Ge WR9X489 Defrost Timer OEM Part

After reviewing a number of testimonials and your videos from your APP.com site I determined my most likely problem was either the defrost heater, thermostat, timer or possibly all three. The real challenge now began. Getting to the specific parts with my specific model number was a real challenge. It was not as easy as removing the light guard and 5 screws since my model had two Track Cant Shelf vertical rails restricting the removal of the back panel. Also, these rails could not be removed without the removal of the ice maker reservoir, the 4 screws attaching the ice maker, and the other cover plate. Bottom line is that the glass tube protecting the heater coil was green in appearance and not transparent. It appeared to be burned but I did not bother to check since it was 14 years old as was the timer. I replaced all three parts. The timer is located in the fresh food section, not the freezer section, in the area of the light and the control levers. The position of the temperature control slide levers must be to the lowest temperature setting (far left) to allow for removal of the 2nd cover plate. Friction "slots" held the cover in place and slide extensions that hold the cover can be removed with a "tug". Don't pull on the plate except where the extensions connect to the cover, otherwise it will most likely break. After removal of the back freezer panel the coils were completely covered with ice, blocking the flow of air into the fresh food section. The above are the details...The real story is that I could not have accomplished disassembly without the expert assistance of Erika G. in your customer service department. She was excellent in answering or getting the answer to every question I had on what turned out to be a GE Refrigerator that was not as simple to repair and documentation was scarce. Taking pictures is essential at every stage during disassembly. I have successfully used Appliance Parts Pros in the past and this was another success story. Thanks APP for the time, assistance, fair prices and a working fridge! Again Kudos to Erika for her professionalism and diligence. Gil

We saw that the ice cream in the freezer was soft and the main refrigerator section was not cold enough. Called for repair but soonest appointment was a full week away. So I spent the next few hours online learning how to diagnose and repair refrigerators. When I opened up the back of freezer compartment to access the evaporator coils, I found ice and frost totally blocking the cold air flow. Turns out the bottom one of the two heater bulbs (quartz heater bulbs) was bad, so both heater bulbs (connected in series) were not working and there was no heat to defrost. I shut off the fridge with the main temperature control knob and defrosted the coils with a heat gun, catching the water in towels. Now the fridge could work keeping the food cold until I could get the parts. It would eventually freeze up again, but before that, I would change the parts. I closed the rear panel and put back the shelves and food. I turned back on the fridge and then checked the defrost timer in the main food section. I put a mark on the moving shaft and made sure an hour later that it was turning. It was. For the next few days, it worked great. When the parts came three days later, I first removed the freezer food into a second freezer we have, and I put a big bag of ice into the fridge compartment to keep the food cold. I shut the circuit breaker to the fridge, removed the freezer shelves, and opened the rear panel. The evaporator coils were again frosted up, but not bad enough to stop the airflow. I again defrosted it with the heat gun, catching the water in towels. I then removed the bad heater parts and replaced them with new ones. The parts came pre-wired including the heat bulbs and the thermostat. They just simply plugged into the wire harness. All it took was a few screws to mount everything. I put back the rear panel of the freezer compartment, but just rested it in place (not screwed in yet), so the coils could have proper airflow. This was for the freezer to get cold, so the thermostat would allow the heater to work, to be tested. After turning the circuit breaker to the fridge back on, I let the fridge get cold. I then moved the back panel so I could see the coils. Next, I advanced the timer until it clicked... the compressor shut off and the heat bulbs lit up!! Wow! I fixed it! It will now defrost again! I closed up the panel, put back the shelves, and when it got cold enough, put back the food and removed the big bag of ice. Repair job took time, but it was easy and straightforward! Glad I did it myself!

Some basic operational facts: Think of a refrigerator as a window air conditioner. If the cold setting is too high, the coils through which cold air must pass will ice up if they are not given time to defrost. So if the defroster isn't cycling on and off correctly, it will fail to defrost the coil and the coil will become ice-covered and the fan will not be able to push air through the accumulated ice (which is on the coil in the freezer section behind the thin metal cover at the back of the freezer). Ironically, the freezer will still be cold, even if the ice covers the coils. But without periodically defrosting the coil, the small fan won't be able to blow cold air from the freezer section to the refrigerator section of the appliance. For the temperature sensing control and the defrost timer to function, the two components of the defroster heater located in the freezer section must also be functioning correctly. For DIY technicians, it makes sense to replace the electrical components on both sides of this freezer/refrigerator combination. The DIY cost of all four parts is less than $150. So, if the compressor, heat exchanger coil, and two fans are functioning correctly, the appliance will run like new when these four new parts are installed. I replaced the two switches controlling the defrost cycle. These are the "defrost timer switch" and the "temperature (sensitive) control switch", both of which are located in the upper portion of the refrigerator section of the appliance just above the light bulb socket behind the housing assembly containing the two controlling slide switches (or knobs on some models) for freezer temperature and fresh food temperature. Appliance Parts Pros show how simple it is to replace the timer. There is no video for the defrost temperature control thermostat, which is more challenging to replace. The reason the defrost thermostat is more challenging is because it must physically link with the geared nylon wheel that connects the refrigerator temperature control lever (slide or knob) to the shaft of the temperature control device. Also, the replacement temperature control is slightly different from the original control The original has a temperature sensing coil attached to the temperature switch and this coil is a spiral shaped thin piece of wire that is part of the switch. The replacement part arrives with this coil correctly attached to the temperature sensor, but it is in an undefined shape looking like a straight but flexible piece of wire. Gently coil this wire in a spiral shape to approximately match the appearance of the original part. It is easier to do this before you install the new temperature sensing control. To access the screws to remove the old temperature sensing control, you will need to move the sliding controller lever to the extreme left and right to access the first one screw and then the other screw. The sliding controller will need to be in the far-right position after installing the new temperature controller. And the controller shaft will need to be in the most clockwise position to match up with the sliding controller lever when you reinstall the cover. Remember that the screws securing the temperature controller to the housing of the controller must go through both the plastic control lever housing and the metal housing for both the temperature controller and the timer. So, if the original screws do not match the threads on the replacement temperature sensing switch, remember the original screws only need to grab about 1/8 of an inch of the metal on the new temperature sensing switch to secure the switch. Carefully tightening and loosening the screws on the replacement part several times should be enough to modify the differences in the thread gauge so the original screws will work. Once you have the defrost temperature control correctly installed, you can replace the timer. The defrost timer is very much like the $6 timer you can buy at Walmart or Target to turn the lights on and off in your house. Appliance Parts Pros provide an accurate and easy to follow install video for this timer. But they don't tell you that the new timer is likely to arrive with a setting that is "off." Consequently, when you correctly install it, reinstall the controller and timer assembly, and put the light bulb back in the socket, the refrigerator may not operate. Relax. Look closely at the small wheel that is visible on the front of the housing for both the temperature sensor and the timer, and you will see that there are two tabs on the tiny wheel that is visible just above the light bulb socket. If you have saved the old-timer you can experiment with it. Look closely at this wheel on the old part and you will see the same small tabs. You could put a screwdriver (or a thumbnail) next to this wheel and if you get the position correctly, you can turn the timer one click at a time clockwise. One-click is all it needs to turn the refrigerator on. It will manage the clock on its own after you start it. Or you can just wait 14 hours and it will start itself. Some basic operational facts: Think of a refrigerator as a window air conditioner. If the cold setting is too high, the coils through which cold air must pass will ice up if not given time to defrost. So if the defroster isn't cycling on and off correctly, it will fail to defrost the coil and the coil will become ice-covered and the fan will not be able to push air through the accumulated ice which is on the coil in the freezer section behind the thin metal cover at the back of the freezer. Ironically, the freezer will still be cold, even if the ice covers the coils. But without periodically defrosting the coil, the small fan won't be able to blow cold air from the freezer section to the refrigerator section of the appliance. For these two parts to function, the two components of the defroster heater located in the freezer section must be functioning correctly. For DIY technicians, it makes sense to replace the electrical components on both sides of this freezer/refrigerator combination. The DIY cost of all four parts is less than $150. If the compressor, heat exchanger coil, and two fans are functioning correctly, the appliance will run like new when new four new parts are installed. Good luck!

I changed out the heater thermostat and timer I fixed my fridge when I thought I couldn't

Replaced the Defrost Thermostat and Defrost Control Timer.