Replacing a control panel on a GE Fridge

This is how I fixed my GE Monogram Fridge that was no longer cooling

I have a GE Monogram fridge ZFSB26DRB SS 

The inner display panel stopped working and a few months later the fridge stopped cooling and started making a ticking noise. Here is a video and audio of the ticking sound. You may need to turn the volume up.

Upon doing some research online, I found out that this appears to be a common problem in GE refrigerators. The control boards that shipped with some of the refrigerators had faulty relay switches. The common recommendation is to replace the control board. In some instances, some have also suggested desoldering and soldering a new relay. While this may be the cheapest option, I was not comfortable testing my rusty soldering skills.

Parts

I decided to replace the panel as this seemed to be the quickest and easiest option for me. I went with the following panel on Amazon as it was highly reviewed and had next day delivery -

Accessing the Control Panel

In order to access the existing control panel you have to pull out the fridge, and the housing will be located on the left bottom side

There are a few screws that hold the panel, one of which also is used to hold the ground wire. You can also use this opportunity to open the panel below it and vacuum out the compressor

Removing the Old Control Panel

• Turn off the power, by unplugging the refrigerator.

• Disconnect all the wires plugs. They can be a little tough to unplug, and will need to be squeezed and wiggled out.

• Gently pull the control board forward, as you use a pair of needle nose pliers to squeeze each tab that holds the board onto the housing (2 of 4 highlighted in purple hexagon in the pic below)

Install the new WR55X10942 Control Panel

• Install the new board, by pushing it into place. The holes on the new control board will match the locations of the tabs in the housing. Ensure each of them clicks the board into place.

• Connect all the wires plugs - this is hard to mess up as all plugs are unique

  • Caveat- there is an extra plug (see pic below) in the new WR55X10942 control board that probably provides additional functionality on newer refrigerators. I spent some time trying to figure out if i had missed a plug somehow.
  
  
• Don't forget to connect the ground wire, before sealing up the panel.

Success !

After I replaced the panel, the fridge started cooling, and the inner display panel started working again. It did take few hours to get back to 37 deg F.