 mins
  • Tools:
    Nutdriver, Pliers
9 of 12 people found this instruction helpful.
Was this instruction helpful to you?
Thank you for voting!
Noisy freezer evaporator fan, bearings worn out
UNPLUG UNIT. Open freezer compartment, top door. You may want to let it warm up a bit before beginning work. Next remove single screw from small square plastic grate at top left back of freezer compartment with phillips screw driver. Remove green ground wire connection behind removed grate with nut driver. Next remove 2 screws at top of freezer compartment holding plastic air diffuser bracket in place and holding back panel. Remove metal back panel of freezer by pulling top towards you, then angle out of compartment. Evap. fan is now exposed. I inspected and removed fan by removing two screws with nutdriver on bracket behind fan blade. I inserted nutdriver (with long socket driver)between fan blades to screws on bracket behind blade - 1 each side. After these two screws are removed, pull fan and bracket assembly out from plenum. Remove wiring from motor and remove motor to workbench. Remove round metal clamp from fan hub with needle nose pliers and slide off fan blade from motor. Also remove bracket and rubber bushing. Disgard old motor. Inspect and clean blade. Replace if necessary. Reattach rubber bushing, bracket THEN fan blade to new motor. New fan has atleast one terminal in new location and I had to use one wire extension that came with kit. Route wire behind motor and plug in new wires to back of motor. Insert fan and bracket to plenum, hold in place with one hand while reattaching screws with nutdriver between fan blades. Once fan is in place and nuts secure, I tested operation by plugging unit back in to make sure new motor ran and fan spun freely. Reattach back panel, top diffuser bracket and small grate with 3 screws. Shut door, set temp. and wait 24 hours before loading freezer. Unit good as new!
Parts Used:
EVAPORATOR FAN MOTOR KIT
  • Todd from Saint Paul, MN
  • Difficulty Level:
    Easy
  • Total Repair Time:
    15 - 30 mins
  • Tools:
    Nutdriver, Pliers, Screw drivers
8 of 10 people found this instruction helpful.
Was this instruction helpful to you?
Thank you for voting!
broken fan blade in the freezer compartment
Unplugged frige, removed top shelf, pulled broken fan blade off. Replaced with fan blade just purchased from PartSelect. Very simple repair. Orderd and recieved the right part.
Parts Used:
Evaporator Fan Blade Kit
  • John from Cumberland, MD
  • Difficulty Level:
    Really Easy
  • Total Repair Time:
    Less than 15 mins
  • Tools:
    Pliers
7 of 9 people found this instruction helpful.
Was this instruction helpful to you?
Thank you for voting!
All Instructions for the TBF21CNC
1 - 15 of 60