ATB18 Refrigerator - Instructions

Interior surface of ice tray felt rough & flaky (coating deteriorated) so cubes would not release.
Unplug appliance.
Remove timer cover by hand pressure @ edge.
Remove single attachment screw & bracket at lower front of icemaker.
Disconnect wiring harness from socket @ rear of compartment.
Tricky part was determin ... Read more ing what type of connection held the other two attachment points along the long edge of the icemaker. I did not have repair manual or useful drawing but looked @ PartsDirect pic of side brackets & used a small mirror to confirm that mine were also some sort of "snap in" attachment.
Remove icemaker unit by pushing upward and outward on the unit. I takes a good bit of pressure and will pop loose, but be careful not to break attachment bracket from freezer wall.
Scavenge shut off bar and wiring harness from old icemaker once you have it out & attach to new one before installing it back in freezer.
Again, you might find a mirror useful to align those pesky snap-in brackets with the new unit.
Since you probably kept your freezer running while waiting for the part, the plastic snap-ins will be cold and brittle. I warmed them up first by applying a dampened cloth heated in the microwave to make them a little more pliable.
A good push of the new unit towards the snap-ins along with some upward force will get it stable.
Reattach the metal screw in bracket & connect the wiring harness to rear plug... and don't forget to plug the whole thing back in.
It will take awhile for the first batch of cubes dump as the timer may need to cycle completely around to get to the fill cycle... be patient.
Dump the first couple of batches of cubes just to make sure you're free of any residue.

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!

My ice maker has been shedding its non-stick coating for over a year. Within the last month of so, it started pouring water into the ice bucket below, turning it into a solid mass of ice. So I purchased a new ice maker assembly. I encountered two problems not mentioned in the 21 or so do-it-yourselfer repair stories that precede this on ... Read more e. First problem: one of the three screws that hold the ice maker to the refrigerator wall is hidden behind the large (black) end of the ice maker and is difficult to access. Before trying to replace the ice maker, make sure you have the physical dexterity to remove that screw. Second problem: it is not apparent how to remove the wire harness that plugs into the ice maker assembly. BEFORE you can remove the wire harness, you MUST remove the large white cap that covers the black end of the ice maker assembly and then push in a retaining tab to release the wire harness. If you don't do this, the wire harness will not release. Other than those two problems, it was relatively easy to remove three screws, unplug the wire harness, transfer three small, metal parts from the old ice maker to the new, plug in the new wire harness, mount the ice maker assembly so that the water tube is in the proper position, and then re-install the three screws. The ice maker works fine now. (P.S. I was told by an expert that the real problem might be a malfunctioning fill valve. I would have replaced the fill valve if replacing the ice maker assembly had not fixed the problem.)

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.

Removed 2 screws holding water fill tube to rear of refrigerator and pulled out, matched old part with new to make sure of proper match. Guide new fill tube thru hole, making sure it is aligned with slot in ice cube tray on inside of freezer. Install new plastic line from water pump outlet to water fill tube, check for leaks, job done.

I removed the ice maker from the refrigerator, by removing one screw on the underside bracket and loosening the two screws at the top side, then lifting the ice maker off the loosened screws. I then unplugged the electrical harness that supplies power from the refrigerator to the ice maker. I then disassembled the ice maker by removing ... Read more the front cover which is snapped in place, then removing two recessed screws at the front. I removed the broken part, I then reassembled the ice maker with the new part. I replaced the two recessed screws at the front and snapped on the cover. Then I reinstalled the ice maker in the refrigator by plugging in the harness, slipping the ice maker over the loosened screws in the refrigerator and replacing the screw that was removed from the underside bracket. Tightening all the screws completed the project.

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.

Installed new ice maker. It was easy - loosen two screws and unplug old wire harness. Put new unit in place. Did not realize new unit would not come with wire harness, but transferred old one to new ice maker (easy) and, "voila" some ice in 24 hours -- much ice since then. I am a 68 year old woman and it was "sort of fun" doing thi ... Read more s job.

The easiest thing to do was pull the ice make off. After taking the 3 screws out of the wall of the freezer, take a screwdriver (flathead) and push on the tab for the electrical plug and wiggle the cord out. Then you can take 3 screws out for the main cover and another 2 screws on the next cover. There's the part, pop it out and replace h ... Read more olding pins and start the process of putting back together the opposite way you took it apart.

1. Unplugged fridge.
2. Unplugged wire harness from valve.
3. Disconnected water supply from valve.
4. Removed valve from fridge chassis
5. Removed plastic tube from valve (supplies ice maker).
6. Removed old fitting from plastic tube and attached to new valve.
7. Attached new valve to fridge (only need 1 scr ... Read more ew)
8. Attached water supply to valve
9. Reattached wiring harness
10. Turned on water supply, checked for leaks
11. Powered on fridge.
12. Enjoy working ice maker.

I was clening my uprght freezer and noticed that it was preped for an icemaker. I first went to the Whilpool website and could not find my part as my freezer was a 2008 model.

I saw PartSelect on the search page and went to thier site.
I put in my modle number of the Whilpool Ice maker kit that was on the back of my freeze ... Read more r. PartSelect had the part in stock and approx $18.00 less than the other kits listed on the Whilpool site (that did not match my kit number). I orderd the kit on Sunday and it arrived on Wednesday. It took less than and hour to install. Every part I needed was included. The following day I installed the water line and now I have an extra icemaker.

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!!!

I didn't know what the plastic was - just that it was unappetizing. Reading other posts, it must have been the teflon coating. The refrigerator is 13 years old and reading other posts, I guess I'm lucky it lasted that long.

My boyfriend did the repair and here is his story:

The first ice maker we received was cr ... Read more acked on one corner. Not knowing how it got that way, I was concerned that there might be additional internal damage and that the unit wouldn’t work properly. Part Select was contacted and a replacement unit was sent with no difficulty.
As other reviewers have said, the replacement was quite easy, taking less than half an hour. The only tools I needed were a screwdriver and a nut driver. To begin, unplug the refrigerator and turn off the water supply to the ice maker. Loosen, but do not remove, the two top attachment screws. Then remove the bottom screw. Lift the unit up off the top screws and remove the water inlet hose at the top right. It’s probably a good idea to have a container handy to catch the small amount of water that comes out, but you’ll need a third hand for this.
The electrical wiring harness is very short and may be tricky to disconnect. On my refrigerator there is a round vinyl connector that plugs into a receptacle on the back wall of the freezer compartment directly behind the ice maker. This was removed with no difficulty (accidently, actually). Once the unit is out of the refrigerator you can remove the connector from the ice maker by using a screwdriver to depress the latch tab that is visible in a window in the unit housing. When installing the connector in the new unit make sure it is fully seated. Next, reconnect the round vinyl connector to the receptacle on the back wall of the freezer compartment. This was the worst part of the whole procedure. You have to support the unit close to the back of the freezer (due to the short harness) with one hand while inserting the connector with the other. This requires both arms in a confined space. The first time I did it I apparently didn’t get a good electrical connection on one end of the harness, and it didn’t work. Because the connectors are directly behind the ice maker I had to remove the unit and re-install it, but it was much quicker the second time, less than 10 minutes.
Once the connectors are in place put the water inlet hose into the opening at the top right. You may need to re-use the retaining clip from the old unit for this. Slide the two top mounting ears down between the screw heads and the back wall of the freezer compartment and tighten the screws. Then install the bottom screw. Plug in the refrigerator, turn on the water and make yourself a frosty beverage.
All in all, a relatively quick and painless procedure.

Another note - we kept saying "is there ice yet"? I think the metal bar that controls the ice maker needed to be raised and lowered a few times before it would work properly as it seemed to raise 1/2 way but the ice would not drop so I put it down and it worked its way up. Had to do it a couple of times over a 4 hour span but once going, it is working like a champ.

Well first of all, I was afraid that the compressor was shot and I'd need a whole new refrigerator (ack $1000!!!). After googling/reading, I figured out that the starter relay mounted on the compressor was burned out. (loud click as thermal cutout shuts down compressor.) So, I ordered a replacement part, overnight shipping. Unfortunately, ... Read more this was on a Friday night, so I had to figure out how to keep the fridge cold all weekend (til Tuesday). I'd already moved frozen stuff to a chest freezer, but the inside of the fridge compartment was now nearly warm at this point, so I got 10 lb of dry ice. That got things cooled down initially. Well, turns out that with a short piece of wire, you can momentarily jump across the terminals of the relay and kick start the compressor. It then runs until either the defrost cycle stops it or the thermostat kicks it off. Anyway, all weekend, every six hours or so, I turned off the fridge for a minute to cool down the overheated, stalled compressor, then turned it on and jumped the terminals to start it up. Kind of a pain, but saved lots of food. Overall, the $30+$30 (shipping) for the part saved me from having to get a new refrigerator, so I'm quite pleased. I've used Part Select many times now. Very fast service and shipping, great website/database. I shop around and every time end up buying from them again.

The ice maker was not getting water. I hotwired the water valve by switching the connectors for the water dispenser and ice maker water valves and water flowed into the icemaker when the water dispenser lever was pushed. I wronly assumed the water valve was good. I removed the icemaker and determined that the gear motor was not getting po ... Read more wer in the position the icemaker had stopped.In this position, the thermostat determines when the motor gets power so I replaced the thermostat. The icemaker still would not get water! As it turns out, the water solenoid was sticking due to a deteriorated rubber washer which let the solenoid plunger get too far out of the magnetic field. I replaced the water solenoid assy and all is well. Don't get fooled by hotwiring the valve. If it isn't getting water, the solenoid probably is the culprit.