Cracked Evaporation tray was leaking water on kitchen floor
I emptied refrigerator contents and tilted the refrigerator to the right so as to access the metal panel upon which the evaporation tray was resting. The metal panel is on the left side underneath the refrigerator and the evaporation tray is resting on the panel. I removed 4 screws that were holding the metal panel, pressed down on the panel, slid out the old, cracked plastic evaporation tray, inserted the new plastic evaporation tray, raised the metal panel to its original position, replaced the 4 screws, being careful not to pinched the water line that feeds the ice-maker. VOILA! Un-tilt the frig and re-stock it. It took a day for the temperature to stabilize, due to tilting, I think. New tray $45.
Removal of the old assembly went quickly once I understood about the "push and release" tubing connectors. The exception was the connection from the water inlet assembly to the water filter which uses a different diameter connection at the inlet end, and would not "push and release". So to install the new valves, I simply by passed the old inlet assembly and used the extra push splicer furnished in the kit for the water inlet to the filter. All the other connections were easy push ins. Next time will be 1/2 hour maximum!
Being a jet mechanic I had to familiarize myself with refrigerators, then after 2 or 4 hours of online studying, opened the door pulled the temp knobs of, removed the panel by gently prying the top of the panel out,then up and out with it. I found tapping on the thermostat shaft or wiring connection started the compressor, verifying my belief it was the thermostat. Don't mess with wiring if you don't know exactly what you are doing and unit is plugged in, you will electrocute yourself!!! I received the thermostat, UNPLUGGED THE UNIT from the house wall outlet, took one screw out of the upper inner wall at the very top to remove cover, one screw at the back top to remove the other cover (at the control vent) for access to remove sensor, then removed 4 screws , 2 front, 2 underneath to drop the housing for defrost timer, etc., and then took 2 screws from thermostat, unplugged wiring from thermostat (3 wires, be sure to put them back on the same place in the new thermostat). Remove old thermostat, slide plastic cover off sensor and slide back onto new thermostat sensor. Be careful not to kink the line or bend it to sharp you will damage it, (use gentle curves when bending it,) and re assemble everything in reverse order. This took about me 15 or 20 minutes start to finish. Plug into wall and watch thermometer to verify success.
Water dispenser did not work - control switch mount was broken
I replaced the control bracket, which has mounts for the switches used to activate the ice and water dispensers. The water switch mount was broken, so the switch would not activate. It was great that I could find this part (the control bracket) on PartSelect's site.
If the person doing the repair has a little patience, then he/she will be rewarded!:
The first step is to pry off the front panel: I pried off the panel at the bottom. It will pop off, but takes a little effort. I used a couple of screwdrivers to pull it up at a couple of spots at the same time. Once the bottom pops out, then I pulled straight up on the panel. (If you try to pop out the panel at the top, you will damage it, so make sure to pop it out at the bottom.)
Next, disconnect the wiring that goes to the panel, and put the panel aside.
I then took a digital picture of the arrangement of wires and switches on the control bracket.
I disconnected any wires going from the inner part of the refrigerator to the control bracket, and then unscrewed the control bracket.
After removing the old control bracket, I carefully noted how the two switches (one for ice, one for water) mount into it. I removed these switches and put them into the new control bracket.
I then remounted the control bracket into the refrigerator, screwing it into place. I used the digital picture that I had taken earlier to make sure that I knew how to reconnect all of the wires.
I plugged the the remaining wires to the front panel, and then snapped the front panel back into place on the refrigerator door.
I first went on line to trouble shoot. Discovered it was the Ice Maker itself then then I entered the part number in your system to purchase the ice maker unit. When the unit arrived I simply took a socket for three bolts unplugged the electrical connection and reversed this for the installation. It was simple. I described to my secretary the process and she told her husband who in turn replaced their icemaker.
Remove the cover plate from the bottom. Use care and patience when performing this step. It takes longer to remove the cover plate than replacing all of the parts involved. Slide off each switch, unplug electrical connectors and trust me when I tell you that you can figure out the rest. E Z, E Z, E Z!!!!!
Unable to set the cold-control to a sufficiently cold setting.
Linkage on the cold-control mechanism in the air diffuser assembly was broken. It was necessary to access the diffuser assembly from both the refrigerator and freezer sides of the unit. Re-connected the linkage between the diffuser and cold-control assembly; remounted the two combined assemblies . . . refrigerator working nicely now.
I removed the screws on the upper hinge and removed the door. I removed the lower cam in about 2 minutes and had it replaced. The upper cam was a tight fit in the door and I resorted to vise-grips to remove it. Total time to replace cams and put the door back on was 30 minutes. This saved me $100. Thanks
The actual repair took less than 30 minutes, including pulling out the refrigerator, performing the repair, and replacing the refrigerator.
Remove the screws holding the cardboard backing to the bottom rear of the refrigerator. Remove the screws holding the pump in place. Remove the electrical connectors and the water hoses from the pump. I needed the wrench to disconnect and reconnect the main inlet hose. Hook everything back up (the sizes of hoses and connectors are different). Replace the cardboard backing. Done!!
After watching the instr. film I found it very easy to do. This is what motivated me to do the job and save a LOT of money. It was actually the second repair I did.
I had falsely assumed that the ice maker control module was the problem, so I ordered a new one and replaced it. Still no ice. Upon closer examination of the whole unit, I noticed the heating element had a corroded spot, and checked it with a continuity tester, and found it was bad. I ordered a new complete ice maker unit, and it was actually easier to replace the whole unit rather than just the control module, and only cost about $20 more. I was able to return the control module for a full refund. I would highly recommend replacing the whole ice maker if it is not working, rather than just the control module. It is also handy to know that there are little "ports" on the control module for testing all the functions with a multi-tester. One for the motor marked with an "M", "T" for thermostat, "H" for heater, "N" for neutral. Had I known all this from the start, it would have saved me a lot of time and trouble replacing the wrong part!
Be advised that to do this job, you have to take the ice tray and feeder assembly completely apart. The only tricky part is that the nut, part 31 in the drawing, that holds everything together is reverse threaded. Since it's plastic, you're afraid you'll break it. If you know it's reverse threaded to begin with you can go ahead and apply the required force to get it off.
Pliers, Screw drivers, Wrench (Adjustable), Wrench set
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It was not coming out of defrost cycle
First I installed a defrost timer, (the old timer had burnt out contacts in it) It seemed to work for a few days, then went back to not comng out of defrost cycle, I then installed a defrost thermostat. It seems to be working better than before. I found out that maybe I wasn't running it cold enough. So I turned it up colder. Now it works ok for 2 - 3 days, then I check the Temp in the freezer and its up to 6o. So I manually reset the timer and it works for 2 - 3 days. Don't know what to do now to fix it.