How To Replace Refrigerator Air Diffuser

Replacing An Air Diffuser

Recently our Kenmore Elite side-by-side refrigerator was warm while our freezer was nice and cold. I diagnosed the problem as a defective refrigerator air diffuser. After doing some research I was confident that the air diffuser and possibly the thermistor were broken and needed to be replaced. I ordered both pieces from Sears PartsDirect and they were delivered today.

In this article I’ll explain how easy it is to replace a refrigerator air diffuser and thermistor.

Steps To Replace Air Diffuser

Remove Wire / Component Covers – In order to remove the air diffuser you’ll need to remove three different covers. You’ll need to remove one cover in the freezer where the air diffuser connects between the freezer and refrigerator section. You’ll need to remove two covers in the refrigerator compartment; the wire chase cover is easily removed by taking out one screw (see photo), and you’ll also need to remove the air diffuser cover by taking out one screw (see photo).
Replace Thermistor – I recommend you replace the thermistor at the same time you replace the air diffuser. If you look close at the adjacent photo you’ll see a black wire (that’s the thermistor wire). Disconnect it at the wire connector (white plastic piece on left of photo) and replace it with a new thermistor. The thermistor is taped to the inside of the air diffuser cover near those three “holes” just below the drill in the photo.
Disconnect & Remove Air Diffuser – Now you need to disconnect and remove the old air diffuser. The air diffuser is located in the refrigerator compartment, however, you’ll need to remove a cover in the freezer section in order to release the locking tabs on the air diffuser so you can free it on the refrigerator side. Once you release the locking tabs you can just pull the air diffuser free from the refrigerator.
Connect New Air Diffuser – Now you simply connect the new air diffuser in the same way you dis-connected the old one. Once you’ve connected the new diffuser I recommend that you test it. This is very easy to do. Before you install the diffuser in the refrigerator wall, sit it on the top shelf. Next turn the temperature up to 45 degrees. Let it set for a couple minutes, the air diffuser should close to prevent cold air from the freezer from traveling past the diffuser into the refrigerator. Now turn the refrigerator down to 35 degrees and wait again. The diffuser should open (if the warm inside the fridge). Once you’ve successfully tested it you can install it back into the hole until the locking tabs lock it into place.
Re-connect Covers – Finally re-connect the three covers from Step 1.

Refrigerator Repaired

That’s all there is to this simple repair. The parts cost me $65 with shipping. I figure I saved myself at least $200 if not more for this simple DIY repair. Most all appliances have detailed parts diagrams available online. You can also buy most any part online for appliances if you can diagnose your problem. So next time your appliance quits working, try doing some online research and repairing it yourself.

Todd Fratzel

I'm full time builder for a large construction company in New Hampshire. I run their design-build division that specializes in custom homes, commercial design-build projects and sub-divisions. I'm also a licensed civil and structural engineer with extensive experience in civil and structural design and home construction. My hope is that I can share my experience in the home construction, home improvement and home renovation profession with other builders and home owners. I'm also the Editor-in-Chief and Founder of Tool Box Buzz. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, suggestions or you'd like to inquire about advertising on this site.

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View Comments

Heidi says:
August 9, 2009 at 12:11 am
Such a great way to learn how to fix something that can seem so complex. I just love your articles. They really make taking care of your refrigerator problems yourself (and not having to call in a repairman!) a reality. Thanks.
Dave says:
November 3, 2009 at 6:21 pm
This is exactly what is wrong with our fridge. With your cool web page, I'm going to try and do the repair myself. Thank you!
Microwave repair says:
January 16, 2010 at 12:55 am
Thanks for this step-by-step guide, with matching diagrams. It can surely save me some hundred dollars or more for repair.
Joe says:
June 5, 2010 at 10:56 pm
Before read read this article, I monkeyed with the air diffuser. I stuck a little wooden wedge and the refriger is now cold.
I did clean the dust off the the bottow coils front and back and unstopped the the freezer defrost drained hole that was frozen up. It is working now but I do not know for how long.
My question is Which one goes bad most, the thermistor or the diffuser? In other words, why change both?
- Todd says:
  June 6, 2010 at 7:56 am
  Joe - I think it's typially the diffuser. Frankly I didn't want to wait to find out which one and the cost wasn't that great.
John says:
July 3, 2010 at 7:20 pm
Yes, this is a common problem on our Kenmore side by side. It seems to be caused by frost build up in the diffuser, sometimes caused by blocking of the air input on the bottom left of the refrigerator compartment, above the bottom drawers. The ice build up must break the motor or linkage the opens and closes the air vanes. It is an easy fix. I just did it for the third time myself, on top of one time by the repairman.
Ray says:
August 15, 2010 at 7:46 am
Thanks for the instructions. Being a curious cuss, I carefully dismantled the diffuser from ours to see what went wrong. Inside, the plastic tab that moves the louver had broken off. (The tab looks quite undersized.) I super-glued the tab back on (reinforced with a piece of toothpick), reassembled, and it's working fine.
Saved $75, a bit of space in the landfill, and a few days waiting for the replacement part.
Eric Ronning says:
August 8, 2011 at 8:24 am
I had the same symptoms, so I removed the diffuser. No better.
I went back to the freezer side, and found that the evaporator fan had gone out. That appears to be easy to replace also, but I'm making sure that is the only problem.
Ms. Curious says:
August 9, 2011 at 8:19 pm
Thanks for the info. I tried to troubleshoot my refrigerator that had the same problem and assumed that it was the fan until I ran across your site. After reading your post, everything pointed to the diffuser. We have a local appliance store here in Atlanta and though the price was higher for the part, by the time I would have paid tax and shipping to order it online it was about the same price. I installed it myself in about 30 minutes and the air started flowing into the refrigerator side almost instantly!! I don't want to put the appliance repairmen out of business but they will never get my business as long as there are websites like this. Thanks!!
- Todd says:
  August 9, 2011 at 9:08 pm
  Glad it worked so well. I hope you sign up for our free newsletter. Thanks for sharing your success.
  - Charles Bridges says:
    September 20, 2011 at 5:42 pm
    While waiting for the part you said you open it manually, stupid question maybe. Did you leave it unconneted while waiting for the part?
    - Todd says:
      September 20, 2011 at 6:01 pm
      Yes.
Amy says:
September 24, 2011 at 1:00 am
Thank you very much for the information.
I have a Kenmore Elite side-by-side with the same issue - my freezer is fine but my fridge side is not cold and I'm fairly certain it's the same issue.
Question: How do I remove the cover from the freezer section? Do you just pull it out or are there screws that I don't see near the cover in the freezer?
Also, this might be a silly question, but was refrigerator on the entire time during the replacement?
- Todd says:
  September 24, 2011 at 4:26 pm
  If memory serves me correct the cover has some "snap" tabs so I had to squeeze the sides in to release the tabs.
  I turned the power off to the refrigerator to replace the parts.
  Good luck. Please consider signing up for my FREE Newsletter.
  - Amy says:
    September 24, 2011 at 8:43 pm
    I have an additional question: Did you have to remove the styrofoam around the diffuser to take that out? I noticed that when I remove the cover in the refrigerator side, there are styrofoam around the diffuser and tape...so do I need to take the styrofoam out?
    Thanks for your help!
    - Todd says:
      September 25, 2011 at 8:23 am
      Yes, I had to take all that out to replace the part.
Bryan says:
October 13, 2011 at 9:13 pm
thanks it really helped for progress on my own! :D