KBUD Refrigerator - Instructions

first I backed off top two screws and removed bottom screw. unplugged wire harness. removed old icemaker. harness on new icemaker was the same. plugged in hung new icemaker on top two screws installed bottom screw. turned water on job complete and very easy. I was very satisfied with the whole process.

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.

Motor from Part Select was 185W instead of 260W that came out of unit. After a bit of searching online, I found out the 260W had been obsoleted for lack of torque when harvesting ice.

Removal instructions: Unplugged fridge. Then I removed the screw on the bottom right rear of the unit. Then removed the plastic cover that ... Read more covered the power connector. Pulled out the icemaker by pushing in the tab on the bottom left middle of the icemaker unit and pulling unit toward me. Unplugged the connector on the back right hand side. Removed the cover on the left side covering motor. Took out 3 philips screws and removed old motor with broken axle that spun freely (the source of the clicking noise). Put new motor in aligning harvest arm (the thing with the fingers) and did reverse of removal. Then plugged fridge back in and it started a harvest and the next morning I had a half tub of ice.

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.

Remove many screws to access top electronics boxes. Remove 2 screws to open main control board box. Disconnect the 6 coded plugs. Release tabs holding board on box and transfer to new board. Install jumper on center of board in same location (not supplied with new one). Fit new board to box. Connect all plugs. Re-mount box and all covers ... Read more and screws. Plug in and turn on power switch. Note:This repair was done after a long diagnostic process and downloading of the factory technical manual. Not recommended for the novice DIYer.

Did the diagnostics with the blinking light and couldn't decide what was bad....so ordered the control boards and the module motor assm. also. Turned out that it was the control boards and would suggest that future customers order that part first...if it isn't that then get the module and motor assm......these guys ship really fast and t ... Read more he prices are literally half of what Sears would charge, not to also mention the cost of their service man to walk through your door...OUCH!

Unplug the refrigerator. Snap off the ring surrounding the dispenser from the bottom. There are two slots on the bottom. This is the toughest part of the repair because my refigerator is older and the part stuck. Then unscrew the two hex screws and unsnap the parts, then reassemble with the new parts. Snap the ring back on and you're all ... Read more set. Pretty easy.

I first removed the power cord of the refrigerator from the receptacle. I then removed the screws (3 each) from both the emitter and receiver face plates with a phillips screw driver. I than carefully removed the connector to the each of the circuit boards. A simple pull maneuver. I removed the circuit boards from the face plates. I to ... Read more ok the new parts and put them back in reverse order. I put the power cord back in the receptacle.

My troubleshooting narrowed down the problem to either the control assembly or the thermostat, so I bought both just in case. The motor assembly fixed the problem and I didn't need to install the thermostat.

The main thing I want to tell others who are doing this repair, however, relates to the thermostat. If you do indeed need ... Read more to replace the thermostat (#PS380941) there is something you will need that is not included with the part or mentioned anywhere on this site. The instructions with the thermostat indicate you need to apply something called "Aluminastic" to the thermostat when installing it. I don't know about you, but that isn't something I have around the house, so be sure to order a tube of it when you get the thermostat so you don't have to take a trip to the store to get it to finish the repair.

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 removed the back cover to gain access to the compressor. I unpluged the start device and cap from the compressor. Replaced the items with the new ones. Plugged in the refridge and it worked. Whirlpool/Kitchenaid appliances are problems. I won't buy another.

When I inspected the ice bin I noticed the bin coupler was in half. So I ordered the part. I removed the screw that held in the old part. I saved the two washers. Simply following the diagram on the website made reassembly a piece of cake. It is obvious which piece is the coupling as only it can fit the other coupling. I put the screw bac ... Read more k in and it was done.

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.

The control bracket is made of plastic and holds two microswitches that activate the ice dispenser and the water dispenser. The plastic clips that held the switches on the control bracket broke so that the switches no longer operated when the ice dispenser lever was operated.

Two screws held the external dispenser bezel, and t ... Read more wo screws held the control bracket in place. The wiring and switches were transferred to the new bracket and the new bracket screwed into place. Then the bezel was replaced.

Total repair time was less than 5 minutes. The control bracket was $16.50 with shipping and arrived two days after I placed the order.

The PartSelect website had a clear diagram of the control bracket so I was comfortable with the order.

If you've ever replaced a computer hard drive - you can do this too. I didn't even unload the freezer. It really is about 10-15 minutes of work. I ordered the recommended replacement part - which was a newer part#. It's best to remove the shelf barrier under the ice dispenser assembly (pops off) for ease of access - the motor hatch is ... Read more a bit awkwardly placed. Removing 2 x 1/4" screw nuts pops off the lower hatch on the underside of the ice dispenser assembly.
Inside, remove the wire connector + 4 x 1/4 nut driver screws and the whole motor is released, while the hex drive shaft remains attached to the dispenser assembly. No sweat so far. The new motor pops in the same way the old one came out - you might need to give the top of the hex drive shaft a twist to align. A powered nut-driver is recommended to do all of this yoga 2 feet off the floor with only 2 hands. Secure the 4 nut screws and reconnect the wire connector and you're almost done. But wait - read the directions and you notice that there's a rubber washer that has been introduced to prevent water leeching into the motor. @$%^ - didn't see that little thing in the shipping box - ok so I get to do this twice... don't make the same mistake. Attach that rubber washer to the hex shaft. Then, reattach the panel with 2 more nut screws and you really are done. Now dispense some fresh ice into that rum & coke. Ahhh.