The new thermostat cost me £22 including delivery, whereas a comparable new fridge would be about £350. This was a fiddly job, though.
- Turn the fridge off at the mains.
- Squeeze the top and bottom of the light cover to release it. Unscrew the light bulb and put it in a safe place.
- Behind the light bulb is a clip. Open this with a screwdriver and then unclip the entire thermostat/light assembly from the wall of the fridge by pulling it forwards.
- Behind the thermostat/light assembly is a panel, beneath which is a connector block for the power supply. Disconnect this.
- Pull the thermostat/light assembly forwards, bringing the thermostat phial out with it. Note where the phial comes out of the thermostat assembly and where it enters the fridge wall!
- Remove the temperature control knob from the thermostat assembly with a screwdriver.
- Remove the spring clip from around the shaft of the thermostat control underneath the knob.
- Remove the cover of the assembly by unclipping it at the back and sliding it off forwards.
- Unplug the thermostat and remove it from its connector block.
- If the new thermostat has a different pin layout from the old one, then:
- Remove the thermostat power supply spade connectors from the connector block. Each has a small spring clip on the underside, which can be opened by jamming a very small flat-blade screwdriver into the connector from the thermostat end.
- Use the tiny numbers next to the thermostat power supply pins on the old and new thermostats to work out which power connectors need to go where.
- Push the power supply spade connectors into the connector block in the new configuration. Some connector blocks are made to accommodate different pin layouts from opposite ends, so this might require turning the connector block round.
- Attach the new thermostat to the power supply connector block and seat everything back in the thermostat/light assembly.
- Put the cover back on the thermostat/light assembly. The new thermostat phial and the power connector should poke out, ready to fit back into the fridge wall.
- Refit the spring clip on the shaft of the thermostat control.
- Put the temperature control knob back on.
- Uncoil the phial and feed it back into the fridge wall.
- Once the thermostat/light assembly is close enough, attach the power supply and clip the assembly back onto the wall.
- Put the light bulb back in and replace its cover.
- Turn the fridge back on.
