Refrigerator door not closing properly


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Old 08-30-13, 06:47 PM
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Refrigerator door not closing properly

I have a Whirlpool side by side fridge. The manual doesn't list a model no. but the front of the manual on the bottom left says 2186560A.

I've had this fridge for probably 7+ years. The fridge door is not closing properly anymore. The bottom 1/3 of the gasket is not making contact with the door jamb at all. Normally when I gently push the fridge door it would close and seal properly but now it stays open. Even when I push the door in hard the bottom part of the gasket doesn't seal. The freezer door has no problems at all.


Any ideas what's wrong with it? Do I need to replace the closing cam? Or the gasket?
 
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Old 08-30-13, 07:19 PM
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It sounds like the gasket is as fault. The number you left is the part number of the literature.

Look for the model number inside the fridge door on the metal frame.
 
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Old 08-31-13, 04:19 AM
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Ok found it. The model is ED25QFXHW00. I looked around online to get a general idea of the price for this model's gasket and it's about $120.00. That seems like a massive ripoff for a rectangle of rubber. I was thinking it would cost like $20. If it turns out the problem is not the gasket that would be a pretty costly mistake. I could buy a good used refrigerator for less than $120.

What do you think I should do?
 
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Old 08-31-13, 11:55 AM
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Gaskets are touchy things. They can get distorted pretty easily. Does the gasket look like it's flattened or crushed ?

It almost sounds like the door may even be racked. (not square). I can't make any kind of judgement call without seeing the actual door and gasket so I can't advise you to just change the gasket.
 
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Old 08-31-13, 12:17 PM
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Yes the lower gasket looks flattened and compressed compared to the middle/upper region. If the door isn't square how do I fix that? Is that a hinge or screw issue?

If I can do the less costly repairs first if only to rule them out then I'd want to start there.
 
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Old 08-31-13, 12:47 PM
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The door may be twisted. Something was stuck in the bottom and it was pushed closed. Now you would need to push the bottom in while holding the top out. Actually re-twisting the door.
 
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Old 08-31-13, 02:37 PM
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I tried to do this but didn't have any success. Kinda hard to push the bottom in and hold the top out at the same time. Maybe I need another person to help me. I also don't want to break anything or make it worse.

I have to amend what I said earlier. The gasket actually doesn't look flattened at the bottom. It looks about the same. Must have been the lighting when I looked at it the first time.
 
 

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