Frigidaire Refrigerator Removal - Tips or Tricks?

[LakeBob]

More fun........our residential Frigidaire refrigerator has quit cooling.  I see there are two seat belts holding the refrigerator down, bolted to the floor in the access area behind the fridge.  Anyone taken one of these out before?  

My understanding is these have a power or inverter board and a main control board which are most likely the issues.  Need to get to these with a multimeter to determine what's going on. 

I've called a few service people in the Fredericksburg TX area, still waiting on call backs...............

Any insight is greatly appreciated!

Bob

[jacwjames]

Is the fridge sitting on the floor?

What is the model number of the fridge?  Other then not cooling are there any other symptoms. 

[Tom Cherry]

Remember an issue with a built in OEM Res refer.  It was a simple part and our member fixed in the field.  VOM was only tool.  I would pull the model number and start googling.  There were very detailed troubleshooting instructions from folks on line and he checked voltages and circuit boards and isolated it quickly.  He picked up the part from a local appliance parts franchise.  No real issues..

But the online tips and model specific “how to” were invaluable 

Good Luck.

[Dr4Film]

Most appliance repair service technicians will not work on a residential fridge installed in a RV. I was fortunate enough to find one in Santa Clarita CA to work on my Samsung RF197 while it was still under warranty.

I think you will discover that you are on your own for troubleshooting and repairs.

Can't help you with removal due to not knowing how it was installed originally. If the Samsung in my previous Windsor needed to be removed, I would be able to assist the new owner as to how it would come out. The Samsung in my current Dynasty was installed prior to my purchase so I am in the same boat as you. Hopefully that Samsung RF197 keeps preforming well for many years to come.

[Bliksem]

On mine I was lucky it was the little plastic fan that blows over the coils that had fallen off the motor. I removed the outer panel and then the cardboard cover at the bottom to access.

[jacwjames]

20 minutes ago, Tom Cherry said:

Remember an issue with a built in OEM Res refer.  It was a simple part and our member fixed in the field.  VOM was only tool.  I would pull the model number and start googling.  There were very detailed troubleshooting instructions from folks on line and he checked voltages and circuit boards and isolated it quickly.  He picked up the part from a local appliance parts franchise.  No real issues..

But the online tips and model specific “how to” were invaluable 

Good Luck.

That's what I was thinking, you might get lucky.

I helped a buddy of mine fix his fridge, did some googling and came  up with two possible causes.  The one was pretty cheap, it was a start capacitor ~~$13,  and the part was available from a local store, but that didn't fix it.  Next part was a circuit board for ~$150, he bought one off Amazon so it could be returned if it didn't work but it worked. 

Edited December 8, 2022 by jacwjames

[LakeBob]

Thanks guys.   I have gotten some good trouble shooting advise fron an online tech, however it all evolves checking power input and output at the boards, and they are only accessible after pulling out the fridge.  Thats where I'm hoping someone else may have pulled one of these.  I can access the small cooling fan, however the electronics are on the opposite side of the opening (of course), impossible to access from the back while installed. 

 

[Chargerman]

On mine these is a wood trim piece right above the fridge. I removed that and the metal plate that as behind it and my fridge rolled out with a little bit of side to side wiggling

[LakeBob]

Got it out, released the seat belt mounts and pryed it out from the front and back. Getting the front rollers out of the divot they had made was the hardest part, and the fact that the cabinet opening has about a 1/8" clearance on all three sides.   Monaco quality is not always helpful.   Will post some pictures of the seat belt system. 

Now to figure out how to access the boards, they all seem to be located on the bottom, not sure if you can lay these things on their side.  

[Dr4Film]

14 minutes ago, LakeBob said:

Not sure if you can lay these things on their side.  

They go in the coach on their sides or back so there should not be a problem. In the old days, they always said that once you stand the fridge upright, do not turn it on right away. Let it sit for about 12 hours or so then turn it on.

[LakeBob]

The attached photos show how the refrigerator was attached.  The seat belt system has two belts, one end bolted to one of the top hinge bolts on each door and the other end bolted to studs mounted on the floor at the rear of the compartment.  Monaco installed an L bracket where another screw was installed into the frame.

The unit did not want to budge pulling from the front due to the front rollers being deeply imbedded into the carpet after 14 years.  Working at the rear with a pry bar got the unit moving out of the opening easily. 

You can see the seat belts include the buckle and the fully adjustable strap.......... 

Got some trouble shooting help from a local repair tech and will be driving 1.5 hrs into San Antonio in the AM to pick up a replacement main board (which comes out from the front!).  Hopefully the new board will solve my issues.  

 

Edited December 9, 2022 by LakeBob
Update

[Ivan K]

Interesting mounting system, thanks for posting. Hopefully you have it running tomorrow! 

[Frank McElroy]

Wow, first time I've ever seen that setup.  All I can say is that this mounting system is completely different than the factor installed residential JennAir refrigerator in my 08 Dynasty.  Mine has a plate across the front top and a bracket on the rear holding the base to the floor.  Was yours a factory installed residential refrigerator?

[LakeBob]

Yes, factory option and install. 

[birdshill123]

Our 08 Dynasty is mounted similar to Frank's. The front has a custom made plate that holds the top from moving. At the rear about half way up from the floor there is a wooden block that prevents the fridge from moving backward. Then some lag bolts to hold down the fridge. It ends up being sandwiched. When our JenAir died we bought another Jen Air. Of course the sizing was different. It was slightly higher. Lowered the floor. Cut down the front of the drawer that was under the fridge. Made that space into a storage cupboard. I reused the metal plate at the top. Added lags at the bottom. Lagged the bottom of the fridge at the rear. In order to keep it sandwiched I made a new wooden block for the back wall.  I was not able to add it once the fridge was in but used Gorilla Glue to attach to the rear wall.  Some people make a dolly that is the same height as the fridge wheels. Often with wheels. If the fridge needs sevrving you can roll it onto the dolly. Many fridges have the computer board at the rear about a foot of the floor. Cannot be accessed while the fridge is installed. The new fridge is a French door. It is huge. Quiet. I am not a Samsung fan. As an aside we just had the GE fridge in our Mexican home serviced. It was that main board. Very common problem. The tech suggested a special surge protector. NOT one mad for electronic items. They are cheap on Amazon. Called a fridge surge protector When there is a problem it turns off the power for 3 minutes and then restarts. 

[LakeBob]

The board fixed my issue! 

For reference, the refrigerator, which was an option on our 2009 Dynasty build sheet, is a Frigidaire GHSC39ETHS2.  The main board is part number # 2415111012.  It comes out from the front, behind the kick panel, housed in a black tray held in place by a 1/4" sheet metal screw, screwed into the bottom of the unit.  Its a bitch to pull out, you have to fight the 3 bundles of wires, once out its easy to work with.  

Installation was relatively easy.  The inner cabinet has two ledger boards attached to the top of the cabinet, covered with gray carpet, that fit snugly to the top of the fridge.  You need to raise the front rollers after getting it back in place.  

Pictures of the board and the top seat belt mount on upper door hinge. 

Cheers!

Bob

 

[jacwjames]

There you go, hopefully the fridge will last another 13 years. 

[Bliksem]

Bob thanks for the pic's and follow up post. I have exactly the same fridge and mounting set up, I have saved pics and part #, fingers crossed I never have to use them.

 

Edited December 9, 2022 by Bliksem

[TomV48]

Hey are any of those Residential units a replacement for the Norcold/NOcold gas units.   

Either way where do they vent the heat, at your feet or up the back?

The reason I ask is that I have seem YouTube's where the installer or tech blocks the old air inlet cover or the upper roof vent after Residential install for heating and Air Conditions effectiveness.     I always wonder if, when they are done, they have reduced air flow over the coils to the point of accelerating failure of the new unit from excess heat.       Probably hard on battery power too if it labors harder and longer on Inverter power.   With any reduction of cooling in Res Frig my first go to is the coils underneath.  Especially my garage frig, those pug up with dirt and other garage fuzz much faster than in our kitchen.   I wonder how fast they pug up with dirt in an RV?

[birdshill123]

Tony there is no need to provide additional air to the fridge. Your fridge in the house does not vent to the outside. Factory installations either do not cut the sidewall for a vent or they cut it and provide a fill for the whole. On our Dynasty factory install there is no roof vent. You tube is often wrong!