GLM23KESBGS General Electric Refrigerator - Instructions

I read instructions in all of the other repair stories everything went smooth no problems. Went and examined freezer door too see which type of door I had front or rear access. Popped off front LED panel, unpluged wires, removed 4 screws holding ice chute, removed 3 screws holding solenoid, slipped off solenoid pin, replaced all items in reverse order. This is one great site.

I searched the site, found the part - solenoid, watched the "how to" video and the repair was a snap. Saved myself tons of money versus having a repair person come over. I do have an older model and needed to prop the front cover panel off with a screwdriver (just under the covering) saw this on a posting from another individual, thanks for the heads up.

no instructions came with the part so I wrote for help from your techs. They were able to tell me how to access the solenoid. From there I was able to figure the rest out. I had to remove the trim, electrical board, flap, springs and arm to reach the screws necessary to remove the solenoid. I removed some of the corrosion with a baking soda paste so I could remove the screws. I carefully noted each step and position of the parts I removed and reversed the process to put things back after replacing the solenoid.

We followed the instructions we found on this site.

First we unplugged the refrigerator.

Then we removed the control panel that has the ice type selection on it by releasing the three spring latches. These are accessible from the bottom of the panel looking up toward the ice dispenser. There are three holes. Press a narrow screwdriver or punch in each of these holes and then pull out the control panel. (Be careful not to disconnect the wires, but observe how the wires are routed.)

Then we removed the ice tube cover that covers the solenoid assembly. There were four screws. One was very rusty and it required some WD40 to loosen it. Once the cover was removed the solenoid was visible on the right. (It has a floating component that attaches to the "arm" of the flap. This is how the solenoid opens and closes the flap. The flap needs to close properly so ice does not build up in the door.)

There were three screws that had to be removed to get the solenoid out. (The top one you may just need to loosen once the bottom two are removed.) When the solenoid was removed we also removed the old floating component from the flap are and replace it with the new one. We slid this into the solenoid hole and then screw it in with the three screws.

Before we attached everything, we plugged in the refrigerator to test the solenoid. We dispensed some ice and waited to hear the flap close. (The flap close is slightly delayed so be patient.)

We attached the cover that was over the solenoid being careful to route the wires as they were when we started. We test the solenoid again. Then we snapped the control panel back into place and tested again.

We found that having the right size screwdriver made a difference especially dealing with rusty screws. It was also handy to have a good flashlight. Having extra hands was helpful to hold the control panel and cover while working on the solenoid and routing the wires.

The model we have, the front panel snaps into place. It was removed for access and the electrical connectors unplugged. Four screws and the chute assembly was removed. Removing three screws and opening the chute door allowed the solenoid assembly to be removed without removing the door assembly. All parts and area were cleaned and the assemmbly was the process in reverse.
Guideline to prolong recurrance: always put ice into glass first to reduce splashing of ice falling into liquids causing the solenoid armature to rust and stick.

First remove trim surrounding ice/water dispenser assembly. Use a flat spackle knife to obtain space between door and trim. Be careful not t scratch refrigerator door. Then pry trim off. This was the most difficult part of repair. The front plate of the dispenser is held to the back of the dispenser by two friction fastners and in the case of my refrigerator a phillips screw (some don't have screw in middle). Use a small round tool like an allen wrench to push up on the 2 fastners to release them. Next push the front assembley aside and remove the 4 screws holding the back part of the dispenser. Push that assembly aside. Remove the defective solenoid assembly by removing the 3 mounting screws. The solenoid base can be worked out by slipping it out of the solenoid assembly plunger still attached to the dispenser door assembly. Next slide the plunger off of the dispenser door assembly. Install new solenoid assembly by reversing this procedure.
Hint - I found the ice door assembly (wr17x11653) also needed replacement and it is well worth the effort to replace both at the same time.

I followed the instructions posted by previous custmers and they were accurate and simple

Squeezed a flat blade screwdriver between the faceplate (buttons and lights) and the plastic part behind it and the front panel popped loose. I unscrewed the 4 cross-slotted screws on the panel behind the faceplate and could easily see the solenoid. I released the solenoid connector from the printed circuit board and removed its 3 screws. It slides out. Replace with new part in reverse.

I watched the video explaining how to do this and it was a snap. MY PROBLEM WAS COMPLETELY SOLVED. Partselect.com is a must for my household. I couldn't be happier!!!!!

I followed the easy video online that was mentioned in the paperwork that came with the part. The day before I replaced the flapper door for the ice chute and when I saw the rusted solenoid I immediately ordered that part which arrived the next day. I did not need to remove the border around the water/ice dispenser access area as shown in the video to install the parts. I did use a tiny screwdriver to press the little tabs on either side at the bottom of the front panel to release it to get to the parts. I was able to remove and replace the solenoid within minutes. And this was my first ever appliance repair attempt!

Used ice pick on bottom of water/ice cover plate to pop it loose. Removed 4 phillips head screws to gain access to the solenoid. Removed and replaced solenoid. Reinstalled parts removed to gain access to the solenoid.

First I used an ice pick to punch the tabs under the control panel to remove the ice/water selector panel. Then I used a phillips screwdriver to remove the solenoid switch. Unplugged the switch and re-installed with new one I received in 2 days and shazaam it works like new.

Removing the trim ring around the control panel is the hard part. Be sure to watch the video on how this is done.
Follow the video instructions on how to remove the solenoid and you will not have any trouble.

Replace solenoid which controls the despenser door. It is usually rusted. The front panel snaps off easily. Then there are 4 screws for the panel. Once the panel is off, the solenoid is exposed. There are 3 screws for the solenoid. You may want to spray dw40 on the screws if they are also rusted. Make sure you turn fridge off before performing this repair.

I followed the instructions that were posted on the partselect website and the video tutorial. It really was as simple as everyone had commented. Like others have noted, once the small tabs on the bottom of the faceplate were released, the cover came right off. Unplug the wire connectors, don't force them off. Remove the four screws and voila, there's the whole system laid out in front of you. It took me longer to clean up all of the gunk that had built up over the years. Once the new part was installed, everything went back together veray easily. The machine works like new again. Thanks partselect, you saved me some serious $$$.