If your refrigerator door won’t stay closed, the fix may be a lot easier and less expensive than you think!

Of course, we’re assuming the problem with the door not closing is NOT related to so many items in your refrigerator that the door CAN’T close! And, the same goes for those “lurkers” that stand in front of the refrigerator for extended times with the door open!

Another potential problem is the door gasket has come out of its groove or is misshapen so that it doesn’t allow the door to close properly. If that is the case, you’ll need to clean out the groove and press the gasket back in all the way around the perimeter of the door. If the gasket is damaged, it can be removed and replaced, although that repair is not the subject of this episode.

ONE OTHER POTENTIAL PROBLEM it may be that the front two adjuster legs on your refrigerator are set incorrectly, and your unit is leaning forward enough to cause the doors not to close easily or stay closed.

However, if your door, like ours, simply has gotten “lazy” over the years, and won’t close the last little bit on its own, then it’s HIGHLY likely the fix is quite easy and inexpensive.

In this episode, Dirtfarmer Jay shows you how to remove the door, replace a couple of small (but very important) parts, called door closer cams, and then reinstall the door. The parts are under $25 (including shipping), and can be ordered from www.searspartsdirect.com or www.ereplacementparts.com. While our refrigerator is a Kenmore® brand (made by Whirlpool®), this same part is used for several brands and models, so it’s a good chance this part may work for your situation.

This pair of parts are located around the lower door hinge pin. Our repair took under 20 minutes and required a ⅚” or 8mm nut driver or box end wrench, as well as a small straight screwdriver to pry out the worn part. The part number for the top half of the door cam set is WP2182179. The part number for the bottom half of the door cam set is WPW10329686.

Here are a couple of links to ereplacementparts.com one of our favorite appliance and tools repair parts sources:

For the top cam: https://www.ereplacementparts.com/clo...

For the bottom cam: https://www.ereplacementparts.com/low...

These cams serve to have the door close in position so that the door gaskets seal and cold air is contained properly in the refrigerator compartment. We got 16 years of service from the door cams, so this inexpensive repair, using only a little time and a few tools, will probably serve us until it’s time to replace the whole refrigerator.

Sure, you can call an appliance repair service to fix your refrigerator door, but with your newfound expertise and a good parts source, you can JUST DO IT YOURSELF!

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