About a year after we bought or GE GSS20IBMBWW the fridge section went bad. The GE tech said it was a common problem and replaced something inside the freezer. The coils we frozen beyond belief.
Now 4 years later, same thing. I took off the freezer panel and defrosted the coils with a hair dryer. Now everything is working, although most likely temporarily.
I found the replacement part at partselect.com (Partselect.com - GE Refrigerator Parts And All Brands of Appliance Parts.
Easy for me to replace. But can I be sure this is the issue 100%? Could it be the motherboard or worth it to drop $60 and fix inside the unit? I know this has been posted several times, but wanted to know if there were any other reasons the coils would freeze up so bad?
My first post here and I appreciate any advice offered
Thanks,
Mike

That is the ONLY reason the coils would freeze up like that. If it was replaced once, bet it outlived it's life. It's easier to replace this part than to buy a whole new fridge. If you can do it yourself after observing the tech - fix it and save yourself a service call. You just might want to wait until the thing freezes up again just in case so you know for sure that it is gone.

Hi,
Fridge froze up again about 10 days later. When it started working again after I first blow dried the coils, the fan inside the freezer ran occasionally. After it iced up a few days ago, it ran all the time. Does this mean the thermostat is OK? Someone mentioned something about a defrost timer? Does my unit (GE GSS20IBMBWW) even have one? I am going to order a new defrost heater regardless, but could the time be the problem or is it on the motherboard in back?
Thanks,
Mike

It might be the timer they fail more than the heaters do and are usually easier to replace. Since your box has a board the timer is probably built into it so the heaters are more than likely the problem. If it freezes up again after replacing them then the board is bad.

Thanks,
I replaced the heater coil today. The tube was solid black. It was obviously shot. Would something else inside the freezer cause the coil to go bad or is the normal life of one 4-5 years?
How can I tell if the new coil is working without removing the plate and checking the coils directly?
Thanks again for all your help!
Mike