1069304783 Kenmore Refrigerator - Instructions

Confirmed that the solenoid controlled water valve (Part # PS358631) between the water source and the back of ice maker was defective. I did this by removing the valve and plastic hose from the back of the refrigerator and pointed the end that went into the icemaker towards the sink. I applied 110 volts to the valve and noted that no water was getting through. Replacing the valve was a snap.

I followed your instructions , the only thing that was left out was that the freezer has a drain hole that had to be thawed out with a hair dryer,till the water went to the drain pan underneath the ref. your instruction were through enough, that's why I purchased the part from your company, I installed the part 2 days ago and its working like new again 23.00 for the part instead of 1200.00 dollars for another ref. thanks very much. 6 months ago I purchased the relay and compressor starter from your company at that time per your instructions I shook the compressor starter and like a light bulb it had something broke inside,I needed that thanks again oomk

I was not sure what was causing the problem, I thought at first it was low water pressure causing the hollow ice cubes. After some trial and error testing I figured a likely cause could be the water valve in the ice maker itself. I replaced that part rather easily using the existing fasteners in about 15 or 20 minutes. The ice maker has been working flawlessly since the repair.

I wasn't sure what the problem was, but the ice maker seemed simple and on-line resources suggested the control and motor assemblty was at fault. I searched the internet and Partsource had great diagrams which I could match to the part in hand. The price was right (way less than the local stores) so I ordered it.
I unplugged the unit from the power in the freezer, but unplugging the entire refrigerator works too. I pried off the white cover on the front of the ice maker, which snaps in place top and bottom. There are three screws holding the contoller (the entire front piece), remove them, pull off the controller and push the new one in place. You may have to turn the blade shaft to line up the notch on the shaft to the motor. Then reinstall the three screws, The screws go into plastic so it is easy to cross thread them, so be careful, I actually think I did with no ill effects. Snap on the cover and repower the unit. Done. Simple and quick.

Icecubes came out half-way, and refrooze. I figured out, that the melter does not work (HEATER in the icemaker) Voltage measured 105V no load. Studied the Internet, and folloved an advice: shorted the back wire and the blackwire with white stripes.these go to relay contacts. It seems, that the relay contacts are no good on Infrared receiver boaed. I turn off manually the icemaker, when needed

The on-line video and the hard-copy instructions with the replacement part made it very easy. Just loosened the 2 upper screws and took out the bottom one. Eased the ice maker out a bit and disconnected the plug at the back (power was off). Checked the replacement part had exactly the same wiring harness - it did. Fitted the bail arm from the old one. So simply did the same process in reverse. So 15-20 minutes after I started, the job was compelete. It takes a while for ice to start coming, but it did, and after 24 hours I threw out the ice and started again to make sure the ice came from fresh water.

Unscrewed clamp holding water tube to refrigerator ice maker. Pulled water tube from ice maker and water valve inlet. Cut the new tubing to the exact same length and inserted one end to the water valve inlet and the other end to the ice maker then screwed clamp holding water tube back to the refrigerator ice maker.

The ice mold has a coating on it. Over time the coating deteriorates. If your ice maker leaks water into the ice reservoir inspect the mold to see if the coating is compromised. If so, replace with new.

Remove the ice maker assembly. 3 small hex screws. Unplug power cord. Disassemble ice maker assembly. Remove ice mold/heater. Replace with new. Reassemble.

Looking at the ice maker it is pretty cut & dried as to how to remove the unit. I took out the ice tray and just started removing all the mounting screws. The same for the mold ice tray & heating element. I was just sad that you did not have just the heating element separate from the mold ice tray.

i had used your web site before and i read several problems that your readers had. i went to the back of the unit, removed the bottom cover and right there the i found the run capacitor and i chaged it. since i had only ordered this part to save money i went back and ordered the Start Device which when i took it off it was completely burned. the replacement part came labeled with 2 different compressor #, so i picked the one that i had and unpluged each wire. the part may differ from the one that it's in the unit but it worked when i pluged everything back on. it also helps to take a picture of everything before removing the wires in case you have to leave it and come back later. i hope to use this refrigerator another 10 years. thank you all for your help.

First I removed the two screws that hold the element in place. I then pulled the element out about 3 inches and disconnected the two wires...) Then I put the new valve in, put the cover back on the refridgerator and was done. total time 15 minutes. My wife says I'm the man.

It was so easy!

Thanks for the rush to my home on the part.

I just unscrewed the plate that locks in the light switch (screwdriver) and unplugged the old faulty part and plugged in the new switch, screwed the cover back on and I was done!

Easy!

And I am not Mr. Fix-it!

Had to disassemble ice maker to install part. . .

Our spare 25+ year old Kitchenaid refrigerator (side-by-side model) refused to produce cold air. I could hear mechanical sounds and things "clicking", but the temps kept raising. This specific unit only had cooling coils in the freezer, and some ducts that route cold air into the fridge.

I emptied the refrigerator completely, removed the ice cube bin and shelves, and left it unplugged for two days with the doors open. Once everything was dry, I plugged the unit back in -- within 8-10 hours, the unit was cold again. Lights worked, and fans in the freezer and back of unit worked. However... once the compressor turned off, it never came back on. This told me that the root cause lies with components that control when to turn off/on the cold flowing into the coils.

I looked up my model on PartSelect website, and looked through their "likely to fail" list for my model. The defrost thermostat and defrost timer were at the top of the list, and symptoms made sense. Those two parts arrived within a week. The defrost timer was easy to install -- unplug old, plug in new. The defrost thermostat involved cutting existing wires, stripping a small section of sheathing, and attaching the wires to the new part with crimp caps and electrical tape. The electrical tape was there to cover the exposed area of the crimp cap and bundle the wires together. (I used 3M's "Super 33+".) Finally, reattach the harness to the socket, and attach the other plugs and grounding clamp.

After re-attaching the rest of the required components, I plugged the unit back in. After about 24 hours, it had gone through at least one cycle and was appropriately cold. After letting it churn for another couple days and watching it closely, I felt confident that the problem had been fixed.

** Side Notes **

Definitely use caution around the fins on the coil. For my unit, the harness plug is directly above the fins, and required some effort to safely remove while not slicing up my hands. Extra long screwdrivers and patience helps a lot. Put a wedge behind the wheels of the refrigerator so that it doesn't back away from you while you work. And, of course, do all this while it is unplugged.

** For the PartSelect Website Maintainers **

If possible, please provide some better guidance on where to place the lead coming off the defrost timer. The Youtube video was nice, but some clarity on which pole/spade to attach it to (and where to find that info, besides "consult your manual") would help many people.

unpluged unit, removed 2 panel screws, removed 4 fan screws, disconnected wires, reassembled