GFS227 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 determining 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.

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 one. 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.)

Unplug the appliance.
Removed the screws holding the back panel.
Removed the fan blade.
removed 3 screws holding the condenser fan.
Remove the 3 metal brackets attached to the fan.
(First note which studs the brackets are attached to. Attach the 3 metal brackets to the new fan. (New screws were supplied)
Cut and strip the wire about two inches from the fan.
Cut and strip the new wire. I cut the new wire in half (about 6 inches.) Connect the two wires, twist and used 2 wire nuts. Tie wrap the wire to the wire harness. Mount the new fan (three screws)
Screw the back panel back on.
Mount the new

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 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.

FIRST unplug dryer from electrical source, CAUTION, the top of this dryer does not open with clips, do not pry on top to open! On the front of the dryer look under the lower panel, and find two screws, one on the left side, and one on the right, remove these screws, and pull slightly down on panel to remove. Behind this panel find two screws holding the door panel, one on the left, and one on the right, remove the left, and support the door panel while removing the right side. Gently pull the bottom of door panel outward, and the clips on top of door panel will unhinge from top, carefully rotate left side of door panel to floor, and note the wire connections on switch, and orientation of switch, then unplug wires, and move door panel to a comfortable working positon. Door must be open to remove switch, then depress the two plastic retaining keepers on each side of switch, and push switch through toward door. Replace with new switch, reconnect the wires, and reassymble in reverse order. Remember, door assymbly must be inserted in dryer top at an angle, and then bottom rotated downward, and bottom panel nylon guildes inserted into door panel bottom.

After emptying the refrig. door, I unscrewed the plate on the top of the refrigerator that covered the door bolts. Then off with the three bolts. I removed the door by lifting it up a few inches. The two parts of the door cam were easily removed and replaced with the new part. BEFORE REPLACING the door spread vasoline on both cam parts.
(Not after as I did. The second time you do any of these repairs go SO much better :o)
After putting the door back on, adjust the tension of the screws holding the door in place if needed to align the door on the cams so that it shuts completely. Failure to do this will require taking the top off the door again. (see comment above on "... second time...")
If all is properly aligned, the door should swing completely shut.
Even with the mistakes that required removing the door to lubricate the cams, and removing it AGAIN to readjust the screws on the top to properly align the door on the cams, this was a twenty minute job. My wife and I were still speaking to one another at the end of it- a sure sign of an easy repair.

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 this 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 holding pins and start the process of putting back together the opposite way you took it apart.

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 helpful!!
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 terminal 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.

Took all the screws out of the plastic shroud that encloses the switch .There only four that I needed to remove, were the two in front where the switches that go,they go in horizontally and two in the back with large washers on them that hold the back to the top of the box that go in vertically.The switch was a snap ( make that two snaps ) the wiring is almost self explanatory. then it gos back to the way you took it off. OH! and don't forget to turn the light bulb all the way back in to the socket , so the light will work after you take the time to install it yourself.I had the water supply line from under the box to the water dispenser in the door and the total bill on that was one hundred thirty seven and a hand full of change.Don't be afraid to do it yourself the savings is enough on one one item to make several months payments on a new one Randy the "Handy Man'

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 cracked 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.

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 power 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.

First I removed the 14.3 tons of freezer contents, closed the water valve, shut off the juice, and removed the freezer bins, the freezer door and the three screws that held the element in place. After bringing in 397 hand tools from my garage inventory, I loosened the unit and, after extensive evaluation, I finally disconnected the wiring connector from its freezer rear wall connector counterpart. You ain't gonna believe the rest of my story--of total ineptitude by an experienced fix-it-yourself dummy.

I searched the internet for a replacement ice maker and found it at partselect.com. I called Sears to ask if I could add my refrigerator to my existing appliance repair account. Sears said sure--it would cost me only one arm, three toes and one grandchild. I abruptly declined their magnanimous offer—I don’t give up my arms and toes so easily.

I visited the local Maytag repair parts and service retailer, who advised they didn't do parts anymore. Expecting their repair price would be greater than Sears, I resorted to partselect.com. I called them to be assured what I was buying was not mistakenly a 747 Landing Gear. On the afternoon (West Coast) of 4/28/10, I ordered (via internet) one PS21215123 Ice Maker Assy. Much to my pleasant surprise, it arrived via FedEX on 4/30/10 (no freight charges to me).

My repair/replacement efforts were hampered by the effects of my right rotator cuff surgery a few months before and major left wrist surgery two months ago to remove fractured bones and torn ligaments.

Undaunted by my physical handicaps, I forged forward. After re-installing the unit, I turned the water supply and electricity back on. It was graveyard dead. I wisely then bought two bags of ice as an interim solution to the severe needs of my wife and me for our daily chilled evening cocktails. I removed the unit, checked it out and re-installed it. I bought two more bags of ice. All the while, I turned the water and electricity off and on as required by reasonable safety standards. High tediousness!

Several more home maintenance tasks then arose for Sergeant Super Fixer, but I returned to the ice maker problem on 4/8/10. Last chance--remove the device and insure there was no frozen ice in the inlet tube--or call the local partsless repairman. No ice found, but I did learn the wiring connector to the unit was awry--no contact! While explaining that to my wife, I realized the two upper mounting screws were intended to be partially installed into the freezer wall to accommodate the unit's slotted mounting holes! Then, tighten the screws. Oh my God! During my 143 installations and removals, I had installed those screws blindly--using the (handicapped) skills of my right and left hands without any benefit of direct eyesight.

I returned to my challenging project this morning (4/9/10), fully utilizing all the expertise I had gained yesterday. Fifteen minutes of amusing effort! Turn on the juice! Turn on the water!Two hours later, ice cubes were dropping into the bin like rhinoceros bisquits in the jungle.

Hallelujah! I now am free for the next challenge!

HINT: Put a bed pillow (an old one, or your wife's) in the freezer compartment to soften the harshness of its cold metal on your back, if you use the "crawl in on your back" approach.

1. Unplug refrigerator to remove power!
2. The timer is inside the control housing located at the top of the refrigerator compartment.
3. Remove two control knobs (the pull off).
4. Remove the front panel escutcheon. The panel is not held in place with screws, but can be gently pried off.
5. Remove two screws from the back that hold the housing in place.
6. Remove screws from the front that hold the housing in place.
7. Drop housing down (still attached by wires - do not detach). Timer is inside housing, located on right.
8. Follow the instructions provided to identify your particular wiring setup. You'll find the wiring diagram (on my model) at the bottom of the refrigerator, alongside the defrost catch pan, behind the airflow grille.
9. Remove connector from timer terminals (4).
10. Remove two screws/nuts that hold the timer in place.
11. Install replacement timer following included directions. Read and follow ALL instructions applicable to your particular model and wiring setup.
12. Reassemble by reversing the steps above.
13. Note: You may need to "jog" the replacement timer when you first plug the refrigerator back in, if the timer happens to be in a "defrost cycle" (the compressor won't start). This can be done by inserting a wide bladed screwdriver into the hole below the timer, aligning it with the timer shaft, and slightly turning the shaft CW. Don't force it, and don't turn it very far.