WRT18CVAY1 Frigidaire Refrigerator - Overview

I pulled off the old door gasket which came off really easy. I was hoping the new one would go on as easy as just popping it in place but it didnt work. I had to remove the inside door panel. The gasket wouldnt lay entirely flat in the inside groove so I used a bead of RTV around the entire circumference which helped to hold it in place w ... Read more hile reattaching the panel back onto the door. The screws fit on the under side of the magnetic portion of the gasket. In order to access the screw holes the gasket has to be lifted which sometimes causes the gasket to pull from the lip on the back side of the panel making the RTV get everywhere. After every screw was in place and lightly tightened the panel had to be adjusted to allow for the proper closing of the door. This was the worst part, fortunatly the screws left a slight indentation of where they were before I removed them so it gave me a nice reference.
The hinge part of the new gasket requires a lubricant so it wont bind up when the door is closed. I didnt know about this until my order arrived and a part number was recommended for the type of lube. I just used Vasolene and it works fine.
The pin bearing was really easy. Just unload the contents from the door, mine was the freezer door. I popped off the cap covering the screws and removed the screws while holding the door so it wouldnt drop on the floor. Once off I used a flat head screwdriver to pry out the old one and a light tap of a hammer to replace it with the new. I put it all together the way it came off.
Now my fridge runs much less and the freezer door doesnt sag.

Located the many screws which hold the inside surface of the door on. The screws are located between the seal and the inside surface; you have to hold back the seal to find the screws.

The seals are attached to this inner surface by a snug fit, and clamped in place when the screws are tightened again. Its simpler than it soun ... Read more ds.

Finally, it is wise to get a food safe RTV sealant to glue down the corners of the door seals to make they don't scoot around during the life of the seal.

First, I unplugged the appliance. Safety, first.
Than I removed the shield which was held in by screws. This covered the fan, thermometer.
The defrost thermostat was taken out, with a little extra force. The wires on the defective part were no longer attached to the part. The instructions were easy to follow in replacing the d ... Read more efrost thermostat. I stripped the coating on the wire, attached it with the enclosed electical bugs. The assy was able to follow, and the part went back on. The refrigerator is working perfectly. I couldn't have done it without the help in diagnosing the problem and with the speedy delivery of the new part. Thanks for all your help and the ease of the installing the new part!