S148DA01 (P1305602W) Amana Refrigerator - Instructions
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- Customer:
- g anthony from salt lake city, UT
- Parts Used:
- W10190935
- Difficulty Level:
- Really Easy
- Total Repair Time:
- Less than 15 mins
- Tools:
- Screw drivers
water to ice maker not shutting off; overflowing
1. turn off power.
2. pop off ice maker cover to access motor assembly.
3. remove three screws to assembly.
4. pull off assembly.
5. attach new assembly making sure metal arm and plastic
ice tray rod align with assembly.
6. screw assembly onto unit.
7. replace cover.
8. plug in refrigerator.
9. enjoy ice again with no leakage into freezer.
2. pop off ice maker cover to access motor assembly.
3. remove three screws to assembly.
4. pull off assembly.
5. attach new assembly making sure metal arm and plastic
ice tray rod align with assembly.
6. screw assembly onto unit.
7. replace cover.
8. plug in refrigerator.
9. enjoy ice again with no leakage into freezer.
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- Customer:
- GORDON from CUPERTINO, CA
- Parts Used:
- D7824706Q
- Difficulty Level:
- Very Difficult
- Total Repair Time:
- More than 2 hours
- Tools:
- Nutdriver, Pliers, Screw drivers
Icemaker was dumping water into ice bin and the ice maker shut off arm broke its rear mount
First I removed the 14.3 tons of freezer contents, closed the water valve, shut off the juice, and removed the freezer bins, the freezer door and the three screws that held the element in place. After bringing in 397 hand tools from my garage inventory, I loosened the unit and, after extensive evaluation, I finally disconnected the wiring connector from its freezer rear wall connector counterpart. You ain't gonna believe the rest of my story--of total ineptitude by an experienced fix-it-yourself dummy.
I searched the internet for a replacement ice maker and found it at partselect.com. I called Sears to ask if I could add my refrigerator to my existing appliance repair account. Sears said sure--it would cost me only one arm, three toes and one grandchild. I abruptly declined their magnanimous offer—I don’t give up my arms and toes so easily.
I visited the local Maytag repair parts and service retailer, who advised they didn't do parts anymore. Expecting their repair price would be greater than Sears, I resorted to partselect.com. I called them to be assured what I was buying was not mistakenly a 747 Landing Gear. On the afternoon (West Coast) of 4/28/10, I ordered (via internet) one PS21215123 Ice Maker Assy. Much to my pleasant surprise, it arrived via FedEX on 4/30/10 (no freight charges to me).
My repair/replacement efforts were hampered by the effects of my right rotator cuff surgery a few months before and major left wrist surgery two months ago to remove fractured bones and torn ligaments.
Undaunted by my physical handicaps, I forged forward. After re-installing the unit, I turned the water supply and electricity back on. It was graveyard dead. I wisely then bought two bags of ice as an interim solution to the severe needs of my wife and me for our daily chilled evening cocktails. I removed the unit, checked it out and re-installed it. I bought two more bags of ice. All the while, I turned the water and electricity off and on as required by reasonable safety standards. High tediousness!
Several more home maintenance tasks then arose for Sergeant Super Fixer, but I returned to the ice maker problem on 4/8/10. Last chance--remove the device and insure there was no frozen ice in the inlet tube--or call the local partsless repairman. No ice found, but I did learn the wiring connector to the unit was awry--no contact! While explaining that to my wife, I realized the two upper mounting screws were intended to be partially installed into the freezer wall to accommodate the unit's slotted mounting holes! Then, tighten the screws. Oh my God! During my 143 installations and removals, I had installed those screws blindly--using the (handicapped) skills of my right and left hands without any benefit of direct eyesight.
I returned to my challenging project this morning (4/9/10), fully utilizing all the expertise I had gained yesterday. Fifteen minutes of amusing effort! Turn on the juice! Turn on the water!Two hours later, ice cubes were dropping into the bin like rhinoceros bisquits in the jungle.
Hallelujah! I now am free for the next challenge!
HINT: Put a bed pillow (an old one, or your wife's) in the freezer compartment to soften the harshness of its cold metal on your back, if you use the "crawl in on your back" approach.
I searched the internet for a replacement ice maker and found it at partselect.com. I called Sears to ask if I could add my refrigerator to my existing appliance repair account. Sears said sure--it would cost me only one arm, three toes and one grandchild. I abruptly declined their magnanimous offer—I don’t give up my arms and toes so easily.
I visited the local Maytag repair parts and service retailer, who advised they didn't do parts anymore. Expecting their repair price would be greater than Sears, I resorted to partselect.com. I called them to be assured what I was buying was not mistakenly a 747 Landing Gear. On the afternoon (West Coast) of 4/28/10, I ordered (via internet) one PS21215123 Ice Maker Assy. Much to my pleasant surprise, it arrived via FedEX on 4/30/10 (no freight charges to me).
My repair/replacement efforts were hampered by the effects of my right rotator cuff surgery a few months before and major left wrist surgery two months ago to remove fractured bones and torn ligaments.
Undaunted by my physical handicaps, I forged forward. After re-installing the unit, I turned the water supply and electricity back on. It was graveyard dead. I wisely then bought two bags of ice as an interim solution to the severe needs of my wife and me for our daily chilled evening cocktails. I removed the unit, checked it out and re-installed it. I bought two more bags of ice. All the while, I turned the water and electricity off and on as required by reasonable safety standards. High tediousness!
Several more home maintenance tasks then arose for Sergeant Super Fixer, but I returned to the ice maker problem on 4/8/10. Last chance--remove the device and insure there was no frozen ice in the inlet tube--or call the local partsless repairman. No ice found, but I did learn the wiring connector to the unit was awry--no contact! While explaining that to my wife, I realized the two upper mounting screws were intended to be partially installed into the freezer wall to accommodate the unit's slotted mounting holes! Then, tighten the screws. Oh my God! During my 143 installations and removals, I had installed those screws blindly--using the (handicapped) skills of my right and left hands without any benefit of direct eyesight.
I returned to my challenging project this morning (4/9/10), fully utilizing all the expertise I had gained yesterday. Fifteen minutes of amusing effort! Turn on the juice! Turn on the water!Two hours later, ice cubes were dropping into the bin like rhinoceros bisquits in the jungle.
Hallelujah! I now am free for the next challenge!
HINT: Put a bed pillow (an old one, or your wife's) in the freezer compartment to soften the harshness of its cold metal on your back, if you use the "crawl in on your back" approach.
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- Customer:
- brice from irving, TX
- Parts Used:
- W10613606
- Difficulty Level:
- Really Easy
- Total Repair Time:
- 15 - 30 mins
- Tools:
- Nutdriver
compressor clicking but not turning on
I just opened up the fridge back panel accessed the old relay/capacitor, pulled it out, replaced with the new one, snapped it back into place, tested it (compressor came on), replaced the back panel and went on my way. Really, really easy repair.
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Refrigerator stopped cooling
Problem: My Maytag side by side door refrigerator just stopped cooling and has to discard all frozen items after I discovered being away for 3 days. First, I went to my computer and read some of the repair stories at Part Select “Need help with your repair?” and installation video guide.
1. I ordered the Refrigerator Adaptive Defrost Board (ADP) - followed the procedures how to disconnect and installed the new part. Unfortunately, it did not correct the problem and only warm is coming out.
2. I ordered the Defrost Heater Thermostat Assembly - removed the old and replaced with new assembly. Again, warm air coming out. Meanwhile, I kept on hearing “clicking sound every few second” not knowing where this coming from. Again, at Part Select, I read the story about it and I ordered the
Run Capacitor and the Overload/Relay with Capacitor. Soon as I opened the parts and tried to match it from the part at the back of the refrigerator and to the part from the compressor, I have discovered that they are not in compatible with the original parts from my Maytag Refrigerator and cannot be installed. And so I contacted (Email) Part Select customer service (Jeanette) if I could return the unused parts and had provided me the “Return address and the Reference Number”. This time, I gave Jeanette the Maytag Model and Serial numbers and asked where I could find this on my refrigerator and make the necessary repair and came back with the diagram and located #4 to the compressor. Ordered the correct part# PS2004058.
3. Upon receipt of the part above, I was puzzled, in the plastic container are four parts, included a plastic cover. I have not given up, I removed the original part encased in white plastic container pulled straight off the compressor and examined it closely. Before detaching all the wiring, I also noted before disconnecting from wire harness and read the Diagram/Instruction Sheet provided.
4. From the four new parts provided, installed the Overload Terminal, bottom part on Compressor with one terminal to the Blue wire. Connected White Jumper to the old harness. Lastly, I plugged the PTC Start Device (two terminals) above the Overload Terminal on the Compressor with the proper wiring as I previously noted and installed the electrical cover. “Plugged in the refrigerator to the power outlet”. To test the result, I left a glass of water inside the freezer and a bottle of wine into the refrigerator. The result - I checked after 2 hours, the water was frozen and a cool wine. “Little frustration included here, as I am not an electrician.” But now, I could say, I fixed it, and very proud of this accomplishment.
Thank You, PartSelect and to a great Customer Support!
Safety Note: Always make sure to unplugged the refrigerator (power off) prior doing the necessary repairs.
Rodolfo Julao/S. San Francisco, CA
1. I ordered the Refrigerator Adaptive Defrost Board (ADP) - followed the procedures how to disconnect and installed the new part. Unfortunately, it did not correct the problem and only warm is coming out.
2. I ordered the Defrost Heater Thermostat Assembly - removed the old and replaced with new assembly. Again, warm air coming out. Meanwhile, I kept on hearing “clicking sound every few second” not knowing where this coming from. Again, at Part Select, I read the story about it and I ordered the
Run Capacitor and the Overload/Relay with Capacitor. Soon as I opened the parts and tried to match it from the part at the back of the refrigerator and to the part from the compressor, I have discovered that they are not in compatible with the original parts from my Maytag Refrigerator and cannot be installed. And so I contacted (Email) Part Select customer service (Jeanette) if I could return the unused parts and had provided me the “Return address and the Reference Number”. This time, I gave Jeanette the Maytag Model and Serial numbers and asked where I could find this on my refrigerator and make the necessary repair and came back with the diagram and located #4 to the compressor. Ordered the correct part# PS2004058.
3. Upon receipt of the part above, I was puzzled, in the plastic container are four parts, included a plastic cover. I have not given up, I removed the original part encased in white plastic container pulled straight off the compressor and examined it closely. Before detaching all the wiring, I also noted before disconnecting from wire harness and read the Diagram/Instruction Sheet provided.
4. From the four new parts provided, installed the Overload Terminal, bottom part on Compressor with one terminal to the Blue wire. Connected White Jumper to the old harness. Lastly, I plugged the PTC Start Device (two terminals) above the Overload Terminal on the Compressor with the proper wiring as I previously noted and installed the electrical cover. “Plugged in the refrigerator to the power outlet”. To test the result, I left a glass of water inside the freezer and a bottle of wine into the refrigerator. The result - I checked after 2 hours, the water was frozen and a cool wine. “Little frustration included here, as I am not an electrician.” But now, I could say, I fixed it, and very proud of this accomplishment.
Thank You, PartSelect and to a great Customer Support!
Safety Note: Always make sure to unplugged the refrigerator (power off) prior doing the necessary repairs.
Rodolfo Julao/S. San Francisco, CA
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- Customer:
- Barbara from Davenport, IA
- Parts Used:
- W10190935
- Difficulty Level:
- A Bit Difficult
- Total Repair Time:
- 1- 2 hours
- Tools:
- Nutdriver, Screw drivers, Wrench (Adjustable)
No Ice, Water did not fill icemaker
We weren't sure if the problem was in the Water Inlet Valve or in the Icemaker Control & Motor Assembly. The water in the door did work. We removed the Water Inlet Valve & tested it with an Ohm Meter. It tested good so we put it back in. We then ordered the Icemaker Control & Motor Assembly. When it arrived we installed it and waited a few hours but the icemaker still did not fill with water. We telephoned a parts store and were told the problem could be the thermostat or we could replace the whole icemaker. We replaced the whole icemaker.
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- Customer:
- Michael from Davis Junction, IL
- Parts Used:
- WP10442411
- Difficulty Level:
- Really Easy
- Total Repair Time:
- Less than 15 mins
- Tools:
- Nutdriver
Refrigerator was warm, freezer was cold.
I removed the shelves from the freezer. I unscrewed 6 screws with a 1/4" nut driver and removed the back panel. The coil was solid ice because the defrost cycle wasn't working. I thawed the ice with a hairdryer (5 minutes), unplugged the thermostat and installed the new one (it simply clipped on to the coils), and reassembled the back panel and installed the shelves. Total time, about 14 minutes. Total cost, less than $20.00. I can't even get an appliance repairman to show up at my door for less than $100.00! Thanks to your website, I was able to diagnose my problem, order the correct part and fix it myself! (I bookmarked your site under my favorites). Thanks for this great consumer service. It's easy, inexpensive and quick to do it yourself!
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- Customer:
- James from Robinson, TX
- Parts Used:
- WP12740302
- Difficulty Level:
- Easy
- Total Repair Time:
- 15 - 30 mins
- Tools:
- Screw drivers
Ice Dispenser had jammed up and become inoperative
The parts discription was a bit vague and I wasn't sure exactly what I was ordering, but I received everything I needed and it works fine. The combination screw conveyor/ice crusher came in one piece. The ice cube bin is a plastic assembly that snaps apart. I used a wide blade screw driver carefully to facilitate assembly/disassembly. Once you have it apart the old converyor slips out and the new one slides in. Do not remove the two screws that hold the new assembly together. You need a phillips scredriver to take out two of the screws from the old assembly and put in the new one. That is, there are four screws and you need to trasfer two of them. Everything now works fine.
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- Customer:
- shannon from sierra vista, AZ
- Parts Used:
- W10190935
- Difficulty Level:
- Easy
- Total Repair Time:
- Less than 15 mins
- Tools:
- Screw drivers, Socket set
The icemaker stopped filling the ice tray to make ice.
I checked the fuses and hoses in the back of the refrigerator to make sure water WAS in fact getting to the front of the fridge. Since the water through the front door worked fine, I had to check the water tube running to the ice maker. It was fine and water was waiting to go somewhere! I decided to pull the icemaker out of the fridge to see what I could fine. Once it was out, I took the ICEMAKER CONTROL AND MOTOR ASSEMBLY off (that's the side part with the dial on it). Only 3 screws to take that off, and it was EASY to see what was wrong once I took that off. There was a connection that was obviously bad (looked almost like it had burned out). My thought was that it was obvious what part was bad, what would it hurt for me to try to fix it myself? When I got online to find the part, PartSelect was the only one that I found that had the EXACT part that I needed, and lucky for me, there were multiple pictures of multiple angles of the part so I could compare and make sure I had the right one!! The part with shipping cost less than the cost of a repair tech to even come out and look at the fridge. Then add the cost of the part and labor if I had the repair tech fix it...I probably saved about $250!!!!
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- Customer:
- Jason from Austin, TX
- Parts Used:
- WP628356
- Difficulty Level:
- A Bit Difficult
- Total Repair Time:
- 30 - 60 mins
- Tools:
- Nutdriver, Screw drivers
Icemaker arm was broken
The tiny piece of plastic that holds the wire that shuts off the icemaker, broke early on with our fridge (after just a few months.) We superglued it, but last week it bit the dust for good.
Once I got this part, I removed the freezer door and trays, and pulled the icemaker out by removing 3 flathead screws and unplugging the cables. Laying in the freezer on the floor was a bit unconfortable, but not too bad.
Then I inspected the icemaker. There was no obvious way to remove the part without disassembling the front of the unit (where the motor is) to release the spindle and free the part, so I did that - 3 or 4 nuts was all that held it together. Once that was out, I removed the spindle, swapped out the part, and put it all back together and back in the freezer. Plugged it in and waited.
It took a while to start making ice. Like 5 hours. Now it's going pretty slow (much slower than before.) Haven't had time to look into it, but my suspicion is the rubber hose that feeds water into the icemaker is blocked with ice or kinked. In any case, we have ice now (but not a lot), and the unit shuts itself off properly. However, we went from having too much ice (thing never shut off) to too little (thing makes ice too slow), so I need to shoot for somewhere in the middle ;)
Once I got this part, I removed the freezer door and trays, and pulled the icemaker out by removing 3 flathead screws and unplugging the cables. Laying in the freezer on the floor was a bit unconfortable, but not too bad.
Then I inspected the icemaker. There was no obvious way to remove the part without disassembling the front of the unit (where the motor is) to release the spindle and free the part, so I did that - 3 or 4 nuts was all that held it together. Once that was out, I removed the spindle, swapped out the part, and put it all back together and back in the freezer. Plugged it in and waited.
It took a while to start making ice. Like 5 hours. Now it's going pretty slow (much slower than before.) Haven't had time to look into it, but my suspicion is the rubber hose that feeds water into the icemaker is blocked with ice or kinked. In any case, we have ice now (but not a lot), and the unit shuts itself off properly. However, we went from having too much ice (thing never shut off) to too little (thing makes ice too slow), so I need to shoot for somewhere in the middle ;)
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- Customer:
- Serge from Richmond, CA
- Parts Used:
- WP10442411
- Difficulty Level:
- Easy
- Total Repair Time:
- 30 - 60 mins
- Tools:
- Pliers, Screw drivers, Socket set
Freezer was not defrosting and the refrigerator was warming up.
This is a bottom freezer refrigerator. First I unplugged the refrigerator. I then removed the wire shelf and wire tray from the freezer. I then removed the ice maker be removing the three screws that hold it in place. I then disconnected the icemaker electrical connector. I then removed the 7 screws that hold the panel at the back of the freezer revealing the evaporator and heat exchanger. I then unclipped the icemaker wiring harness from the panel. The whole evaporator/heat exchanger was buried in ice. I defrosted it with a hairdryer. This took about half an hour. The bi-metal thermostat is attached to the heat exchanger by a clip. Be sure to wear latex gloves to prevent cutting your fingers on the aluminum fins. I disconnected the electrical connectors and then carefully unclipped the thermostat. I discovered that the new thermostat had spade connectors where as the original had one spade connector and a bullet connector on the brown wire. I reused the original bullet connector by cutting it off the old thermostat and splicing it onto the new thermostat. I reversed the process for reassembly. There is no longer any ice build up and the refrigerator is working normally.
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- Customer:
- Fred from Olathe, KS
- Parts Used:
- WP67002052
- Difficulty Level:
- Really Easy
- Total Repair Time:
- 30 - 60 mins
- Tools:
- Pliers, Screw drivers, Socket set
Crushed Ice Wheel began to fragment
This is a side-by-side refrigerator. The crushed ice wheel is part of the icemaker bin auger, and it began to fragment, popping pieces of plastic into the ice dispenser and on into our drinks. The manuf. manual had nothing about parts in it, so GREAT thanks to Partselect for their website!!! Now, to dismantle the bin and auger is simple on this design: remove the bin from the freezer and allow it to defrost and dry; there are two small phillips-head screws on the front underside of the bin, holding the front panel in place - remove these screws and pop the front cover off; you'll then see two small phillips-head screws holding the auger-cap in place - remove these and pull the auger cap out, along with the auger; using a small pliers, remove the nut from the auger at the auger-cap, then slide the auger-cap off; at this point you just start removing washers, blades, etc, from the auger - MAKING SURE YOU KEEP THEM IN ORDER - until you reach the crushed ice wheel; separate the wheel from its metal brace, slide the wheel off and replace it; gradually replace all the other parts in order, cleaning them as you go, and simply put everything back together. It helps to keep the exploded parts diagram at hand - available on the Partselect website. It was a snap. The ordering process was simply and the part was delivered to my door on the second day after ordering.
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- Customer:
- Laurence from Middleton, WI
- Parts Used:
- W10190935
- Difficulty Level:
- Easy
- Total Repair Time:
- 15 - 30 mins
- Tools:
- Nutdriver, Screw drivers
plastic gear broke off - cubes not getting kicked out
removed the three screw holding the broken unit - pulled off the old module.
Before I could install new module I had to loosen some fasteners on ice maker so I could turn shaft to align with new module.
Then push on new unit and three screws. Had tumbling ice in about an hour. My wife thinks I'm a hero. (I am)
Before I could install new module I had to loosen some fasteners on ice maker so I could turn shaft to align with new module.
Then push on new unit and three screws. Had tumbling ice in about an hour. My wife thinks I'm a hero. (I am)
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- Customer:
- Shelley from Katy, TX
- Parts Used:
- D7824706Q
- Difficulty Level:
- Really Easy
- Total Repair Time:
- 15 - 30 mins
- Tools:
- Pliers, Screw drivers
Ice Maker was leaking water and causing the ice to freeze into a block
First I removed the Ice bin, I then loosened the ice bin rail under the ice maker and removed the screw that attached the bottom of the ice maker to the side of the fridge. I unplugged the power to Ice Maker from the back of the fridge and unscreewed the two screws that secured the ice maker to the fridge. This allowed the Ice Maker to be removed from the fridge. To replace the new ice maker I simply repeated the steps in reverse.
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- Customer:
- Kevin from Tyler, TX
- Parts Used:
- D7824706Q
- Difficulty Level:
- Really Easy
- Total Repair Time:
- Less than 15 mins
- Tools:
- Screw drivers
Icemaker leaked water into ice bin causing a glob of ice
Philips head screwdriver and ten minutes was all it took! I removed the two screws that hold the icemaker assembly in place, then pulled it out a little and disconnected the electrical plug freeing the icemaker assembly. Then I snapped the external parts off my old icemaker assembly and snapped them on the new icemaker assembly. Installing the new icemaker assembly was just as fast and easy. I snapped the electrical plug into the new icemaker assembly, then screwed in the two screws. It was making ice shortly thereafter. Glob free ice! I'm glad I didn't call a repairman. I probably saved a hundred bucks. A ten year old could accomplish this simple and easy task. No wonder the Maytag repairman has time on his hands.
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- Customer:
- Fred from Niskayuna, NY
- Parts Used:
- WP10442411
- Difficulty Level:
- A Bit Difficult
- Total Repair Time:
- 15 - 30 mins
- Tools:
- Nutdriver, Pliers, Screw drivers
Refridgerator not cold becasue coils encased in ice
There is already a lot of good advice on this web site and others on how to diagnose and do this repair. I'll add a few additional comments that might be helpful.
I wanted to confirm that my old thermostat was in fact bad. I did this by disconnecting the two connectors and connecting them to each other to bypass the thermostat. This is like having the thermostat always closed. With the back panel still open so I could see the frozen coils I plugged the fridge back in and turned the defrost timer knob with a screwdriver to get to a defrost cycle. I could then see the heater element slowly melting the ice. This is of course not a safe way to operate the fridge. Over time this would get too hot and damage the food or worse. I only did this for a few minutes to see the system operating. I did not melt all the ice at that time. Also, it is of course dangerous to plug the fridge in with the panel open, so a great deal of caution is advised.
When I got my new thermostat I wanted to confirm that it worked before going through the install procedure. To do this I cooled it down and then used an ohm-meter to see that the circuit was closed. The important thing I found out is that ice-water, even 2 parts ice, one part cold water, was not cold enough to do this. Only when I put the thermostat into a cold freezer for a while did it get cold enough to close the circuit. I did this side by side with my old thermostat and saw that it was in face bad -it never closed the circuit.
This part from Part Select was an exact match for this freezer-on-bottom Whirlpool refrigerator. The connectors were identical so I did not have to solder wires together as others have need to do.
Some people get the ice off of the coils with a hair dryer. For me this could take half an hour. What worked better and much faster was spraying warm water on the ice with an old spray bottle. This adds extra water to the mix, but it did not overflow the drain pan. Even if it did, it would be easily mopped up if you can roll the fridge out.
One last thing. I suspect this thermostat broke in the winter, but with the dry air the fridge worked for a long time. Once summer hit and the house got humid, the coils iced up quickly.
Good Luck!
I wanted to confirm that my old thermostat was in fact bad. I did this by disconnecting the two connectors and connecting them to each other to bypass the thermostat. This is like having the thermostat always closed. With the back panel still open so I could see the frozen coils I plugged the fridge back in and turned the defrost timer knob with a screwdriver to get to a defrost cycle. I could then see the heater element slowly melting the ice. This is of course not a safe way to operate the fridge. Over time this would get too hot and damage the food or worse. I only did this for a few minutes to see the system operating. I did not melt all the ice at that time. Also, it is of course dangerous to plug the fridge in with the panel open, so a great deal of caution is advised.
When I got my new thermostat I wanted to confirm that it worked before going through the install procedure. To do this I cooled it down and then used an ohm-meter to see that the circuit was closed. The important thing I found out is that ice-water, even 2 parts ice, one part cold water, was not cold enough to do this. Only when I put the thermostat into a cold freezer for a while did it get cold enough to close the circuit. I did this side by side with my old thermostat and saw that it was in face bad -it never closed the circuit.
This part from Part Select was an exact match for this freezer-on-bottom Whirlpool refrigerator. The connectors were identical so I did not have to solder wires together as others have need to do.
Some people get the ice off of the coils with a hair dryer. For me this could take half an hour. What worked better and much faster was spraying warm water on the ice with an old spray bottle. This adds extra water to the mix, but it did not overflow the drain pan. Even if it did, it would be easily mopped up if you can roll the fridge out.
One last thing. I suspect this thermostat broke in the winter, but with the dry air the fridge worked for a long time. Once summer hit and the house got humid, the coils iced up quickly.
Good Luck!
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