TBF21KVC General Electric Refrigerator - Instructions

Removed the three screws from old motor body-bracket assembly , pulled off 1/4'' spade terminals and removed shield from terminal block for re-use.
Removed fan from old unit and installed on new,
screwed new motor in place, replaced terminal wires, plugged back in refrigerator.
Now my old rerfrigerator is whisper quiet

Turned off and unplugged refrigerator.
Removed 1 screw (Phillips head) to detach old timer and 2 hex head screws to remove bracket from "beam" in front (bottom) of "fridge"and detach grounding wire. (Slightly difficult to maneuver bracket out of fridge.
Disconnected 4 wires from old timer and attache them to new one. Replaced (new) timer and bracket. Assumed that separate grounding wire was unnecessary because of cross-wiring between trrminals. (Was I incorrect?)
GE didn't have the timer but PartSelect had a suitable substitute.

It would have been quicker if I knew what I was doing in advance

Unplug unit from wall. Removed cover from rear of unit. Cleaned coils with vaccuum cleaner. Unplug wires from fan motor and remove nut holding fan blade to motor. Remove 3 screws holding motor to mount. Replace with new motor,make sure fan blade does not hit housing. Plug unit back in wall and replace cover.

Remove the 4 screws holding the back cover onto the refrigerator. Unplug the power for the refrigerator. There's 3 bolts holding the fan motor assembly to the refrigerator. Loosen the two bolts which allow the brackets to pivot out , and remove the third bolt. Disconnect the electrical leads, and remove the fan blade, then rotate the fan motor assembly out from the refrigerator. Install mounting brackets from the old motor onto the new motor, then reinstall the assembly in the reverse order of removal.

Had to defrost a bit and then was able to remove rear freezer panel by simply removing the 2 screws holding it in place.
Old motor easily removed from its mounting bracket. and replaced with the new. Had to use the two wires sent with the motor. I clipped off the male connectors and joined them with wire splicers to the black and red wires clipped from the old motor. Then reinstalled.
The replacement motor works great. I was afraid the old fan blade might not fit but it slid on perfectly.

Cut old thermostat out and installed with heat shrinking wrap and solder the wires and still having issues it might be something else.

we took off the old one and replaced it.

Looked at existing installation removed it with 6 piece screwdriver and replaced it in the reverse order.
Not complicated at all.

Empty freezer;
Remove shelves and ice trays;
Unscrew and remove the rear vertical panel;
Unscrew and remove fan housing;
Unscrew and remove fan from fan housing;
Fan blade slides off the motor shaft without tools.
Reverse order to reassemble with new fan motor.

I did have to use the wire extensions that were included as the replacement motor had the electric connections in a different location from the original motor.

Overall, this was an easy replacement.

Repair was super simple. Everything was a direct fit. Hardest part was unloading freezer to access evap motor. My freezer was old making my wire shields very brittle so I cut the shielding and used heat shrink tubing for a neat clean repair.

Unplugged fridge.Removed 2 screws holding a panel. After panel removed took off old fan and inserted new. Quite simple.

Removed the broken fan blade (just pulled off) and replaced with part purchased PartSelect. Very easy repair, no tools required.

take fan out,put new in

1.Removed defrost timer and replaced with new one.2. Removed panel on inside bottom of freezer compartment.3.Removed freezer thermostat and replaced with new one.4.Checked ohm resistance reading on heater element.It was ok. 5. Replaced bottom panel.6. Checked temperature in freezer and refrigerator for 2 days. Temperatures were as they should be. Checked drain pan under refrigerator to see if heater element was de-icing the evaporator coils. Tray had small amount of moisture in it. Working properly now.

Naturally you have to push the frig from the wall and unplug it form the wall outlet and while you are removing and installing the old motor and installing the new motor. Do not open any of the frig and freezer door untill you are finished and you plug the power cord back into the wall outlet. Remove the lower back panel with a screw driver or a 5/16th hex driver. It is a kind of carboard. Once all the screws are out of that panel pull the top out from behind the steel above and then pull it out from the bottom and set it aside. Unplug the power line off of the motor. There are 3 separate brakets holding the motor in place. 1st remove the fan from the motor by romving the finger nut off the motor shaft and then remove the 1st bracket screw from the bracket all the way. Then use a light to see the other 2 screws and you will see that you do not have to take them all the way out like the first one. Just loosen the other 2 and then turn the motor and brackets counter clockwise and then pull the motor and brackets all out as one from the right hand side of where the brackets were mounted. I took the motor and brackets to the counter and removed te brackets from the motor and installed them to the new motor making sure that the bracket with the one screw hole in it is mounted at the right place so that when you reenstall the motor and brackets will let the motor wire connector be the closest to the outside where you can replug the power cord back onto the motor. Install the fan onto the new motor with the new finger nut that comes with the new motor. replace the back panel and pkug in the power cord fot the frig and let it run. Mine ran a lot quieter after the new motor was plugged in. Have fun if you have to do it. It is worth it.