When I bought the Rialta, it had a miniature spring loaded curtain rod holding the freezer door shut. The previous owner said that the hinge springs were broken and he used the curtain rod to keep the freezer compartment door closed. You see, the freezer door is hinged at the bottom and you pull it open from the top. Without springs, gravity pulls it open.
As with anything I acquire, I’ve spent considerable time researching and reading about it. I found several articles regarding these hinge springs. I even found a YouTube video showing how to replace them.
I searched the interweb and found several in the $8-$12.00 range. Since my general philosophy is: if it’s already broken, I can’t make it much worse if I try to repair it. I carefully removed the door and then the two spring assemblies. Darn, they looked new. I think someone replaced them but didn’t pre-load the springs. Thanks to the information I found, I went ahead and put it all back together using the outlined procedures.
Yippee! The door closes perfectly now.
Another Rialta project completed.
Oh, I also put some durable but cheap carpet down over the original carpet which is in very nice condition. I figured for a couple bucks, I can preserve the original carpet and give the dog the whole floor to lie on without worrying about getting it dirty.
While I was at it, I fitted a piece of rug over the passenger’s seat. Now the dog can ride in style, looking out the window. I know she’ll be happy.