ZFSB23DNAKSS General Electric Refrigerator - Instructions

This story starts with a GE side-by-side refrigerator that has always had wide temperature swings and a temperamental water dispenser. The ice maker was not making ice, and the built in digital thermometer showed it was running warm. I suspected that the heat exchanger was full of dust and so looked there. What I found was that the con ... Read more denser tank was hot to the touch and the fan wasn’t running. As an experiment, I aimed a fan at the it for a while I saw that the freezer temperature dropped back to normal.
.The fan is marked as 11.2 DC so I checked for voltage at the fan and found some. With three wires and no wiring diagram I wasn’t sure this answered all the questions, but hooking the fan to a 12 volt power supply didn’t get it to spin.
I priced parts at a couple websites before using partselect.com . They also have a good diagram to look at (Sears diagrams are really poor). I ordered the part with 2-day shipping; it arrived on time, was correct and fixed the problem.

I first shut off water flow to the fridge. Examination of the package (which was not exact in appearance to the original) demonstrated that the electrical connectors were well-insulated so I arrogantly and successfully proceded without disconnecting the power. My fridge is old enough that the model doesn't appear exactly on anyone's list ... Read more so I wasn't alarmed that it took an extra 10 minutes or so to noodle out how to adapt the slightly different inlet cowling and electrical cord with extension, but the device is pretty simple.
Soon I loosened the two mounting screws with a nut driver, used a screwdriver to pry away the plastic snap-in housing over the electrical socket on the fridge inner wall and pulled away the electrical plug. The original water fill tube remained in its cavity, ready for re-use.
The new unit's mounting points matched the original screw locations perfectly, as did the fill cowling - which on the replacement icemaker has two possible attachment points. The new unit's electrical connector required an extension pigtail to adapt to my socket, but it was included in the package. The extra cable posed a minor cosmetic issue because it hangs in the collection basket a bit, but that will soon be remedied with a tie wrap.
After the water was restored and an anxious wait of a few hours, we had well-formed ice cubes that weren't all stuck together and the stalactites haven't reappeared.

A week earlier, we had frozen water all over the freezer section which obviously dripped from the icemaker. We turn off the icemaker and cleaned the freezer. Upon turning the icemaker back on, water continuously pours out of the ice tray. This time, even turning off the icemaker does not stop the water from flowing through. I checked and ... Read more cleaned the water valve, reinstalled it and it still does not work. I had to crimp the water line and even remove the water filter to make sure there will be no water leaks.

When I got the new water valve, installation was a snap as I have already removed the old one. After installing the new valve and putting back the filter, everything is back to normal.

Procedure for removing/replacing the water valve:
(1) Unplug the refrigerator and move it so that you have some working space in the back. If there is a mechanical valve in the water line, close it so that when the hoses are unplugged, there will be no spills. If there is no mechanical water valve, you can simply crimp the hose with a rubber band or a cable tie.
(2) Use an adjustable wrench or a screw driver to remove the screws on the bottom panel. My refrigerator has 4 big screws and 1 small one that is used to anchor the water hose.
(3) Pull the panel up slightly to remove it. The water valve is mounted with one screw at the bottom-left corner.
(4) Use a screwdriver to dismount the water valve.
(5) Unplug the electrical connections to the water valve. My refrigerator has one Brown and one Blue connector. Remember which plug goes to which connector.
(6) Place a towel under the water valve and use the adjustable wrench to remove the main hose connection.
(7) Next, remove the hoses that to into the water valve outlets. On my refrigerator, these hoses are of different sizes and have quick-disconnects. I simply have to press on the collar at end of the hose, pushing it towards the valve to release the hose, then pull on the hose.
(8) Prepare the new water valve by removing the plastic cover that protects the connector for the main water line.
(9) Connect the main water line to the new valve using the adjustable wrench.
(10) Connect the two hoses of different sizes to the valve. You only have to push them all the way into each valve and slightly tug on them to make sure they are locked in place.
(11) Re-connect the Brown and Blue electrical connectors to their original location.
(12) Mount the new water valve into the back of the refrigerator (one screw).
(13) If possible, quickly check that the new valve is working properly: If you have a mechanical valve in the water line, open it and make sure there are no leaks near the valve or inside in the icemaker. You may have to plug in the refrigerator power to complete the initial test.
(14) Replace the back panel with the 4 screws and anchor the hose to the back with 1 screw.
(15) Once everything is back in its place and the refrigerator is on, cycle the water dispenser several times to run fresh water into the hoses and the new valve.

Emptied the fridge and freezer. Unplugged it and in so do doing defrosted the freezer coils. Replace the listed parts, for they were right there easy to get at and replace. Between the three of them we had an 80% chance of getting what was wrong. The freezer and the refridgerator are both working just fine. No more warm milk.

I unplugged the electrical connection. Then I removed the 2 screws holding the icemaker in place. I lifted out the old icemaker unit and put the new one in place. Then put the 2 screws back in and plugged in the new unit.

The icemaker started making ice very soon after turning the unit on.

used a screwdriver to remove screw and unplugged part. Plugged in new one and secured with a screw.
Simple

On the web site I explained the problem and the solution was immediate. I went to the installation video and was instructed how to install the double outlet valve. It took about 10 minutes to take out the old part and install the new one. I didn't have water immediately so I viewed comments by others and learned that I may have a froze ... Read more n line in the door. I tried thawing out the line and in about 3 hours and I had water. I figure I saved about $200.00 by doing it myself. Thank you partselect.com

Removed rear and front grills,brushed and vacuumed area- probably caused the fan motor to fail- unplugged fan, removed fan,motor,and shroud in 1 piece, carefully slipped fan off motor shaft, unscrewed shroud and motor. assembled in reverse order. Frige is in tight area, .I'll now roll it out and clean often

we just pried out the old switch and pulled it out the rest of the way with a pair of needle nose pliers. Pulled off the wires on the broken switch and reattached to the new one and just slid/clicked it back into the hole.

My problem began with having to replace the auger due to damage (broken blade). Unknown at that time the unit was having a defrost cycle issue. Once auger was repaired, then the motor to auger failed. Once repaired the GE unit then began shutting down without warning. Mother board replaced. All was fine for two weeks then noticed odd perf ... Read more ormance by ice-maker (chunks of Ice again)and frozen package containers showing signs of dampness and then refreezing. Read through the Parts Select web site to see what other users may have had gone wrong with their GE's and what the parts overview section may reveal for me. Found that the defrost thermo and temp-sensor controlled defrost functions. The parts were cheap, $20.00 for the pair so I replaced them both since they are both located next to one another in the freezer compartment. The repair video furnished on the P/S web was great and very accurate. The entire job only took about an hour. The repair video indicated using wire-nuts and electircal tape Instead, I chose to solder the wires and use shrink-tubing to provide the moisture barrier. PartSelect folks are great not only for their parts pricing but also for the informative videos. The GE works better than ever

Things I learned...remove only the two far left screws and one far right screw from the ice auger motor mounting plate. Disconnect both wiring harness connectors. With the assembly removed from the freezer, you'll need to get the motor seperated from the drive mechanism (fork). This was the most difficult part of the repair. The reaso ... Read more n is that the fork (which is reverse threaded) cannot be unthreaded independantly of the motor shaft (ie. they both turn together). Locking pliers on the shaft only stripped metal from the shaft and did not supply enough torque to remove the fork. The way I finally did it was to take the old motor partially apart, then lock the gear case (keeping the shaft from rotating) with the motor's own splined internal rotor shaft. Once I finally got the fork apart from the motor shaft, swapping out motors was simple. You'll need to put the old plastic glove on the new motor to keep it dry. Also, the replacement motor I got from partselect.com did not come with threaded mounting bolt holes. Therefore, I had to use slightly larger self tapping screws I got from the hardware store. I also used locking washers as the assembly is subject to vibration.

Replaced gasket. No tools requires. Just pull the old one out and press new one in channel with hands. TIP: heat the new one slightly with a hair dryer or a heat gun on low. Makes it more flexible

-Disconnect the power supply wire& turn temp control inside refrigerator to 0!
-15 mins spent on remove (5 screws) the back panel inside freezer, melt ice then replace the heater (2 screws) on the bottom! Black wire on left & pink wire on the right! Make sure both end has good connection to the heater!

-30 mins to drain al ... Read more l water from the bottom (back side) of the refrigerator, suck & clean all dust & dirt from the front & back side!

-Set both temp control knots to 5 & put back all the food!

-If no ice build up on the panel after 10 days & then the repair is good!

installed new double water outlet and tube assembly and it fixed the promblem. I think the water valve was leaking by causing the tube to freeze up inside.

Removed the cover on the bottom of the rear of the fridge and the top left of the fridge where the tubbes exit.. Then just simply disconnect the tube coming from the fridge and the supply line. Next go inside the fridge, remove the cover of the filter mount, and remove the 2 screws securing the filter mount in place. Now pull the tubes t ... Read more hrough the opening and reinstall in reverse order.