1065113 Kenmore Refrigerator - Instructions

WARNING: REPLACING THIS PART REQUIRES CUTTING AND SPLICING ELECTRICAL WIRES. RISK OF ELECTRICAL SHOCK OR FIRE. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS REPAIR IF YOU ARE NOT EXPERIENCED WITH ELECTRICAL WIRING.

Part Info:
The bi-metal strip is clipped onto the evaporator coils and is designed to regulate the defrost coil temperature. If it is n ... Read more ot functioning properly you may notice ice buildup preventing air flow (and preventing proper refrigeration), or more rarely the freezer side may get too warm during the defrost cycle.

Materials:
* Replacement bi-metal strip
* Wire cutters
* Wire strippers
* Wire nuts
* Electrical tape
* 10MM socket

Steps:

1: UNPLUG THE FRIDGE! If there is ice buildup, wait until the ice has melted. A box fan blowing at the ice will help melt it more quickly.

2: Remove the panel covering the evaporator coils. It's located inside the fridge, on the freezer side.

3: Un-clip the bi-metal strip from the evaporator coils.

4: Unplug the wires from the evaporator fan, defrost coil and bi-metal strip, then disconnect the main connector that is plugged into the rear wall.

5: Clip both wires to the old ( bad ) bi-metal strip. Cut close to the casing of the bi-metal strip so there are long wires to splice onto.

6: Strip 1/4 to 1/2 inches of insulation off of the ends of the wires ( depending on the size of the wire-nuts you use). Twist the bare wires slightly to prevent fraying.

7: Do the same for the ends of the wires on the (new) bi-metal strip.

8: Take the ends of the wires belonging to the (new) bi-metal strip and the wires coming from the main plug. Take the like-colored wires, and twist the bare metal ends together.

9: Twist on wire nuts, for both sets of wires. Make sure they are snug, with no bare wire showing.

10: Tape over the wire nuts with electrical tape. Tape over the wires nuts in a spiral fashion, completely covering the nut and both wires that are now spliced together. This will prevent accidental shorting.

11: Plug the main plug back into the rear wall of the fridge. Also re-connect the connectors to the evaporator fan and defrost coil. Make sure the clips on the connectors are snug to ensure a good connection.

12: Clip the new bi-metal strip onto the coils, in the same spot as before. ( Usually just after the small incoming copper tubing that connects to the coils, known as the expansion valve. That is usually the coldest spot on the coils during operation).

13: Replace the panel that covers the coils.

14: Plug the fridge back in... Now you fridge should defrost correctly. If it does not, your defrost coil could be burned out, or the control board could be faulty.

I used a flat-head screwdriver to pop out the old light rocker switch. Then, I unplugged the wires, plugged them into the new light rocker switch, and then popped the new switch into the hole. That's it! Lights began working again.

Changing the KITCHENAID MOTOR ASSEMBLY TO THE ICE-MAKER was fairly straightforward. The hardest part was figuring out WHAT was broken and how to fix it. I was determined to save myself hundreds of dollars by doing it myself and avoiding a visit by the 'repairman'.

1.) Went to KitchenAid website to look at Parts List for my ... Read more side-by-side refrigerator and ice maker assembly (a PDF file, easily downloadable) . The illustrations helped me visualize the assembly and various parts involved.
2.) Removed cover on front of ice maker.
3.) Removed hex-head screw on undersurface of icemaker on the right, which stablilizes a plastic cover for the electrical connector to the ice maker. Once this is off, it's then possible to slide the ice maker out.
4.) Slide the ice maker out from it's 'shelf' in the freezer. You won't be able to completely remove it until you disconnect the power supply.
5.) Disconnect the multi-pin power connector. (It's probably safest to unplug the refrigerator altogether before doing this, but I did not. No exposed metal wiring or connectors. No problems when I did it this way.)
6.) Once the ice-maker was out, remove the white cover from the motor assembly (on the left side of the unit).
7.) Remove the three screws from the black housing of the motor assembly. (This is where I discovered that the connector between the motor and drive-train was broken and needed to be replaced.)
8.) Remove and replace the drive system for the ice cube ejector.
9.) Then reverse the steps to reassemble.

This may seem a bit vague, but it's really quite straightforward once the ice maker is out of the freezer. The replacement motor assembly includes the motor, the motor housing, the drive-train, and the ice-cube ejector. Very easy to re-asemble.

Shopping for and ordering the part took some time since there are so many different after-market parts dealers. In all honesty, I'm glad I decided on PartSelect.com. They had a decent price, safe checkout, and timely delivery. All the essentials of a good online store.

Thanks, and good luck to the next guy who has to deal with a KitchenAid snafu.

I used a flat screwdriver and released the lock tab on the bottom of the light switch, and pried the switch out, being careful to not damage the plastic around the mounting place of the switch, unplugged wiring from old switch, plugged in the new one and pushed the new switch into place. Job finished light switch now working.

An easy job for smaller hands. Removed the two bolts holding the light cover. Removed two electrical connections from the old switch by pinching the retaining clip,removed the switch, snapped in the new one and re-attached the connectors. Your online illustrations helped me to know that the plastic housing for the light switch would only ... Read more swing down so far and was not intended to be removed. Saved me from breaking that plastic cover's tabs. This home repair saved me more than 5 times the cost of hiring a professional to do it. Very happy homeowner.

DISCONNECT POWER. Removed all shelves/baskets.Popped upper panel off (just clips in) Removed 6 screws in lower back panel ( 3 each side) slid panel in place but down. You can then easily see the defrost thermostat/defrost termination switch. Cut the wire connectors (pink n brown wire) stripped back wire, attached new defrost thermostat. ... Read more Thermostat clips on. New thermostat ohm's at 5.5, old one was "open". Slid cover back up meeting the upper cover grooves. Screwed lower panel in. Put shelves etc back in. Plugged in. Turns on, put a bottle of water in freezer. Checked a while later, frozen. has been frozen for a week.
-James

I have a side by side so in order to access the bi-metal switch I first had to empty out the freezer. The switch is clipped on to the top of the evaporator coil. I had to remove 8 screws to remove the back panel of the freezer compartment. The bi-metal switch was right there in plain view. There are two colored wires that come out of ... Read more the switch. I tried pulling them out of the socket they were plugged into but gave up for fear of breaking something. I ended up cutting the wires and splicing them together. I used the plastic twist caps. I made sure when I closed everything back up that the open end of the caps were pointing down so no water can accumulate in them. It has been 3 days now and so far so good

Perhaps a helpful hint:

When aI received the hose adapter/connector, I inserted the 2 hose ends only to have water drip from the connection.
I used a utility knife to remove an inch from each side, then reinserted the hoses. That made the differnce. Dry as a bone.

LG

Once I saw the replacement part I understood how to pry out the switch with a small screwdriver. Then just unplug the old one, plug in the new one and pop it into place.

The PartSelect site made it easy to correctly identify the correct part, it was inexpensive, and the shipping was fast.

I'm very pleased!

I removed the ice bucket,the gear is located under the ice bucket and engages when ice bucket sits on it and turns the tray for ice to fall in the shute,2 screws to remove and the gear comes off and I put the new one on and put the screws back,very easy to do, total time 5 minutes,repair man wanted to charge $114 for the part and $100 for ... Read more labor,I did it all for $25 thru this site,I love this site,it gsaved me alot of money,thanks partselect.,

Cut a 1/4 inch off both lines and connect. Changed water filter. Found the water filter at Home Depot for 1/2 The price. Look befor you buy.

I turned the water and electricity off for the refrigerator.
(not sure if this is necessary but is safer)
Remove the ice bucket.
Cover the Ice auger with a hand towel to catch any screws which my get dropped.
Remove four Philips screws holding plastic cover to inside of the door. there are no clip/snaps to worry about ... Read more but on/off switch needs to be un plugged. Remove cover.
Remove two nut head screws holding old ice maker.
Remove wiring harness from ice maker and lift ice maker up and out. There are two tabs on the door.
Unplug the wiring harness from the ice maker..

Installation: Press the wiring harness into clips on the new ice maker. Install ice maker onto door insuring it is over the tabs on door and the holes for nut screws line up. Plugging the wiring harness in and install two screws.

Plug on/off wiring onto switch and press plastic cover onto inside of door. Take care that it fits inside of rubber door seal. Install four philips screws.
Remove hand towel and install ice bucket making sure the ice maker is switched on. Close door.
Turn on water and electricity.

This took me 25 min. and I am sure would go faster if I had had instructions.

My refrigerator took awhile before it started to make cubes but has been working like new ever since.
This task is easy go for it.

First I removed the icemaker from the freezer by removing two horizontal screws holding it to the side wall, and one vertical screw holding the front to a bracket coming off the side wall. Then I used a flat screwdriver to unlock the electrical plug. (After doing this, I realized that this wasn't necessary at all, and this part could have ... Read more been changed just as easily without removing the icemaker.) On the front, there is a white cover with Ice Maker Plus. Use a flat screwdriver to unlock the tangs and remove the cover. There are three screws in the corners that once removed, will allow the motor assy. to be gently pulled straight out. On the back of the part, you will see many gold lands that the timer touches. I don't think there was anything wrong with my motor. I had two spots where the gold plating was worn off, so I suspect it was not making contact, and the whole process would stop. Slide the new part in place making sure the teeth on the gears line up (not a big deal), and secure with the screws. Install cover and you're done. Mine has been making ice like it was brand new.

I just removed a few screews and took the cover out of the ice box. Put my voltage meter to the refrigeator and realized the the unit was not defrosting...I then got the part number and entered it in on your web site. A few days later my part arrived. I put the part on and in just about 20 minutes I was up an running again...Thank you ... Read more Part Select for fast and great service. I own 35 rental properties and having a online appliance parts store really saves me a lot of time and money.

Thank you
Curtis Hall

I began by replacing the central light board by using a plastic non-marring wedge type tool slipping it between the housing and the retainers to release the latch like catch. Then I removed the lightboard and light cover assembly by depressing the latch like retainers for the two wire connectors. Installation was as simple as snapping th ... Read more e wires into the connectors and then pushing the lightboard and light cover assembly into place. One major note: I learned from a repairman that you cannot resolve the problem by simply replacing the central lightboard. you must replace all three lightboards, the two in the refrigerator and the one in the freezer because unless you can absolutely identify which board is causing the fault, it will continue to cause a problem on the main board and the lights will not work. Replacing the other two boards is the same as the central board. Additional comment to consider: I absolutely fail top see how this design of using three circuit boards for a simple light saves me anything; in fact after only 5 years it has cost me in excess of $400 (or 20% of the original cost of the unit) just in materials for a simple light--absurd, ridiculous design. If it burns out again I will have an appliance repairman install a simple 1950's design switch a small LED bulb which will probably last longer than the unit.