removing old thermostat probe on GE chest freezer FCM5DMCWH

[qkcam]

I found a thermostat that will work in my freezer..yay!   it was $17 bucks.   

Ok i have the new thermostat  and trying to take the old one out.. it is sealed in with caulking- managed to get the caulking off, but there is a big black "washer/ seal" type thing.. i have tried pulling and pulling on the thermostat probe but can' t get it to come out.   do i need to destroy the black seal that seems to be holding it in  ?  thank you

[qkcam]

I removed some of the black seal and i can see the white tube that the thermostat probe goes into. I can not get that sucker to come out.  I have been pulling as much as possible and it wont budge, even wiggling the thing back and forth does nothing.     hope someone knows a trick for this .. thanks

[LearningTech]

You typically need to destroy nothing. Try putting lube on white tube to make it come through , and make sure it is strait

[LearningTech]

Make sure the far end is not wrapped around anything.

[qkcam]

Thank you Learning Tech

 I let the freezer defrost and after that the old probe came right out!   i had no idea it needed to defrost.  

I tried attaching the new thermostat to the old probe (before i deforsted the unit) that didnt seem to work.    so i went to reattache the new probe back to the new t stat  and the new tstat fell apart.   using the old one as an example i think i finally got the new one put back together the right way.  time will tell. 

 

thanks for the help!  

[qkcam]

got the new t stat installed .   I put a couple little water bottles inside to make sure they freeze.   they did freeze but it seems like the motor  is always on  now.  I am wondering if the new (used s stat ) has an issue.  I have 30 days to return it.     I even turned the freezer down to the lowest setting and when i went back to check later the motor was running.

what am i missing here? 

thanks!~

[16345Ed]

Is it zero degrees in the freezer?

either you broke thermostat taking it apart, it was bad initially or you have a sealed system problem. 

[Budget Appliance Repair]

So you didn't purchase a NEW t-stat.    It was a used one that you purchased?  Not a good item to purchase used, (no idea what kind of condition the points are in or if calibration if off).

[qkcam]

I have been running the freezer near the lowest setting and the thermometer reads   a range of -9 to 19F   and the motor is not running continually, like before.   where should the temp be for this?   

this thermostat yes was / is used it has a 30day return..  maybe i should just return it.   

are the temp ranges in the ball park?  should i try to set the thermostat to a colder temp and see what happens? 

thanks

 

[16345Ed]

At mid setting it should be about 0 degrees. 

[qkcam]

thanks  16345Ed  is the temp supposed to fluctuate much at that point? 

[16345Ed]

43 minutes ago, qkcam said:

thanks  16345Ed  is the temp supposed to fluctuate much at that point? 

Only if it’s auto defrost. 

[qkcam]

no it isn't auto defrost.  I just checked again and am getting about a 14 degree swing.. could this be because i haven't yet sealed up the thermostat tube hole with silicon?  

also will it effect the food as long as it stays frozen?  thanks. 

[J5*]

What’s the +&- temps you are getting ?

Is it loaded or empty ? As this will affect it 

 

a mechanical thermostat will have a bigger swing in temps and for the deep freeze you are concerned about your average temps 

Edited October 28, 2018 by J5*

[qkcam]

thanks 5*   the temps range yesterday was 8 down to -14.  the freezer is empty now except for 2 small water bottles and a container of baking soda. 

so it sounds like this is working ok and I can resume use of freezer  with no need to return the $12 used t stat?