36359492991 Kenmore Refrigerator - Instructions

First I removed the electrical plug from the back of the freezer that plugs into the icemaker. I then removed the two hex head screws that hold the icemaker to the wall of the freezer and removed the icemaker. I removed the plastic cover, which incidentally protects the gears, by prying it off with a srewdriver. I removed three small nuts(7mm) which holds the internal cam in place. I removed the cam by pulling it off the shaft. Once I got the part from you folks I reversed the procedure that I just mentioned, and put the icemaker back together. It works great. The part with shipping was around $16.00. A new icemaker was roughly $159.00. If I would have called a technician it would have cost around $300.00 to repair.

Moved stuff out of my way on the top shelf, reached in and turned old filter to remove. Filled new filter with water, lined up and turned to lock in place. Whew, never thought I would get that job done. :-)

I just followed the instructions on the video and it was exactly as they said......no surprises.

Turned the wire protector to the side. Turned out the old bulb and replaced it with the new. Turned the wire protector back in place and I'm like new.

Remove the one screw holding the unit in place, unplug it, slide in the replacement, plug and screw it in.

Replaced dispenser door flapper by following the do it yourself video in this site. It was really easy. Just be careful when removing the dispenser black bezel. I broke one of the little tabs when taking it off.

------------- defrost heater replacement --------------------------
- unplug the refrigerator
- unload all shelves underneath ice maker
- move ice crem into the refrigerator section
- remove all shelves and the bottom tray.
- remove light bulb cover and the bulb
- unscrew two 1/8" screws on top corners of the back panel
- unclip the ground clip on top
- pull the back panel up; pull the left side toward yourself
- test 3 thermistors (see instructions below)
- test the thermostat (see instructions below)
- if either thermistors or the thermostat units are defective, they may be the reason for fan malfunction, not the fan itself.
- unscrew 2 philips screws on either side of the defrost heater
- pull it out and unplug the 2 wires on either end. Replace with a new part.
- putting together is the reverse of disassembly
- move ice cream back to the freezer


--- thermistor testing

- unplug the refrigerator
- locate thermistors to be tested. There's one on evaporating coils, one on bot. left of the freezer (behind deep tray, with white wires), 1 in fridge section (top left, in the corner, inside square white wire conduit; undo the top 1/8" screw ONLY and pull conduit up).
- without disconnecting from the circuit, place a thermistor in a cup of ice water. Wait for 5 minutes
- locate the main control board. Locate and unplug the J1 connector. The pinout, starting from the side with all wires connected:
* pin 5: ground
* pin 4: evaporator thermistor
* pin 3: freezer
* pins 2,1: fresh food thermistor
- use an ohmmeter to measure resistance. Push the needle of the ohmmeter into the socket, where the wire plugs in, without trying to remove the wire. It should be 16.3 kOhm +/- 5% (for 0 deg C)

to replace a thermistor
- cut out the old thermistor, leaving as much wire as possible
- strip the wires, twist them pairwise
- use a bell connector filled with RTV silicone, to ensure that no moisture can get to the connection
* others have also used butt splices and screw-on caps with electrical tape (for moisture isolation)
- using a proper crimping tool, squeeze the bell connector to secure the wire

------------- thermostat testing ---------------------------------
- it's a round quarter-sized cylinder w/ pink and orange wires
- check for bulging (= burnt)
- locate temperature ratings on the side of the thermostat. It should read e.g. 140-30F. This means it's switches to open circuit when >140F is reached and switches to closed circuit when <30F is reached.
- unplue the 6 pin connector that has thermostat.
- test the thermostat. Orange wire is in the 6-pin connector; pink wire can be disconnected from the defrost heater under the evaporation coil. It should read closed circuit (no R).
- place the thermostat into a cup of boiling water. It should open.
- if OK, reattach the thermostat

There are Great videos on YouTube!!! Turned off power,Removed trim ring, Pushed a philips head screwdriver in one of the holes underneath the electrical panel with the selector push buttons. This releases the electrical panel. There are Three wire sets with plugs. I removed the plugs and took the electrical panel out. Removed four Phillips head screws and pulled out the big paddle switch. This then exposes the flapper. Replaced flapper with new one and reassembled everything. When I had everything apart, I cleaned with window cleaner. It was pretty moldy from the water leaking. Turned power back on and tested everything to make sure I didn't mess anything up. Works great

I only had to remove the old filter and install the new one - all by hand. I then ran about 1 to 1and1/2 gallons of water through the filter to clear it.
A WORD OF CAUTION - HOLD YOUR GLASS CLOSE TO THE WATER DISPENSER FOR THE INITIAL FILLING - IT WILL SPIT UNTIL THE AIR IS PURGED FROM THE SYSTEM!!!
An extremely easy repair.

Screwed new bulb in socket

Unscrewed old cartridge, ordered new cartridge, installed new cartridge by following very simple instructions. Took only one day for part to arrive from PartSelect although I paid for cheapest shipping, which was "ground." I was amazed!

Remove the burned out bulb and install the new light bulb.

Took the old filter out and put the new one in.
Easy Breezy!!

Use small putty knife to cut internal sealant on ice maker door trim piece. Then you can easily remove it.

changed both inlet valves, did diognostic on old ice maker. replaced with a new one from partselect.I have a cupple notes of interest. One, do not count on the instructions sent with part , I't took me a while to figure out that they do not necesarly apply to my unit. no diognostic light on new unit. and you don't have to follow the same procedures. I finished the project but the added help hindered me more than helped.