106967 Kenmore Refrigerator - Instructions
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Noisy and the Fan wasn't blowing like it should
35 of 36 people
found this instruction helpful.
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William from Centreville, VA
- Really Easy
- 15 - 30 mins
-
Nutdriver, Screw drivers, Socket set
I saved my Whirlpool Refrigerator (Model ET21GKXHN00) and learned a lesson. Don’t put off cleaning the refrigerant coils underneath the refrigerator. I replaced the refrigerator about 10 years ago and began to notice that the sound of this one running had changed slightly. I remembered that’s what happened to the first one just before
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it died. I removed the panel on the bottom front and saw that the refrigerant coils were covered with dust. It was really bad. I vacuumed them with the “radiator attachment” on the vacuum cleaner and plugged the refrigerator back in. It still didn’t sound right and I couldn’t feel the air blowing out like it should. So I rolled the refrigerator out and removed the back lower cover to see the compressor and the cooling fan. The fan was clogged with dust so I vacuumed that as well. But the fan wouldn’t spin freely by hand. The fan motor only had 3 screws holding it onto the plastic fan bezel and was easily removed by unsnapping the electrical connector on the motor. I removed the fan motor and tried to clean it with a few drops of WD40 on the shaft. But when I put it all back and plugged it in the fan just barely started turning. I unplugged the refrigerator and ordered the fan motor from PartSelect.Com (Item Number PS371043). The picture looked exactly like the motor that was in my refrigerator. I threw everything away in the refrigerator, cleaned it out and left it unplugged until the motor came. The motor arrived in a few days and it looked exactly like the one I had removed. It had the same electrical specifications stamped on the back and the electrical connector was the same and in the same location on the motor. I put the fan blade on the new motor and installed it exactly like the old one was. It only took 15 minutes or so and was very easy to install. When I plugged the refrigerator in the compressor started right away and so did the fan. It ran like a champ. In a few hours the refrigerator got cold and began to cycle on and off like normal and the fan blows like new. The sound is normal and the total running sound is quiet again like a new refrigerator. So for $84.67 I saved my $1300 refrigerator and learned not to neglect checking the build up of dust in the compressor fan section. I’m sure that’s what happens to most of the refrigerators people put out for trash pickup in front of their houses. The cause of the problem is when air flow is restricted across the refrigerant coils too much heat returns to the compressor and eventually causes the compressor to fail. I appreciate that we live in a time when you can order exactly what you need on the internet and make home repairs when you need to. Thanks Part Select for sending me the correct part. It’s nice to have milk and cold drinks again.
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Freezer was cold, refrigerator was not.
33 of 33 people
found this instruction helpful.
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Michael from Oak Creek, WI
- Easy
- 15 - 30 mins
-
Screw drivers
After noticing my freezer was ice cold and the refrigerator was luke warm, I figured there was an airflow problem due to either a fan that failed or the evaporator coil iced over. Just by opening the freezer door I could hear the fan blowing so it had to be the evap coil. Sure enough after removing a couple screws and the back panel I sa
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w the ice. I then unplugged the frige to let it thaw overnight. In the morning I inspected the coil and luckily noticed right away that this little piece didn't look right. The top of the bi-metal thermostat was raised up. Almost like it popped. I read the other reviews on this website reffering to using an ohm meter to see if it held continuity. Well it didn't because the piece really did "pop". The wire was severed. So the ohm reader read open even if the piece was warm. I ordered the part and in days was able to replace the part. NOTE TO BUYER. It did not come with electrical connecting nuts or whatever they are called. So you'll have to go to the hardware store and pick some up for about $2. Frige works fine now. Thanks parts select.
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Light Switch broke
48 of 78 people
found this instruction helpful.
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James Richard from St. Cloud, MN
- Easy
- Less than 15 mins
-
Socket set
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
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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.
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The icemaker stopped filling the ice tray to make ice.
32 of 37 people
found this instruction helpful.
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shannon from sierra vista, AZ
- Easy
- Less than 15 mins
-
Screw drivers, Socket set
I checked the fuses and hoses in the back of the refrigerator to make sure water WAS in fact getting to the front of the fridge. Since the water through the front door worked fine, I had to check the water tube running to the ice maker. It was fine and water was waiting to go somewhere! I decided to pull the icemaker out of the fridge
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to see what I could fine. Once it was out, I took the ICEMAKER CONTROL AND MOTOR ASSEMBLY off (that's the side part with the dial on it). Only 3 screws to take that off, and it was EASY to see what was wrong once I took that off. There was a connection that was obviously bad (looked almost like it had burned out). My thought was that it was obvious what part was bad, what would it hurt for me to try to fix it myself? When I got online to find the part, PartSelect was the only one that I found that had the EXACT part that I needed, and lucky for me, there were multiple pictures of multiple angles of the part so I could compare and make sure I had the right one!! The part with shipping cost less than the cost of a repair tech to even come out and look at the fridge. Then add the cost of the part and labor if I had the repair tech fix it...I probably saved about $250!!!!
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Icemaker arm was broken
33 of 45 people
found this instruction helpful.
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Jason from Austin, TX
- A Bit Difficult
- 30 - 60 mins
-
Nutdriver, Screw drivers
The tiny piece of plastic that holds the wire that shuts off the icemaker, broke early on with our fridge (after just a few months.) We superglued it, but last week it bit the dust for good.
Once I got this part, I removed the freezer door and trays, and pulled the icemaker out by removing 3 flathead screws and unplugging the c ... Read more ables. Laying in the freezer on the floor was a bit unconfortable, but not too bad.
Then I inspected the icemaker. There was no obvious way to remove the part without disassembling the front of the unit (where the motor is) to release the spindle and free the part, so I did that - 3 or 4 nuts was all that held it together. Once that was out, I removed the spindle, swapped out the part, and put it all back together and back in the freezer. Plugged it in and waited.
It took a while to start making ice. Like 5 hours. Now it's going pretty slow (much slower than before.) Haven't had time to look into it, but my suspicion is the rubber hose that feeds water into the icemaker is blocked with ice or kinked. In any case, we have ice now (but not a lot), and the unit shuts itself off properly. However, we went from having too much ice (thing never shut off) to too little (thing makes ice too slow), so I need to shoot for somewhere in the middle ;)
Once I got this part, I removed the freezer door and trays, and pulled the icemaker out by removing 3 flathead screws and unplugging the c ... Read more ables. Laying in the freezer on the floor was a bit unconfortable, but not too bad.
Then I inspected the icemaker. There was no obvious way to remove the part without disassembling the front of the unit (where the motor is) to release the spindle and free the part, so I did that - 3 or 4 nuts was all that held it together. Once that was out, I removed the spindle, swapped out the part, and put it all back together and back in the freezer. Plugged it in and waited.
It took a while to start making ice. Like 5 hours. Now it's going pretty slow (much slower than before.) Haven't had time to look into it, but my suspicion is the rubber hose that feeds water into the icemaker is blocked with ice or kinked. In any case, we have ice now (but not a lot), and the unit shuts itself off properly. However, we went from having too much ice (thing never shut off) to too little (thing makes ice too slow), so I need to shoot for somewhere in the middle ;)
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The black plastic or teflon coating on the ice mold was coming off in flakes and freezing in the ice cubes
32 of 42 people
found this instruction helpful.
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Roger from Sunnyvale, CA
- Easy
- 30 - 60 mins
-
Nutdriver, Screw drivers
I took out the ice collection box and auger to get access to the three screws holding the ice maker assembly against the left wall of the freezer. You can use a screwdriver or a nut driver. I then unpluged the assembly and wiggled it loose from the water fill tube. I assumed that unplugging the unit would disable the water valve but I
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put a plastic tub under the fill tube just in case. I studied the assembly on the kitchen table for a few minutes before I disasembled it. After removing a snapon plastick cover I removed three or four screws on the gearbox and was able to pull and wiggle the parts apart. The heater contacts have rubber O rings so you have to be firm pulling the mould out of and into the gearbox mount. Make sure it is fully seated. On reassembly note that the ice kicking arm is notched so it fits into the gearbox only one way and it helps to have it in position when you screw the gearbox back on. I also found the plastic ice guide that fits on top of the mold a little awkward in snaping back together. Make sure its fingers space evenly with the ice kicking arms.
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Ice maker mold was cracked and leaking water into the bin which then froze all the cubes together.
28 of 30 people
found this instruction helpful.
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George from Cottage Grove, MN
- Really Easy
- Less than 15 mins
-
Nutdriver, Screw drivers
I removed the ice maker assembly from the freezer compartment (four nuts/ nut driver) and unplugged the wire harness. I discovered the nature of the problem and I went on the Internet to look for replacement parts expecting I'd have to buy the entire ice maker. When I found PartSelect.com I looked through the pictures of the parts avai
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lable for my ice maker. I found the correct part quickly and easily. And having an acurate photo on the site, I was able to match all the key features of the mold I had with the one on the screen. I ordered the part, and installed it the day it arrived with just a Phillips screwdriver and a nut driver. It functions perfectly.
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Right front wheel broke
31 of 40 people
found this instruction helpful.
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Tony from Chicago, IL
- A Bit Difficult
- 30 - 60 mins
-
Socket set
Definatly a two man job. I suggest you put a pad down to protect your floor. Remove the filter, grill, and bolts per instructions. Everything is straight forward. Move the frame back 1/2 to 1 inch then tilt the frig back on it's side about 4 inches. If the frame doesn't drop down, move it back until the front of the frame comes of th
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e front lip of the frig. Place a block under the frig lip NOT the frame and WATCH YOUR FINGERS. The wheel should be hanging down. Just pull out the pin, replace the wheel (make sure you have it facing the correct way) and tilt back and pull the blocks. Move the frig back in place and replace the bolts. Took me and a buddy less than 30 minutes.
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Frost-free freezer was frosting up
28 of 32 people
found this instruction helpful.
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Victor from Worcester, MA
- A Bit Difficult
- 15 - 30 mins
First I cut the gasket-fip with the wire cutters. Then I removed the gasket by pulling it away from the center if the door (not perpendicular to the door). I placed the new gasket over the door, secured the corners first, then pressed the rest of the gasket into place.
The repair to the refrigerator door (lower compartment) s ... Read more topped the freezer from frosting (upper compartment), and it also reduced the time the compressor runs. However, I have the freezer turned to the lowest possible setting, and it still seems to be quite cold. There may be another issue w/ the unit such as the thermostat.
The repair to the refrigerator door (lower compartment) s ... Read more topped the freezer from frosting (upper compartment), and it also reduced the time the compressor runs. However, I have the freezer turned to the lowest possible setting, and it still seems to be quite cold. There may be another issue w/ the unit such as the thermostat.
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Defrost timer was faulty. It would not restart on it's own.
33 of 47 people
found this instruction helpful.
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Ed from Frankfort, IN
- Really Easy
- 15 - 30 mins
-
Screw drivers
Just removed the old timer and attached the wires to the new one and replaced the old. That simple!
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The light switch on the refridgerator broke - no light.
36 of 58 people
found this instruction helpful.
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David from Albany, OR
- Really Easy
- Less than 15 mins
-
Screw drivers
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!
The PartSelect site made it easy to correctly identify the correct part, it was inexpensive, and the shipping was fast.
I'm very pleased!
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REplaced ice maker
30 of 42 people
found this instruction helpful.
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M from Lafayette, IN
- Really Easy
- Less than 15 mins
-
Nutdriver
Replacement was very easy as new ice maker was identical to the old one. Took about 10 minutes.
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would stay in defrost mode for a long time, inside refrigerator would get warm.
52 of 110 people
found this instruction helpful.
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Bob from Pleasant Hill, IA
- Easy
- 15 - 30 mins
-
Nutdriver, Screw drivers
Repair went fine, no problems, had to wait for fan and compressor to come on. New defrost timer must of been in defrost mode, came on in about 30 minutes and is working fine, should get a few more years out of it.
Other Parts Used:
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plastic gear broke off - cubes not getting kicked out
23 of 25 people
found this instruction helpful.
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Laurence from Middleton, WI
- Easy
- 15 - 30 mins
-
Nutdriver, Screw drivers
removed the three screw holding the broken unit - pulled off the old module.
Before I could install new module I had to loosen some fasteners on ice maker so I could turn shaft to align with new module.
Then push on new unit and three screws. Had tumbling ice in about an hour. My wife thinks I'm a hero. (I am)
Before I could install new module I had to loosen some fasteners on ice maker so I could turn shaft to align with new module.
Then push on new unit and three screws. Had tumbling ice in about an hour. My wife thinks I'm a hero. (I am)
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Noticed fridge not cooling as it should
21 of 21 people
found this instruction helpful.
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Robert from Franklin, TX
- Really Easy
- Less than 15 mins
-
Nutdriver
Removed the lower back panel (10 small screws)Found the condenser motor froze up and not moving air across the cooling coils.So I got a small table fan and set it behind the fridge and it kept the fridge cooling for 3 days till the new fan motor arrived. Removed 3 small screws holding the fan motor in the bracket and unpluged the wiring h
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arness.Removed the fan from old motor and used it on the new motor.Replaced the fan in the bracket and plugged the wiring harness back in. Worked great. Very easy.Did not have to empty fridge because table fan kept coils cool. Ordering part was easy and shipping fast.Great job guys!!
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