36348252890 Kenmore Refrigerator - Instructions

Symptom: Door did not close automatically. Also had found small chunks of black plastic on the floor. Refrigerator door was slightly lower than the freezer door.

One false start because I did not realize both of the door-closing cams had disintegrated and I had only ordered the cam without the hinge.

Purchased part 290199 Hinge Assembly. It came with matching door-closing cam. (Had not known so I also purchased the cam 297995 separately). Next time I will know to only purchase the Hinge Assembly.

Replacement procedure took about 20 minutes including removing and replacing door shelves and their contents. Two people involved.

1. Remove all door shelves with contents and other contents on door.

2. Remove the top Phillips head screw holding the decorative plastic on the top.

3. Remove the two top hinge screws on top of refrigerator using metric #8 socket wrench. Second person made sure door did not fall off.

4. Lift the door off the bottom hinge pin. Second person holds door on it’s side.

5. Take off the bottom refrigerator cover

6. Remove the bottom hinge assembly screws using metric #8 socket wrench.

7. Mount the replacement bottom hinge assembly and tighten the two screws.

8. On the door bottom, remove the outer screw and loosen the inner screw using metric #8 socket wrench.

9. Replace the door-closing cam (or what is left of it) with the cam in line with the door and cam bumps away from the door.

10. Place the door back on the hinge pin (one person holds while the other person maneuvers the door bottom).

11. Replace the top hinge and reinsert the screws on top of the refrigerator. Dress the door so that it does not press hard on the rubber door gaskets (or the door will fail to shut automatically). Tighten the screws.

12. Replace the decorative plastic over the top hinge.

13. Open the door and replace the bottom refrigerator cover.

14. Replace the door shelves and all contents.

15 Close the door.

Order 2 cams as recommended in other posts.
I didn't realize until the project was finished that the 2 cams fit together to tilt the door toward the refrigerator and force the door to catch.
1. Removed all items from door storage.
2. Removed top hinge cover held by single screw and top hinge plate held by two bolts.
3. Lifted up door to clear bottom hinge pin and removed door.
4. Turned door upside down and removed bottom hinge assembly held on by two bolts.
5. Replaced upper cam located on bottom of door and screwed the hinge assembly back on to bottom of door.
6. Drilled out the rivet that holds the lower cam to the bottom hinge pin.
7. Removed old lower cam and and replaced with new cam and secured to lower hinge assembly with pan head screw and nut (instead of rivet).
NOTE: The metal shim that goes between the cam riser & door was also broken, we used a small washer instead of the replacement shim.
8. Replaced door back onto lower hinge pin and secured upper hinge pin with original bolts.
9. Placed cover on upper hinge assembly and secured with original screw.
This is a project my husband and I completed together :)
Perhaps we will store lighter items on the door to lessen the chances of the cams deteriorating again.

I read over the other posts here and went with jacking up the fridge door and setting it on (2) 2x4 studs. A nut driver was used to remove the bottom hinge. I then drilled out the rivet that held the old cam in place and then used a 3/16 rivet to secure the new cam. A rivet is not necessary as you can also use a nut and bolt to hold the cam in place. It took less time to order the part and install it than it did to drive over to the appliance parts store and pick it up. I ordered around 10 am and the part was here the next day at 2:00 (without special delivery costs). By 2:30 it was on my fridge.

Removed top hinge and electrical connector (freezer door has ice and water dispensers) then had to turn off water supply to unit and disconnect the hose to the door and remove the spring protector from the hose -- this required removal of the compression fittings in the water line so spring would come off of the tube. Then removed bottom hinge from the door and used saw to remove the rivet that had held the cam to the hinge, used a nut and bolt to attach new cam. Put other cam (used two) in the hinge and replaced lower hinge unit on the door. Then reattached both hinges to the refrigerator and lined up the door put the spring protector and compression fittings back on plastic tubing and reconnected the water supply and electric fitting, turned on water to unit and prayed there were no leaks. Prayer was answered, the water dispenser worked properly and the ice maker filled with water so I then replaced the hinge cover on top of the unit and the grill at the bottom and had a pepsi. A few years ago I had replaced the cams on the other door which had no water/electic connections and was a much simpler job.

Moved all items from door storage into refrigerator shelves. Removed top hinge cover held by single screw and top hinge plate held by two bolts. Lifted up door to clear bottom hinge pin and removed door. Covered open front of refrigerator with plastic wrap to keep cold in refrigerator with door removed. Laid door on kitchen counter top and removed bottom hinge assembly held on by two bolts. Replaced upper cam located on bottom of door and screwed the hinge assembly back on to bottom of door (helps to keep the three plates in same sequence and note the position of cam). Drilled out the rivet that holds the lower cam to the bottom hinge pin. Removed old lower cam and and replaced with new cam and secured to lower hinge assembly with pan head screw and nut (instead of rivet). Replaced door back onto lower hinge pin and secured upper hinge pin with original bolts. Placed cover on upper hinge assembly and secured with original screw. Removed plastic wrap from front of refrigerator and moved the items that originally were stored in the door back to provide weight needed for door to close properly. All done and the door works like new, and all in less than 45 minutes. Would have been a more difficult job without the pioneering of people on this site. Thanks to all!

Get 2 "door closing cams" yep. Same as some others here. Found some black plastic pieces on the floor, when door wasn't closing right. I took the door off by taking off the top bracket. Very easy. Bottom bracket has the broken cam riveted to it. Need hacksaw to get this off then punch it through with hammer and a screwdriver. This is the only part that took a little while. Replace the closing cam and find a small nut & bolt or screw to replace the rivet you just sawed in half. Replace the closing cam that is on the bottom the the door as well. Even if yours isn't broken. Replace it anyway. Put door back on and done. Not a diffucult project if you know about the rivet and needing 2 closing cams beforehand. Good luck

I weged a block of wood under the door to hold the weight then used a nutdriver to removed the two screws attaching the bottom hinge to the refrigerator. The plastic closing cam was broken and preventing the door from closing. I found some plastic washers in my junk drawer to install on the lower hinge as a temporary fix to keep the appliance operational until the correct replacement parts could be tracked down. I then called local appliance stores in search of the closing cam and learned that none of them had the part in stock. I then hit the internet and within minutes found a picture of exactly what I needed at PartsSelect.com and had it on order a couple minutes later. A couple days after that, the new hinge was delivered, Again, I proped up the door, removed the lower hinge and replaced it with the new the new one that included the new closing cam. I was very happy to have saved lots of time and money and my wife was even happier to have the refrigerator working properly again. :)

The door closing cam on the refrigerator door was a snap to replace. However, I'm still baffled on how to replace the freezer door side. The condensation tube from the door runs through the door pivot and joins to a compression fitting behind the bottom trim piece. The compression ring is behind a formed lip on the tube and won't slide off. I could cut the tube but I really didn't want to do that. If anyone has done this and knows the trick to replace it, I would appreciate it.

Ed. Please post your question at our repair forums, forums.partselect.com.

I stacked three 2x4's that were approximately as wide as the door in length. This required lifting the door about 1/4" but it also got the weight of the door off the cam so the bracket assembly that the cam was attached to could be removed. I drilled out the rivet that held the old cam in place and like previous DIY's had to use a small bolt and nut to secure the new cam in place. Reattached the bracket with the new cam and that was it. The only problem was that the head of the bolt I used was not flat enough to allow proper clearance for the door to swing freely without feeling some drag and the wife noticed that immediately. I told her to wait until the weekend and I would again remove the door and file down the head of the bolt to allow the required clearance. After a few days of use, the door itself ground enough material off the head of the bolt so that the door began to open and close properly. So now she's happy, I'm happy and the dog is happy.

Door cam disintegrated after 20 years. This was a terrific site for suggested repairs. My problem was not paying attention to how the door shim, cam and spacer were placed on the hinge. Most of the site's instructions did not forewarn the obvious...pay attention when doing repairs!!

Instructions from others were generally pretty good but as adept as I am at D-I-Y I still did not pay attention to how I took something apart so it could be assembled properly.

I don't think that ordering an entire door hinge set is necessary. It does not appear that shims and/or spacer come with the hinge assembly. Door cam was all that was needed. I thought about replacing the cam on the freezer side but won't do it until absolutely necessary.

This is a very good website and my thanks to all of the posts for the instructions!!

This repair replaced two riser cams - one attached to the bottom fridge hinge and one attached to the bottom of the door. The two cams
mate together. So, don't just buy one cam, buy two.
1. Removed all contents off the inside of the door as well as the bins.
2. Unscrewed single screw holding plastic cover over top hinge.
3. Unscrewed 2 screws holding top hinge to the top of the door and removed the top hinge.
4. Pulled door up and off bottom hinge and layed
on floor.
5. Removed plastic grill on bottom of fridge.
6. Removed 2 screws holding bottom hinge in place.
7. Using a vice to hold the hinge, I used a hacksw to cut through the rivet holding the riser cam to the hinge plate.
8. Used a small bolt & nut to secure the new riser cam to the hinge plate.
9. Reattached hinge plate to the bottom of the fridge.
10. On bottom of the door remove two screws holding riser cam to door.
11. Position new riser cam in place and reattach to bottom of door.
NOTE: on my door, the metal SHIM that goes between the cam riser & door was also broken. I ordered the replacement SHIM but it turned out to be made of PAPER. So, I didn't bother putting it on. If the riser cam wears out again, I'll just replace it again.
12. Put door back on and secure the top hinge to the top of the fridge and you're done.

Since the cam riser was obviously broken I obtained a replacement.
It also broke. The door hinge cam needed to be replaced also.
To repair Remove the hinge cover using a #2 phillips driver. Than remove the Hinge using an 8mm socket. Turn the door upside down and, using an 8mm socket remoge the cam riser and the door hinge cam.
Replace in reverse order.
Be sure to inspect all parts and order all required.

I just slide the new one in place, using exsisting sliders. I had to remove the old grab handle from old pan and snap it into place on new pan.

I layed several small 2x4 blocks on the floor, then raised the door up from the hinge, using the small pry bar. Then removed the the screws for the hinge. Removed the screws holding the door stop and removed the door cam. Then, I replaced the door closing cam. Replaced the hinge and screws. I Lowered the door on to the hinge and applied a little lubricant to the cam and job complete.

First we removed the door. Then we had to hammer the old part off including the old rivot. We fould a screw that fit and put this piece on. We held the door in place and screwed the hinge on the main unit.