198617 Kenmore Freezer - Overview

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.

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.