EWT8502A00 Whirlpool Refrigerator - Instructions

A very cold and brittle switch in a 17 year old fridge. Used screwdrivers to pry out with some resistance Had to cut the molded plug in half and split wires, because replacement contacts were farther apart than the original. End result, works great.

taped the door shut ,measured a block of wood and stuck it under the door for support.....unbolted bottom hinge,slipped on hinge bracket and reassembled.no muss no fuss.

I pried the old one out with a screw driver and pushed the new one in. I expected instructions in the box it came in but there were none.

My owners manual said to unplug fridge from elec outlet, use a kitchen knife to gently pry off the switch plate
(manual had a pictoral example), unclip the two wire, replace with on new switch and replace the switch. Close
door and plug back in. Open door to check that the lite
works. Walla! It did. Thanks!

Sincerely, Ron Marshall, Billings, MT

Popped the old one out with a kitchen knife and popped the new one back in. It tool less than 15 seconds!!

Please bear in mind I am 65 years old & it was harder to get up & down off the floor then to change the switch. Was very easy - watched video, unplugged unit. I used the putty knife at the right front corner to work loose, when it came loose had to loose the left side a little. The unit pulled out easily. detached the wired that had a single plug with 2 prongs on it. Attached the plug, pushed new switch into place. There was no way you could place wires on wrong prong. When done, plugged refrigerator back in & checked if working. I CAN SEE THE LIGHT and the food in the freezer now. Thank you for making an easy repair.

Fit in the glass

Removed/replaced ice maker and valve per enclosed instructions. If you can service your own lawn mower this R&R should be easy for you.

Per instructions

followed the video as instructed. Saved two repairman calls, one to find the problem, one to install. Net savings was about $130.00

remove fiber grill cover, remove large bolt holding under frame ( with a 2X4 block, place under refrigerator on outside edge so frame can drop down.) remove pin from broken wheel, replace reversing proceedure. Note: when blocking refrigerator, care must be taken not to let block extend under entire frame. it only needs to be placed approx 3/4" under edge of refrigerator.

It was so easy. This is the second Ice maker we have put in this fridge. Thank you very much.

I tried to just replace the cover rather than the whole unit but it was impossible - the cover would not go/stay on. I tried to remove the old unit completely but it would not unplug it was practically fused to the back of the fridge and the liner was cracking. I ended up breaking the cover and jerry rigging it over the bulb to prevent items in the fridge from being able to touch. Bad solution.

The fridge was prepped for an ice maker but was never installed. After much aggravation of people not filling the ice trays I gave up and installed the ice maker. This is probably the hottest summer on record, and we were going thru a lot of ice. Lost a little real estate in the freezer by the ice maker but it was well worth it. Now I know I have fresh ice for cocktails in the evening!Install was fast and easy. A little longer than usual because I had to run the water line as well.

After receiving the new part almost immediately,using two screw drivers, removed the broken switch from the plastic frame. Be careful not to scratch or otherwise tear the plastic...very pliable. Since the original switch was factory installed and the wires were packed in fiberglass insulation, the switch came out but the wires and clips were still in place and could not reach the new switch. It was necessary to pull them down with bent long nose pliers...used a lot of "pull" but the wires held up.Connected the switch, turned the power on and there was light! Reports from other users really took the uncertainty out of the task.