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Difficulty in removing the old switch
The old switch was hard to remove. Thinking that I may have to loosen the wires I used a socket wrench to remove a clamp. This was unnecessary. In the end the switch did come out using a large size screwdriver. The problem was that the expanding plastic tongue is not visible from the ouside so you have to try to feel your way around. If i had ordered the replacement before and not afterwards I would have seen this before hand.
Shut water behind the refrigerator, unplugged the unit. Unscrewed the back tin panel and simply unscrewed the brace scew for the Double Outlet Water Valve. Disconnected the hoss - inspected the hosed for wear. Next detached the hoses and power source to the unit... reconnected both hoses & power source, plug the refrigator back in and inspected for any water leaks. Simple!
We actually followed the instructions of the video for the installation of the dual inlet valve and it was incredibly easy to perform. The fridge works perfect again!
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.
Removed the divided glass shelf, to which the slide rail is attached. Removed the broken rail, saved the two screws. Now comes the clincher: It would help if the replacement part website would tell you what size and what kind screwdriver you will need, so you could start chasing it while you wait for the part. Even better if they could include it, since the plastic part and it‘s shipment is not exactly cheap. So to screw in two screws you need a #15 Star screwdriver! How many housewife’s have this one in the tool drawer?
Was very helpful to have a video giving you instructions
Of course being a women to say I repair my refrigirator is very self gratifying specially when share with other womens like me divorce,having to do on their own, great site, very simple explain on the video with words I could understand, no surprices right to the penny. I save a lot of money, thank you so much, i recomend the site to anybody.
I found instructions on the web about how to do this repair, so I ordered the part with confidence. But the instructions simply said "pull out the old switchlight". That was actually somewhat difficult as the clip on the side intended to hold the part in was stubborn. I eventually used a utility to slice off the clip. From that point, it was just a matter of plugging in the new switchlight , which was very simple.
It just unpluged and the new one plugged in. Simple. The part was reasonable and arrived very quickly. It sure is nice to have a light in the frig again.
