79577194600 Kenmore Freezer - Instructions

Unplugged the refrigerator. Used small flat head screw driver to push the front tab of the old switch in and pulled it out with pliers. Detached and reattached the wires to the switch. Reinserted back into hole. Plugged refrigerator back in to power. All good.

The old switch was a little hard to get out....took me a couple tries. I couldn’t move the frig out to unplug it, so just shut the power off in the kitchen. But, I was happy that’s what the problem was and so happy to have the light back on......it was probably three years it didn’t work!

This is bottom drawer type frige. Icemaker is inside (not in the door) and hard to reach. I first tested the solenoids by disconnecting them and using a test cord, energized them independent of the frige wiring. They worked ok. Note: this frige has (2) solenoids going to the icemaker. And it has (3) solenoids serving the water dispenser. The icemaker solenoids are wired in parallel. I removed the icemaker by removing (1) screw from the bottom and loosening (2) on the top. Then removed icemaker as a complete unit disconnecting the wire connector at the same time. On the bench I tested the icemaker to verify it was defective. The wire harness has a 10 amp fuse in the black wire (hot wire). `The fuse was blown. This was sufficient to indicate the icemaker is shot. I did however, do some other tests. Cold resistance of the mold heater was 72 ohms. The timer motor was 4000 ohms. These measurements should be ok. I then activated the icemaker with a test cord, bypassing the blown fuse. The unit cycled one complete rotation then stopped. The mold heater worked. I tested the amp draw on the mold heater and it was only .1 amps. I should be a about .8 amps. I then cycled it again and then the timer motor began to sizzle and smell. Then it smoked and stopped mid-rotation. I then purchased a new icemaker. I believe the mold heater was going bad over time as this unit made ice but very slowly. This put extra strain on the motor as the mold was not releasing quickly. This damaged the motor causing it to fail.

Pulled fridge away from wall, unplug electrical connection, open fridge door, use knife to prize out door switch, pull off and replace switch from electrical wiring.

viewed video and followed instructions was a piece of cake

pried out old switch, disconnected wires ,placed wires on new switch

I had previously watched a YouTube video (do this first!!) on a similar Kenmore model so I knew what to look out for: (1) turned off power, (2) took thin putty knife to slip under outer lip of switch (most screwdrivers are too thick), (3) wiggled switch at front end to release the tab, (4) unplugged from the socket, (5) plugged in new switch, (6) popped new switch back into door, (7) turned on power. Voila !! Super easy. I couldn't believe it.

Watched a couple of YouTube videos and then went at it

Replaced old hose and installed the new one. Was very simple with the instructions in your email..... step by step, could not of been any similar.... you guys rock

Part Select had a great video which made the repair easy, using a putty knife to start removing the freeze door gasket. Once removed the install is simple just snap the new gasket into the track, but start at the corner. Other company's have a video requiring you to remove the entire freezer compartment out of the appliance, unnecessary waste of time and labor.

I took a very thin bladed screwdriver and took the old part out -carefully.
The new part fit in quite easily.

Replace with new switch. this is the third switch i have replaced in 10 years. the only part, besides a light bulb, that has gone bad. obviously this is a problem with this model for Kenmore, or just poor switch design.

Removed old rails and tapped new rails in place. The big problem was finding how to fix the drawer. After searching many online websites, It was my good fortune to find Partselect and a one of their service representatives who
knew how to fix my drawer
and they had the part.

Followed instructions online

I found a crack in the pex line from the valve up the back of the refrigerator to the water filter. I could not find the correct 5/16" size line locally to replace it. A guy in plumbing at Home Depot said he always repaired them by cutting out the crack and finding a piece of clear vinyl line that would fit tightly over the cracked pex to splice in a fix with hose clamps. I did that and it was a really bad idea. The line was obviously fatigued and failing because it just cracked further up and leaked again. I then looked up and ordered the correct line (actually both the supply and return since they were available). Installing the new lines was a breeze. The pex connectors are simple to disconnect and reconnect. Wish I had done that to start with. I looked for a youtube video for the proper replacement steps but all I found was a video of a guy who cut out a crack and stuck a pex connector in to replace the cracked section. By doing that he pulled slack from the valve end of the line which didn't exist and cracked the line again. I don't know why anyone would mess with patching one of these lines. The correct parts are available, cut to the right length, and removing and replacing them at the valve and the filter is dead simple.