61004755 Kenmore Refrigerator - Instructions

First, I removed the water/ice fountain panel - remove the 4 screws and disconnect the panel buttons cable. Second, I removed the panel circuit board - remove the two screws and disconnect the two wire connectors. Third, I pulled the water/ice fountain compartment. Removed the broken rubber pad (actuator pad), and installed the new one -- no tools needed for this step. Finally, I put everything back together. TIP: If the water/ice switch gets stuck, even with the new actuator, find a spring that can fit the switch pin that comes with the actuator. I had that problem, and I simply added a small spring.)

it was a cake walk,removed a few screws unpluged assembly installed new switch didnt get shocked, nothing started on fire, ice came out like it should afterwards

Removed the face plate by removing the two screws under the fountain catch tray on the front of the fridge, and then sliding the cover up and off. Removed 3 screws to remove the dispenser and the limit switch was easily accessible on the back side. Also changed the actuator pad because the old one looked cosmetically bad.

Be sure to unplug the fridge as there is live power on the circuit board you'll be handling/removing. Trust me on this.

Slide out the ice tray, remove the screws holding on the outer plastic frame (taking the thin/flat wiring off carefully), remove the next set of screws, then slide off the mechanism. The water spout is flexible and you might need to bend it a little. Good time to clean it off as well.

Changing the actuator switch and plastic pad is mostly self explanatory (look at old one, remove, and reverse steps to put new one). Takes about 30-seconds for this part.

Replaced actuator pad

pulled cover and replaced micro switch

Obtained the part from part select in record time. Exact part arrived next day and changed out the faulty part within an hour. great service and have already booked-marked the website should future appliance parts be needed. Fair price too!

Removed 2 screws from front panel. disconnected the connector from the front panel board and removed front panel. Removed 3 screws holding dispenser to inside door. Pulled this assembly forward to reach the cover and switch. removed 1 screw holding switch. replaced the actuator ( a matter of hooking the slots of the pad over the ears. Reversed proceedure to reassemble. No problems at all

First we ordered a new solenoid. . . The little piece that opens and closes whenever you push the button to dispense ice. That definitely needed to be replaced, and it was easy to do. However, that didn't fix the problem, so we looked and looked at the assembly and decided that a spring was missing. We ordered the spring, and when it arrived, we found that it matched exactly one that was already on the assembly. :-) Not the problem. Thirty minutes later we figured it out,. The diagrams at part select were not helpful with this. It was a matter of figuring out how the magnetic weight fit into the assembly. That's all it was! Now we have an extra spring for the future.

Very easy. I watched a Youtube video on how to do it.

Followed video from site. There was one extra wire to disconnect, but it was obvious and not really a surprise considering age of refrigerator. Great assist.

I watched a 5-minute video of a man removing the door hinge, the face plate, the other connections down to the actuator itself. I called Emerald and talked to Ron Harrigan (Fresno CA). He pointed me to the video and said it was a simply operation. I followed the instruction step by step, but when I finished, the light in the front of the door would not come on and the dispenser would put out water but not ice. I called Ron again. He said, "Go through the process again, step by step." When I got to step two, I saw that I had not securely fastened two electrical joints together. I snapped those babies into place, and it was all downhill! We have ice. We have water. We have an actuator that sings! Thanks, video. Thanks, Ron.

saw the youtube.com presentation, and followed the procedure from there on.

First locked the control panel to prevent more water from coming out. Then figured out how to remove the panel (using torque bit), along with the control board and switch. Removed the switch from the assembly, and used a multimeter to diagnose that the switch was intermittently closing. Searched using Google to find the switch part number, and was able to get the best price and match at PartSelect without having to order in bulk. I'm always wary about ordering off eBay, and prefer dealing directly with a supply company. Once the new switch came, it was a snap to install it and reassemble the water dispenser board and front panel. Once assembled, the dispenser worked like new! Overall, it took about an hour or less of diagnosing and work, plus wait time for ordering, and about $25 for the part. Beat calling a repairman and paying $100 for the same work.

Pretty simple really...take out a couple screws and the face plate comes off. Take out the dispenser apparatus behind the face plate and you will see the little lever operated switch that activates the dispensers. Mine had one terminal slightly discolored like it got hot...so that is a good clue. Also, the whole system is pretty simple really, and the switch was clearly the culprit. I got the replacement switch from PartSelect in just a few days, and put it in. The whole deal only takes about 1/2 hour cradle to grave. The dispensers work fine now, and I think I saved at least $150 for a service call. BIG PAPA small