Refrigerator Door Problems

[Bruce Amacker]

Hey Guys:

I could use some advice here. I have a 3 door Kitchenaid (about 8-10 years old) that has the noisy hinge problem on the upper doors, it squeaks and pops whenever the doors are opened. Do you guys change the pivot bushings or just grease them?

Also, my wife wants the door gaskets replaced and they're expensive, like $181 each. The freezer drawer gasket has already been replaced twice and now it's time for the upper doors. Do I get OE, or are aftermarket gaskets good?

Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!

 

[walta]

Maybe I missed the electrical part of your question but I would remove the old hinge clean and inspect it for damage. It seems unlikely it was designed with a metal on metal bearing surface that would benefit from lubrication. My guess is once clean the squeak will be gone.



Walta

 

[ToddG]

See if the upper doors have the teflon thrust bearings in place. I've seen installers lose them if they had to take the doors off to get in the house. Ace hardware should have them if they're gone.

The door seals are easy to replace but I would go for OEM. The China copies don't fit as good. There will be a LOT of screws holding the inner door panel in place...

 

[dogdog]

maybe try some silicon grease / plumbers grease on that track in pic 091706.jpg

this looks just like the lg fridge.

 

[nadogail]

Lubrication makes everything go smoother.

 

[Zeke]

Lubrication makes everything go smoother.

 

[Meursault74]

Lubrication makes everything go smoother.

That's what she said.

 

[Meursault74]

try some grease (or vaseline) the door gaskets. It'll help them seal better. If you're going to replace them, can't hurt to try and see if you're satisfied with this "fix".

I have a ripped lower seal. I stuffed the seal with some foam insulation strips and used vaseline on the remaining area. Still works years later.

Yeah, replacing those seals can "total" an old refrigerator.

 

[Busted Knucles]

Push a weed eater string through the middle of the seal and build the area up with rtv sealer

 

[Milton Shaw]

Refrigerator seals are usually torn by soft drinks (high sugar) spilled on the door or inside the fridge and running down and drying and welding the gaskets to the frame of the fridge. Any time spills happen you need to clean them up before the dry and rip apart. Petroleum jelly does make them last longer as when the door closes the hinge side gasket has to scrub against the front of the fridge and causes a lot of wear. Also the center seals on French doors rubs against each other and that is why they are the first to need replacing. Dipping the seals in boiling water to soften them will help to get the wrinkles out of the gasket from the shipping boxes.

 

[Jim greengo]

I'd replace the bushings.

 

[Norcal]

Refrigerator seals are usually torn by soft drinks (high sugar) spilled on the door or inside the fridge and running down and drying and welding the gaskets to the frame of the fridge. Any time spills happen you need to clean them up before the dry and rip apart. Petroleum jelly does make them last longer as when the door closes the hinge side gasket has to scrub against the front of the fridge and causes a lot of wear. Also the center seals on French doors rubs against each other and that is why they are the first to need replacing. Dipping the seals in boiling water to soften them will help to get the wrinkles out of the gasket from the shipping boxes.

Anything sugary & sticky damages the door gaskets,soda, syrups, jams & jellies, and I used to use a heat gun to reform the gaskets where they were folded for shipping, just have to be real careful or the material will burn. Most were commercial reach ins, and it was amazing the differences in price, most reasonable was True, Traulsen, & Hobart, were more expensive, both shared the same corp. owners although Hobart reach ins have not been made in years. Beveridge Air is the biggest ***** to change.

 

[Old Steamer]

I'd replace the bushings.

This.

Check the auto closing pieces on the hinges if you replace the bushings. These can cause problems leading to the refrigerator not keeping the contents cool.

 

[Kuma601]

The cams in the hinge wear if the doors get loaded up. Used to put lots of canned drinks and bottles on the door not thinking much of it till some years later the door would not close properly. Replaced the cams and then on drinks went on a fixed shelf. Silicone grease does work well. The manufacturers are using softer composites so they don't last as long as the past ones.

I'd suggest an IR thermometer or FLIR imaging device to make sure the seal really needs to be replaced for cooling loss. Aftermarket is a roll of the dice so I prefer OE manufacturer. Went through that with the dishwasher and some were to big and some to small. Along with being to thick so it was a PITA ordeal which should have been easy to replace.