The plastic retainers for the mullion spring in the flipper have broken. The original flipper is Part No. DA97-07276B. This part has been discontinued. According to Samsung, the replacement part is DA97-12683B. I ordered this item. When installed, the holes for the mullion spring do not line up for the spring to be installed properly. Does anyone have a solution to complete my repair? Your assistance is appreciated.
Are you sure they gave you the correct replacement part number? According to their website the proper part # for that model is DA61-04848B https://samsungparts.com/products/da61-04848b
When I looked at the models supported by the part you listed, your model is not listed as compatible. Of course, the part they do list as compatible is out of stock everywhere (translation: discontinued). How old is your refrigerator?
How off are the spring holes? Can you find a way to jerry-rig it?
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Hi realaud, thank you for your reply. The replacement part number (DA97-12683B) was given to me by Samsung Parts powered by encompass. They also gave me the original part number. My refrigerator was manufactured in May 2011 and purchased in August 2011. With flipper Part No. DA97-12683B installed, the spring holes are a good 5/8" off. Enough that the spring legs bend when putting them in the holes and the spring is cockeyed and will not stay in. In the stationary part of the hinge, the spring hole is higher when the replacement flipper Part No. DA97-12683B is installed . When the original flipper Part No. DA97-07276B is installed, the hole in the stationary part of the hinge is 5/8" lower than the hole in the flipper part of the hinge.
I know how frustrating it is when the mullion is not operable, as I had my spring break on me a few years ago. I obtained the spring and replaced it, but kept note of my replacement part for the mullion should I ever need it (it's still in my Amazon wish list). Having a refrigerator that was manufactured in 2011 makes it likely that the part is no longer available (congratulations on the fridge lasting 14 years) and they sold you a part they thought would fit. It may be roughly the same dimensions but, as you found out, connections don't line up. The mullions are pricy items so one wouldn't want to keep buying them and not being able to use them, but if you can return it and see about using a different part. Do you think it would swing freely if you got wire clippers and shortened the stems of the springs? Or buy different springs? At this point, you have nothing to lose by trying. Otherwise, if there is no comparable part available, your only other option is to see what's on sale Black Friday and buy a new fridge, if you can hold out that long. I went for a long time flipping the mullion by hand before I realized i could just replace it (that's how I found out I only needed to replace the spring.)
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The spring is the first thing that broke. I didn't have a difficult time finding a replacement spring, and replaced it. But then the plastic holes in the flipper that the spring stem goes in broke. Thats where I am now. I returned flipper Part No. DA97-12683B because I didn't think there was any way it was going to work. As you said, the flippers are pricy (about $150). In the meantime, I guess we will flip the mullion by hand until we decide about a new fridge. Thanks again for your assistance, it is greatly appreciated.
realaud, if you are pretty sure the correct part number for the mullion (flipper) for my model refrigerator is DA61-04848B, then I found one online at a very reasonable price. Please let me know. Thank you for all your help.
I can only go by what it said on the Samsung parts site. If you found a reasonable price from somewhere, make sure you can return it with no restocking fee if it's the wrong part. If there's a photo and you still have your old part, you can compare the spacing of the clips (if shown) to see if it looks like they match up.
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