AS20M7W Admiral Refrigerator - Instructions

Replaced the water valve. I knew that the ice maker was working by watching the movement. It was not getting water to it, s I figured it was the electric water valve and sure enough, that fixed the problem.

Loosen the screws on the sidewall (don't take them all the way out and drop them on the floor as I did) and remove the screw from the bottom bracket. Change out the electrical wires and the wire level sensor that does not come with the new unit. Put the new one in place and give it some time to cool down and make ice ( don't be impatient like I was and think the new unit was bad or that you replaced the wrong part)

This was very easy and pretty fast to do and its working great...all for $40 bucks ! you can do this...trust me!

evaporator coils were frozen solid and air wasn't flowing across them

read all directions first, then consider which steps you'd like to take

in any case...
- check for blockages in the upper and lower air vents that allow air from freezer side to cool the fridge-side
- inspect that the fan in the freezer side is actually turning and not blocked


- if no blockages and air is flowing between the sides...

- unplug the unit
- remove all goods from freezer and fridge
- remove freezer side racks
- remove rear panel on freezer side using philips screwdriver (note that the ice-cube tray motor housing must be freed by removing its screws. it can be pull out a bit to get to a single screw holding the top of the rear panel in place)
- allow the evaporator coils to evaporate all ice off, checking the drain pan under the fridge frequently - accelerate the process using a hair dryer or paint stripper (heat gun)
- disconnect the white wires from the connection block located about 2/3 of the way up the rear wall and check resistance using an ohmeter (see specs on back of fridge on circuit diagram)
- if you get a very high resistance reading, the heater element is likely broken. if so...
-- remove the 2 metal shields located horizontally across the evaporator coils (behind them are the two series-connected defrost heater elements)
-- visually inspect the elements - if they are discolored green or black, remove and inspect more closely (most likely they are blown, just like a light-bulb filament that shows black on the glass)
-- if you see nothing, remove them anyway (since high reading) and check connectors
-- replace them (likely only $30 to $75, depending on type)

- if coils seem ok, or if not suspect, check the defrost thermostat WHILE IT IS STILL IN A WORKING/COLD FREEZER.
- get the defrost thermostat into a coil chamber (other freezer or bucket of ice?) and check resistance using an ohmeter. It must be WELL-BELOW 40F to test it. When it is truly immersed in cold (as it would be in a working freezer), test the resistance. it should be 0-ohms when <<40F and some much higher resistance (>200KOhms) when > 40F.
- if not, replace it

-lastly, if neither the defrost heater elements are bad nor the defrost thermostat is bad, open up the defrost timer
-- the defrost timer is located in the fridge side, likely with the fridge thermostat knobs/controller
-- it is a 5-pin part that cannot be repaired. If all else is checked, most likely the defrost element is never coming on because the timer is not turning it on

I did not do the repair yet, there is no schematic on how to route the hose; also no description of how to do the routing/connections.

When that one came and I went to install it, I found that my fridge was so old (almost 30 years) that the wire harness on the old icemaker could not be transferred to the new one. The old one was hand wired into the guts of the machine with wire nuts and other connectors. The new unit needs a plug in harness to match a plug connection on the ice maker. Also, the bent wire arm that senses ice bin levels was different, old unit hooked in with clips and such, new one pops into a socket in the new ice maker.

I called PartSelect back again, and the clerk spent a lot of time in the books (no parts in the online listings) and found new style connector and wire arm. Another 25 dollars and problem is solved.

Once those parts came, the actual installation was a breeze. Remove three screws, unplug the ice maker from the back wall of the fridge, plug new wire harness into new ice maker and the back wall of the frige, install new ice maker with the same three screws, pop the new style bent wire arm into place and pop the plastic cover from the old ice maker onto the front of the new one. Done! Took me ten minutes (plus two weeks of chasing parts, but only half an hour of actual time in those two weeks).

I let it make a couple of loads of ice that I disposed of (to capture any dust and crud that might have been on or in the new ice maker) and then turned it loose. We had a nice full bin of ice in the morning.

First had to remove baskets and door from freezer. Removed three screws; removed old ice maker; Attached new ice maker with three screws; removed arm from old ice maker and placed in the new ice maker. Replaced door and baskets

Reattaching the kickplate clip was easy, but the tab that holds in place was broken. It would slide back when the kickplate was installed. I fashioned a replacement tab out of a piece of 3/32 aluminum bent into a U with the hammer. To hold it in place I drilled and tapped one hole and used a 6-32 machine screw.

Since it was an older appliance I decided to replace the whole ice maker assembly. I carefully disassembled the old one and then installed the new one. piece of cake.

Removed old icemaker by removing two hex screws and one phillip's head screw.

Disconnected power connection to refrigerator.

Removed power connection harness and ice level sensor arm/levor and cover from old ice maker and installed on new ice maker.

Re-installed in refrigerator. It was simple on this model.

There are 3 screws holding the icemaker in place. After removing the ice bucket, I removed the screws, then twisted the unit to gain access to the power plug. The plug is held in place by a plastic flap which is part of the connector. It has to be pushed down to remove the connector. The new unit went in perfectly and performed flawlessly for 3 days until the compressor blew out! After feeling some sense of accomplishment having fixed the icemaker, I learned that my neglecting to clean the vent grill in the front of the refrigerator had caused its demise. Don't forget to clean the dust out of the vents!

Saw many photos on the Internet that looked like my ice maker, but they were different. I put in my Refrigerator model No. and found my exact replacement ice maker right away. I was a little cautious, because the new one didn't include the wiring harness, or the plastic cover. I took the chance and ordered it. Super fast delivery, a Day or 2 at most. Everything went smoothly, and after the new one was in, I crossed my fingers until the timer kicked in, and I started hearing ice cubes falling in the tray about 3 hours later. Success! I had been having problems with the ice maker almost from the beginning. Hopefully, the replacement will last longer. I will say that this Maytag Fridge. is the absolute worst kitchen appliance I've ever owned in my 47 years of house keeping! The defroster went in the freezer a couple of months after the Warranty ended, and it cost me $375.00 to have a Tech, come in to repair. I got away easy this time, buying the ice maker for $135.00 and being able to do the work myself.

Jim

This was a very easy fix. I took the old ice maker out, including the electrical harness. Switched the harness and stop bar to the new ice maker on my bench, then installed the new assembly. Ice initially had some hollow cubes. I checked the ice maker for level. But it was fine. Thought it might be moving too fast. But it seems to have cleared up. Perhaps it took some time to completely cool down.

I watched the video regarding the instillation of this ice maker a few times and then followed it exactly. It was incredibly easy. We had ice cubes about two hours later and no longer had a leak making icebergs!

Ordered new single outlet water valve, received in less than two days. Removed old one, and the repair pretty much feel in place. Instructions were there as a backup. ........ Just curious if the connection from the water source to the valve outlet connection could b a quick connect just the like the water line going directly to the ice maker. Gregg in PA.