ESS23XGSCBB General Electric Refrigerator - Instructions

Replaced defrost thermostat along with temp sensor watched the video on this page simple fix

1. Slide out refrigerator away from wall.
2. Unplug refrigerator electrical cord.
3. Slide out refrigerator further to be able to get in back of.
4.Turn off water control going to refrigerator.
5. Clear top shelf around water filter area, remove water filter.
6. Remove water filter cover housing lid by lifting off.
7. Using a ¼" nut driver, remove two screws attaching water filter housing.
8. Go to back side of refrigerator, & remove 2 screws from the silver cover plate of MWD manifold water line unit.
9.Using ¼" nut driver, remove lower cardboard cover that protects the motor & fan area.
10. Clean motor & fan area with old tooth brush gently, & vacuum dust off.
11.Using (2) ½" open end wrenches, loosen & remove both water lines.
12. Go to front inside of refrigerator. Gently pull out old water line manifold assembly, you may have to twist it some to get the protective sleeve out of the hole.
13.Insert new water line manifold assembly into the hole, when it gets to mostly in, gently work the protective sleeve through the hole.
14.Position the new manifold water filter housing into place & reinstall 2 screws. Do not over tighten.
15. Go to back side of refrigerator, gently push down on protective sleeve so you then can replace silver cover with 2 screws. Do not over tighten.
16. Remove old tape that was originally holding water line tubings.
17.Connect water lines to water supply lines, using (2) ½ " wrenches. Tight, but not over tight.
18. Re tape water lines to back of refrigerator, using a strong tape like duct tape in an orderly fashion.
19. Turn on water supply, check for leaks.
20.Re install black cardboard piece on lower end of refrigerator.
21. Plug in refrigerator.
22. Install water filter inside of refrigerator. Install cover over filter housing.

Both parts were easy to install and they fixed the problem. It is a two person project as it is very hard to get both hands inside the freezer section because it is so narrow. Be sure to orient the wire nuts in the right direction to avoid condensation and follow the instructions to create a drip loop on the wire connectors. We reviewed many "fix it" forums and almost bought the mother board. Really glad we found parts select, saved over $100.

The very first symptom here is important! The door water dispenser is not working but the ice macine is working. You may only have a frozen water tube in the door so do the following before diagnosing that your solenoid valve is bad: 1) the tube usually runs under the front of the refrigerator and usually has a quick disconnect. Undo the connection and press the dispenser. If water comes out of the tube you have a frozen or blocked tube in the door. 2) Immediately adjust the temperature in the freezer and warm the freezer compartment as much as you can without destroying the freezer contents. Wait 24 hours. This will usually unfreeze the line. Do not waste your time with a hair dryer. NOW, if this doesn't work and you are convinced you need to order and replace the solenoid, follow these steps. Assemble your tools first. I needed a good ratchet set and a screwdriver. A shop towel is helpful for spilled water. A light is handy. Pull out the refrigerator to gain access to the rear of the unit. Unplug the power and close the water valve (older homes, you may need to actually shut the house water supply). Remove the screws which hold the cover over the lower half of the refrigerator. On the left you will see the solenoid. It's always good to see that your new part matches the one you feel needs replaced. They may not match perfectly due to changing design but they should be very similar. One screw holds this part in place and access is very simple. Now simply unplug the electrical connections. In my case, one blue "blade" type connection (powering the water) and one red "blade" type connection powering the ice maker. They are not the same size and this coupled with the coloring means you will not accidently switch them. pull the tubes clear of the solenoid. This is simple and needs no explanation. Grab your new solenoid and reattach both the electrical and water lines (two, remember, ice maker and drink dispencer). Replace the single screw. Re-attach the rear, lower refrigerator cover and go to the front of the unit to check the water. You can listen carefully and hear the power engage from the new part bringing you water. Clean up, replace the refrigerator back to its place and look really tired when your wife sees that you worked "so hard"! You probably saved at least $50-$80 from a service call.

I pulled-out & unplugged the refrigerator. Removed the screws to gain access through the lower back panel. The water valve is on the left side as I face the back of the fridge. It has one screw holding it to the frame of the fridge. Once it is free, the main water hose is unscrewed and the two out-let lines were pulled-out. If your valve was not ruined prior to this, it is ruined now, as the lines will not re-seat. Then everything is done in reverse order. I did cut 1/2 inch off of the two lines so that they reseat into the new valve. Just push into the valve and they are good.

It was a simple remove and replace. The new part fits directly in place of the old part. Its a pain to remove the light but once you get the light out the job is simple. The light must be pried out gently. It is snapped in place toward the air inlet cover and needs to be pried loose. Once the light is out there are 4 screws holding the air inlet cover in place. Remove the 4 screws and unfasten the wiring harness. Once the screws and wiring harness are disconnected remove the old part. Reinstall the new part in reverse order.

1. Removed the back panel of the fridge to get access to the inlet water valve.
2. Removed black poly water line from valve (pull back on white ring where line is attached and pull the line out)
3. Removed the inlet tube from top-back of fridge (where it goes into the ice make). use putty knife to get under the sticky white gasket beneath the black oval housing and pull the tube out form the back of the fridge.
4. Replace the water line with new part taking care to properly seat the line into the the bottom water valve and pushing the water tube into the hole for the ice maker.

Note: Be sure to take off the protective covering from the white - sticky grommet and push to adhere to metal on fridge.

to be safe - use a bit of clear silicone chaulking round the perimeter of the grommet and push to tighly bond the water inlet tube to the fridge.

The reason for this - is that if you do not get a good bond using the white - sticky gormmet alone - you may have the water tube inside the ice maker freeze up.

Also once the new water line is installed be sure to secure the line to the metal back of the fridge - so the line will not move. some fridges come with metal hose clamps to do this - otherwise use duct tape

After lots of research online, i narrowed my problem down to be the double outlet water valve, behind the fridge. My biggest problem was getting the refridgerator out of its spot, but after that it was pretty simple to change. I took the cover off the bottom, in the back of the fridge, then i removed the inlet waterline (after i turned off the water supply to the fridge). After that i removed the screw that holds the valve to the framework. Now i pulled off the two other waterlines from the old valve and moved them, one at a time, over to the new valve, along with the wire harness. The rest of the instalation was reverse order. Simple fix that im glad i didn't pay an expert to do!

I took the part out of the package and placed it in the recessed water dispenser/ice maker cavity. Done!

Moved refrigerator out from wall, unplugged from electric, removed plate at bottom back with 1/4 nut driver, turned incoming water valve off, disconnected water line from water valve on refrigerator, removed mounting screw, remove water lines from valve and electrical plugs, set old valve aside and replace with new valve, reconnecting water lines and electrical plugs then remount bracket, reconnect water line from source, open water valve and check for leaks, replugged refrigerator and depressed the door button to check to see if working. It worked and there was not any leaks. Replaced back plate and placed refrigerator against wall. Job completed.

First I defrosted the evaporator core with a hair drier, making sure to disconnect the power before hand. I pretty much followed the directions included with the part, which by the way were excellent, and very detailed. The alternatives were call a repair man for around $300.00 plus parts or take less than a $40.00 gamble. Or even replace the refrigerator at $1400.00. It was the diagnostic portion of your website that convinced me that I had found the problem and that I could repair it myself with a minimum of effort. Needless to say I will come to this site in the future before calling a repair person. The refrigerator is working just fine now. I had my parts in three days, thank you for your attention to detail and a all around positive repair experience. George Day

Our daughter spilled juice on the refrigerator light button. It started with the light coming on very slowly and then not at all. We popped off the old button with a flat head screwdriver, plugged in the new one. Works perfect. Can't believe how inexpensive and easy the fix was.

Turn off the water.
Unplug the refrigerator
Take the back off of the refrigerator
use socket wrenchs to undo and take off the water valve in the lower left corner of refrigerator.
Pull out and disconnect electrical connections
Pull out the 2 water tubes one for ice and 1 for water-white is water and black is ice.
install the new valve and connect the water and ice back in the new unit
connect the two power cords and reattach unit to the frame Turn water on and check for leaks.
If no leaks put back on refrigerator and plug in.
Wait 30 min to an hour for water to begin to flow back into the unit.

several times I had to remove the ice maker door solenoid due to it sticking. I ordered a new one from parts select. Problem solved!!!

I read stories from the website how others did it so I figured I would give it a try. I put all the frozen stuff in the refrigerator piled up. Took out the shelves. Took out 2 screws with a socket extension ( nut driver will work fine.) Remove the light bulb. lifted up on the back panel...it came right out. Saw the coils and on top the sensor. Took it off, cut the wires, spliced in the color coded new one ( pink to pink, orange to orange) Stuck it in the top coil in the original position and crossed my fingers! I put all the pieces back easily, restocked the freezer and waited. HOORAY!! My ice cubes are all separate and free. NO frost inside. A very easy fix for $20.

Note: If there is a large amount of ice build up on your coils a hair dryer works great. The drain is on the bottom anyway. Also , you may want to seal around the wire nuts to keep moisture out. I did