ECF23KGTEWW General Electric Refrigerator - Instructions

A week earlier, we had frozen water all over the freezer section which obviously dripped from the icemaker. We turn off the icemaker and cleaned the freezer. Upon turning the icemaker back on, water continuously pours out of the ice tray. This time, even turning off the icemaker does not stop the water from flowing through. I checked and cleaned the water valve, reinstalled it and it still does not work. I had to crimp the water line and even remove the water filter to make sure there will be no water leaks.

When I got the new water valve, installation was a snap as I have already removed the old one. After installing the new valve and putting back the filter, everything is back to normal.

Procedure for removing/replacing the water valve:
(1) Unplug the refrigerator and move it so that you have some working space in the back. If there is a mechanical valve in the water line, close it so that when the hoses are unplugged, there will be no spills. If there is no mechanical water valve, you can simply crimp the hose with a rubber band or a cable tie.
(2) Use an adjustable wrench or a screw driver to remove the screws on the bottom panel. My refrigerator has 4 big screws and 1 small one that is used to anchor the water hose.
(3) Pull the panel up slightly to remove it. The water valve is mounted with one screw at the bottom-left corner.
(4) Use a screwdriver to dismount the water valve.
(5) Unplug the electrical connections to the water valve. My refrigerator has one Brown and one Blue connector. Remember which plug goes to which connector.
(6) Place a towel under the water valve and use the adjustable wrench to remove the main hose connection.
(7) Next, remove the hoses that to into the water valve outlets. On my refrigerator, these hoses are of different sizes and have quick-disconnects. I simply have to press on the collar at end of the hose, pushing it towards the valve to release the hose, then pull on the hose.
(8) Prepare the new water valve by removing the plastic cover that protects the connector for the main water line.
(9) Connect the main water line to the new valve using the adjustable wrench.
(10) Connect the two hoses of different sizes to the valve. You only have to push them all the way into each valve and slightly tug on them to make sure they are locked in place.
(11) Re-connect the Brown and Blue electrical connectors to their original location.
(12) Mount the new water valve into the back of the refrigerator (one screw).
(13) If possible, quickly check that the new valve is working properly: If you have a mechanical valve in the water line, open it and make sure there are no leaks near the valve or inside in the icemaker. You may have to plug in the refrigerator power to complete the initial test.
(14) Replace the back panel with the 4 screws and anchor the hose to the back with 1 screw.
(15) Once everything is back in its place and the refrigerator is on, cycle the water dispenser several times to run fresh water into the hoses and the new valve.

On the web site I explained the problem and the solution was immediate. I went to the installation video and was instructed how to install the double outlet valve. It took about 10 minutes to take out the old part and install the new one. I didn't have water immediately so I viewed comments by others and learned that I may have a frozen line in the door. I tried thawing out the line and in about 3 hours and I had water. I figure I saved about $200.00 by doing it myself. Thank you partselect.com

Removed rear and front grills,brushed and vacuumed area- probably caused the fan motor to fail- unplugged fan, removed fan,motor,and shroud in 1 piece, carefully slipped fan off motor shaft, unscrewed shroud and motor. assembled in reverse order. Frige is in tight area, .I'll now roll it out and clean often

After further diagnosis decided the main circuit board was the likely culprit. Ordered a new one from PartSelect. It came in 2 days and took less than 30 minutes to install. Unplugged the refrig. Removed the old board cover with a nut driver. Removed the wiring cables (note their location on the board) and also there were a couple of cable plugs on my refrig that were not not hooked to anything on the board. Snapped the old board out and the new board in. Reinstalled the cables and then the board cover. Plugged the refrig in and back in business. PartSelect is a great website! The speed of delivery and available information just saved me $500 to $600 from a appliance repair shop.

The Top Filter Housing on this refrigerator contains some sort of Excess Flow Check Valve to prevent water flow if there is no filter installed. When the spring on this valve weakens over time, the valve closes unnecessarily with normal flow and chatters. This sounds like a woodpecker hammering on the side of your house and water flow is almost non-existant. You may have heard the same thing after you changed the filter if there was air in the system. The noise stops and you have normal water flow once the air is vented out of the filter. If you start hearing this noise unprovoked (filter has not been recently changed), the Top Filter Housing needs to be replaced. To replace this part, you will need a 1/4" and 5/16" nut drivers or sockets and two 1/2" open ended wrenches. You might also need plumber's putty. Shut off the water and have a bucket ready to drain the water into. Remove the lower cover from the back of the refrigerator. Disconnect the two hoses going to/from the top filter housing. One is connected to the main water line, the other is connected to the Water Fill Valve located in back of the refrigerator on the bottom left corner. Un-screw the cover plate from the back of the refrigerator and pull the plumbers putty out (can be re-used if still pliable). On the inside of the refrigerator, pull the plastic cap off the Top Filter Housing to expose the two screws holding it in place. Remove the two screws and pull out the Top Filter Housing with Tubing. Replacement is the reverse of what you just did. If the tubing is a little short, you will want to unbolt the Water Fill Valve from the refrigerator prior to re-connecting it to ensure a water tight connection.

After advise from the expert, he was adamant the motherboard was the (via symptoms)problem. After receiving the replacement board (via FEDEX), I followed the easy to understand instructions. I did number the electrical plugs and mapped the connections on paper. The key to the rapid fix was to carefully read all of the instructions to verify which (if any) wires needed elimination, which in my case was none. I will definitely use this service in the future as the expense was affordable and after research, I estimate a savings between 55% to 60%.

Unplugged refrigerator and used a screwdriver to remove access panel on rear of refrigerator to expose "mother board". Unplugged connectors (6 total) and using needle nose pliers released two retainers to remove mother board. Installed new mother board snapping it onto the two retainers and plugged the connectors onto the new mother board. Plugged refrigerator into outlet, refrigerator came back on, automatically reset it's temperature settings and has been working fine since. Total time, less than 15 minutes. Money saved, hundreds of dollars!

Removed the back cover of the fridge with it still pluged in. The next time the compressor tried to kick on, a small piece of black plastic next to the black tank caught fire, and then went out. I unpluged the fridge, unpluged the two wires feeding the black box. Then the box unpluged from the tank. I searched on the internet for the part using the model #. It ended up being a overload/ptc or relay. There was a smaller black box attached with I think is some sort of an overload. I unplugged the overload and it plugged right into the new relay I had overnighted. Although the new relay was white (not black) and the plug attachments were in different locations, it work great.

installed new double water outlet and tube assembly and it fixed the promblem. I think the water valve was leaking by causing the tube to freeze up inside.

Removed the cover on the bottom of the rear of the fridge and the top left of the fridge where the tubbes exit.. Then just simply disconnect the tube coming from the fridge and the supply line. Next go inside the fridge, remove the cover of the filter mount, and remove the 2 screws securing the filter mount in place. Now pull the tubes through the opening and reinstall in reverse order.

went to your website and viewed exploded view to find the sensor( there are two I just picked one to replace for now), pried the cover off carfully and pulled out the sensor. I snipped the wire in the middle leaving plenty to work with. I shortened the wire on the new piece, spliced the wires together and with some 3M rubberized, tape wrapped them up, replaced the sensor back into the cover and snapped in place.

put fridge into test mode, failed One sensor. Took it out, Tested it, Ordered part also picked up splice kit from electric store spliced it truned on and good to go

Freezer would not defrost and ice would accumulate on the coils. After the GE repairman quoted me a price to defrost and repair it – which was ridiculous – I decided to tackle the problem myself. I am posting this comment as I found other comments very helpful with trouble shooting my problem. After reviewing other home owner repair comments I decided to first replace the upper sensor, thermostat and heater bracket assy. The longest task to do this was defrosting the coils. What a mess that turned out to be. The items were fairly easy to replace. The sensor and thermostat needed to be spliced and I used good techniques and sealed the splices with electrical tape. Defrost thru repair was about 3.5 hours. Unfortunately, this did not solve the problem and the temperature started rising after the coils froze over again. I decided to go one step further and replace the main board. One repair comment said that it is important to completely remove all of the frost before engaging the new main board – which made sense to me. The defrosting was easier and faster the second time as I plugged the drain below the coils, used hot water and then my shop wet vacuum to remove all the defrost water. Then I reversed the air flow to completely dry the coils. The main board installation instructions were fairly easy to follow. I took a picture with my camera just to ensure all the wires were installed properly. However, that was not necessary the plugs are unique and will only fit one way. The only problem was plugging in the power connector as it was in a different location on the board. With a little careful nudging it was successfully installed. Overall, a good experience and I am thankful for these repair comments by other!

First, I must say that I was told that the mother board might be the problem. I called my husband to tell him what I was told the problem might have been and how much the part was. A little expensive, but still cheaper than calling a repair man. He told me to order the less expensive part first to see if that fixed it. The fan motor. We hung up the phone and for kicks I scrolled down the page to see if it might give any more information on the part and what it controlled, etc. I don't usually read comments, but was amazed at the ones I read. The second comment on the page said that his refrigerator made a whooing sound like a ghost. Our Frig has done this since the day we bought it! He replaced the mother board and the "ghost" moved out! The third comment was that his refirg made a clicking noise and the ice maker doesn't work! I immediately called my husband back and told him I was ordering the part! It arrived the next day. So extremely easy to put in! I removed 3 screws from the cover, disconnected a couple of wires, a few plastic clips; pushed the new part on the clips rehooked the wires and put the cover back on. I bet it took less than 10 minutes! My husband thinks I'm a genius!! Thank you so much for all of your help!

Installed the new stripper arm per instructions - an easy installation. After a few cycles the original problem happened again, the stripper arm tine caught under an opposing tine stopping the unit from operating. I removed the stripper arm, after marking where it was caught, and filed it down so it wouldn't catch anymore. Icemaker works fine now. Troubleshooting tip. If a stripper arm tine is caught under an opposing tine, gently slide a screwdriver between them to release it without breaking the tine. Remove the arm, file it down 1-3 mm, and reinstall.