10698 Kenmore - Instructions

I troubleshot the problem by reading the electrical schematic and concluding the heating elements (defrost cables) were either defective or the bi-metal temp sensor was open. When closed the temp sensor completes the circuit for the current to flow through the heaters to defrost the cooling coils every 8 hours and then when the bimetal o ... Read more pens at 55 degrees the circuit is open and the coils are cooled because the refridgeration motor is in run mode. A timer between the motor and heater elements also was defective. The timer controls the cooling period and the defrost period. I ohmed out each part according to the spec sheet of normal resistance of parts and thus the bimetal and timer were defective. I gather a surge of some duration and amplitude affected these parts because a storm 24 hours prior to refridgerator problem had passsed through the area and the AC electrical power had oscillated several times during that event. I used hand tools to do the repair. If you are not mechanically inclined a step by step proceedure would be moot. It is a matter of disassembly and assembly paying close attention to fragile parts.

I knew the chances of all the freon leaking out was unlikely so I looked at the wiring to the compressor and there was a capacitor and a starter/overload so i figured I would start there. I went on line and found the parts at this site and they were less than the minimum service call charge for a service tech so I figured what the heck le ... Read more t's give her a shot so I did give it a shot. I ordered the parts and they were there in less time than a service tech could come out and i installed the parts and guess what for 90.00 in parts and 15 minutes in time I repaired my refrigerator. Thanks guys, It took less time to order the parts than it did to make the repair so thanks, your website rocks and is very well designed so my hat is off to you guys!

First I removed the racks in the freezer. The rack supports on the sides lift off without tools. The evaporator cover is at the back of the freezer. 4 phillips head screws. The cover lifts up then forward to expose the evaporator, evaporator fan and duct. The duct is held by 3 hex head screws. The evaporator fan is attached to the duct wi ... Read more th a wiring pigtail to a plug. Unplug the fan and remove the duct. The fan is held by 2 hexhead screws. The new fan is put in place and assembly is simply the reverse of disassembly. The unit is quiet and cools properly now. The new part fit perfectly.

The ice maker had been slowly dying and one day just stopped making ice. No water was getting to the trays.

I read that this could be caused by a failure of the valve, even though the continuity test indicated that the solenoid was okay.

I ordered the part Friday afternoon. It was delivered Saturday. I did the repai ... Read more r in 10 minutes.

I pulled the fridge away from the wall.

I unplugged the fridge. I closed the water supply valve.

I unscrewed the two mounting screws using a flat head screwdriver.

I pulled the old valve out from refrigerator.

Using an adjustable wrench I detached the water supply from the valve. I detached the hose leading to the ice maker from the valve.

I pulled the electrical connectors from the connectors on the valve.

I attached the hoses to the new valve, attached the electrical connector, screwed the new valve in its place, opened the water supply, plugged the fridge back in, checked for leaks, and waited for a few hours.

My ice maker is working better than it has in at least two years.

Trouble shot the electrical circuit per the electrical schematic and zeroed in when I noted the Defrost Timer circuit was open. When I tapped on the bottom of the timer it began functioning normally (for a few days). Ordered a new Defrost Timer Kit and along with the installation instruction, I watched the on-line video. It was very help ... Read more ful!!
After installation was complete, I plugged the Refrigerator into the electrical outlet and.......nothing happened! Hmmm!

Removed the Defrost Time Kit and inspected it for any damage and found none. Then I placed a flathead screwdriver to the manual advance knob and slightly rotate the gear mechanism. I heard a distance "click”. I believe the Timer was in the ‘defrost’ mode when received.

I reinstalled the timer, verified the wiring connections and this time plugged the Refrigerator into the electrical outlet and ….. it worked!!!

I unplugged the refrigerator, finished the installation per the instructions, plugged the unit in and monitored it for a few hours (just in case). That was a week ago and the Refrigerator is working like new.

The instructions were written in a manner which required re-reading a few times as they could be a bit vague. The video was what really helped and I appreciate PartSelect adding it to the instructions.

first I diagnosed the problem with the whirlpool do-it-yourself repair manual, which was very easy to understand. as per the repair manual, "this part located on the evaporator or the back of the liner is used during the defrost cycle. This bimetal senses the temperature from the evaporator. When the temperature reaches 50-70 degrees (F) ... Read more the defrost bimetal turnd the defrost heater off. " then I emptied the freezer. removed the the back panel to expose the evaporator. I looked for the bimetal defrost thermostat clipped on the evaporator. tested the bi-metal defrost thermostat, as per the manual, " the ohmmeter should show ZERO resistance (continuity). if not, the bimetal is bad and needs replacing." NOTE: the bimetal must be cold. it is also tested with the bimetal warm/hot, by running it under hot water. i used a styrofoam cup with hot water & dipped the bimetal in. as per the manual, " the ohmmeter should show an open circuit. if not, the bimetal is bad and needs replacing. then got online found partselect.com. ordered the part, recieved it in less than 2 days. within minutes after recieving the part, I removed the bimetal defrost thermostat and spliced in the new one. thanks to partselect.com my fridge is back up and running properly again. prior to installing the new bimetal, i tested it, as descibed above, you can hear & feel the bimetal open/close when it gets hot/cold.

De-iced the refrigerator. Removed two screws from the thermostat panel on the upper refrigerator section. Tilted it down, removed two speed nuts holding the timer, unplugged the timer plug. Determined from the instruction sheet (easy to follow) what time delay function is used, based on wire colors, placed the jumper on the correct ter ... Read more minal on the new timer. Plugged it in, replaced the speed nuts and screws. The timer fit perfect, works just like it is supposed to, quick easy job.

Took all the screws out of the plastic shroud that encloses the switch .There only four that I needed to remove, were the two in front where the switches that go,they go in horizontally and two in the back with large washers on them that hold the back to the top of the box that go in vertically.The switch was a snap ( make that two snaps ... Read more ) the wiring is almost self explanatory. then it gos back to the way you took it off. OH! and don't forget to turn the light bulb all the way back in to the socket , so the light will work after you take the time to install it yourself.I had the water supply line from under the box to the water dispenser in the door and the total bill on that was one hundred thirty seven and a hand full of change.Don't be afraid to do it yourself the savings is enough on one one item to make several months payments on a new one Randy the "Handy Man'

First I removed the old lightbulb from the socket and replaced it with a new one to confirm that the bulb was not the problem. I then pryed the socket out with a flat-head screwdriver. I could tell that the socket was anchored in its hole with clips so it was relatively easy to pry it out. Once the socket was out, I disconnected the le ... Read more ad wires and ordered a replacement socket kit from Partselect. When the new one arrived, I reconnected the lead wires to it, snapped it back into its hole, screwed in a new lightbulb, and presto!! The light was back on with no further problem. Thank you, Partselect!! A $15.00 part saved me what probably would have been at least a $100. service call and heaven knows what the technician would have told me I needed!!!

First I replaced the thermostat that I had ordered thru Partselect but that did not seem to effect the reair. According to the schematic diagram the only other thing in the circuit was the defrost timer. Immediately on its arrival I went to the refrigerator and removed the two screws that hold the timer in place and disconnected the tw ... Read more o wires and installed the new one from Partselect in reverse order. It took about 15 minutes and it was back to running.

1. Unplug refrigerator to remove power!
2. The timer is inside the control housing located at the top of the refrigerator compartment.
3. Remove two control knobs (the pull off).
4. Remove the front panel escutcheon. The panel is not held in place with screws, but can be gently pried off.
5. Remove two screws from the ... Read more back that hold the housing in place.
6. Remove screws from the front that hold the housing in place.
7. Drop housing down (still attached by wires - do not detach). Timer is inside housing, located on right.
8. Follow the instructions provided to identify your particular wiring setup. You'll find the wiring diagram (on my model) at the bottom of the refrigerator, alongside the defrost catch pan, behind the airflow grille.
9. Remove connector from timer terminals (4).
10. Remove two screws/nuts that hold the timer in place.
11. Install replacement timer following included directions. Read and follow ALL instructions applicable to your particular model and wiring setup.
12. Reassemble by reversing the steps above.
13. Note: You may need to "jog" the replacement timer when you first plug the refrigerator back in, if the timer happens to be in a "defrost cycle" (the compressor won't start). This can be done by inserting a wide bladed screwdriver into the hole below the timer, aligning it with the timer shaft, and slightly turning the shaft CW. Don't force it, and don't turn it very far.

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 ... Read more 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.

Turned off water supply and unplugged appliance. Removed lower panel on back of refrigerator with 1/4 " nutdriver. Then removed supply line, and line to icemaker. removed valve from back panel and replaced with new valve. wrapped water connections with teflon tape, turned on supply line, checked for leaks, everything o.k..Replaced back pa ... Read more nel and in 45 minutes had first drop of ice. Job requires moderate mechanical ability and minimum tools. Saved a PANT load of money by doing it myself. VERY satisfied with Partselect.com

Just removed the old timer and attached the wires to the new one and replaced the old. That simple!

I removed the cutter grid and unplugged the light bulb and wire heating plug ins. I slid the front cover plate off the cutting grid and loosened the screws on the front of the cutter grid and unthreaded the broken, top grid wire, leaving the bottom wire in place as it was in tact.
I then threaded the new wire through the cutting gri ... Read more d frame starting in the center and threading right and then left. While the threading was not difficult, the wire was easily kinked. The process up to this point was only 15 minutes or so.

Once it was completely threaded, I worked for a couple of hours trying to smooth and straighten the wire so that is was somewhat taut and straight enough to create symetrical ice cubes.
My frustration came in pulling on the wire from the center point to each outside ending point where it was to be wrapped around the screw and the screw tightened back down. The wire was fragile enough that it would break, by the time I was finished I barely had enough wire left to touch the screw let alone hook around the screw.
After 3 or four days of successful opperation, the grid quit cutting again. As I took it apart, it was obvious that the weight of the ice was enough to pull the wire, that was already too short, away from the screw. I refastened it again, but think it is unlikely to hold.
If it won't hold, I would be hard pressed to purchase another wire. I may bite the bullet and purchase the entire grid mechanism with the wires already installed. Even though the cost of the entire grid mechanism is $200 more than the purchase of another wire, it may well be worth the ease of installation!