KUIA18PNLS3 KitchenAid Ice Maker - Instructions

This repair was super easy. there are only 5 screws to remove to get at the defective switch. 3 in the housing where the light bulbs are and 2 in the front trim piece where the cooling adjustment dials are. I never did unplug the fridge ,but probably should have although nothing bad happened. I removed all 5 screws using a 1/4" socket ( a nutdriver would work well also). there is also a small dia rod that comes down from the coolness adj. wheel that when you re-assemble goes though the middle of the wheel. The switch has only 2 wires that clip on with the push on flat type connectors. Very simple. I removed the wires and then the switch can be removed( it is only held in by 2 squeezable side clips). I put the new switch in and connected the wires , checked to see that the lights went on and off. which they did. then just put the screws back in.....done. also I would like to say that when I ordered my switch it came super fast. I ordered it online at 11:00am on a tuesday and it was on my doorstep in wisconsin by 10:00 am the next day...Thanks

Took out one strap support with a nut driver, unplugged the device and plugged in the new one. Reinstalled the support strap. Job complete.

Wires in cutter grid were broken and wouldn't freeze/cut ice. Replaced with the new ice cutter grid that came completely assembled. Put it in with a screwdriver in less than 10 minutes. Ice cubes ready in 45 minutes. Repair guy told me it would be $455 for him to repair it. With shipping, mine was $133 and 10 minutes of my time. Well worth doing it myself.

I undid the bottom screws off the bottom front of the ice machine under the door... Knowing the water valve was at the front it made it super easy to get to and I didn't have to pull the machine out from under the counter etc. Turned off the water supply at the wall, disconnected that line at the valve, removed the line from the valve to the water reservoir. Unscrewed two screws that held it to the machine wall and put the new valve in, reconnected both lines and voila! Done! Running like its never run before. I filled up that reservoir for weeks by hand many times a day so the satisfaction is huge to have saved a fortune by fixing it myself! And I'm female which makes it even more satisfying. A monkey could put this part in. Anything a man can fix, I can fix too! Ha!

This causes more than one problem. When the system does not get enough water it makes thin ice. When the ice is thin it does not have the mass to slide down on to the cutting grid and stops about half way down. When the pump starts running again, the water hits the ice sheet that did not make it to the grid and water goes all over the place thus emptying the reservoir then it makes no ice. Water was entering very slowly into the reservoir with very little pressure. Changed the water valve and now pressure is higher and fills the reservoir completely enough to flush the reservoir as it is supposed to do. Works great and makes plenty of ice now. Just take the front bottom cover off by the 4 screws holding it on and look to the left and you will see the water valve. Get the vacuum cleaner and clean the condenser coils while you have it open.

It was easy to remove the old grid and replace it with a new one.

We guessed what the problem was and we were extremely fortunate that we guessed correctly. The part was not technically difficult to install just a little awkward to get to. My husband had no trouble although he did take the machine out of it's space and lay it flat on the floor. One benefit of this process was being able to clean some of the areas that are almost impossible to get to when the motor is in place. It was well worth the extra shipping charge to get it before the weekend.

Follow the instructions already submitted by others. As mentioned be sure to place towel inside to cover the drain. My 3-wire electrical connector also had some corrosion build-up so I had to remove the bracket holding the connecter cut the 3-wires and install a new connector. Not a big deal, you are just working in a small enclosed area. Pulling the entire unit out and either elevating or tilting back helps with the access. Be sure to check drain connection in the back of the unit when putting back in place. Having a headband light helps for entire repair.

Fan was barely rotating. So unplugged, removed back cover, removed fan and motor from frame work. Removed fan blade from motor shaft. Spun motor shaft which seemed fine. Pryed off back cover of motor to find a large but dry felt washer and a helical capillery slot formed into the motor shaft for carring oil from felt washer to the bearings. Added 30 wt motor oil and some 3in1 oil to felt and reassembled motor, fan and frame work. Plugged in power chord after getting rid of dust and dog hear on coils and is working like new.

didn't go well at first. Got it all hooked up relatively easily but it didn't work. Called customer service who suggested hooking pump up to other power source to be sure it worked. It still didn't work. After closer inspection a connection wasn't hooked up on pump. After connecting got it back in about 30 min. Working like a charm now.

Technically, the repair did not require specialized knowledge. However, replacement of the motor required some effort. Because the motor is located at the bottom of the unit in an area with copper tubing & wiring hindering access it was physically difficult to remove and then replace the motor. A problem arose because the shaft on the replacement motor was larger than the original motor's. Thus the fan would not fit on the new motor. Luckily, I found a fan locally that fit the motor. It would be very helpful if a fan was included in the motor kit. The ref. is now running smoothly

Disconnect water line and power cord, Remove scoop holder, water reservoir and shield around pump to access pump, removed hose connected to pump then removed pump (3- 1/4" hex screws) and disconnected wire harness and 1/4" plastic water line attached to pump bracket, reverse process

Bought new wire, strung it end to end and fastened it at each end.

Pulled refrigerator away fom wall. Removed cardboard cover at back bottom to reveal fan motor.The space available to remove the motor from the bracket is very limited, so smaller hands will be a plus! Tried to get a nut wrench on motor but there was hardly enough room. Finally was able to use a socket set to remove bolts. I would suggest you spray a solvent on the motor mount bolts and seat them in the new motor first. It was near to impossible to get them started in the mount, without seating them first. The electrical clip that connects to the motor fit on the new motor, so I did not have to splice any wiring. This made the job a little easier. Finally, replaced cardboard cover and moved refrigerator back against the wall. .

The thumbscrews that hold the cutter grid can only be removed by using a needle nose pliers , you cannot turn them by hand. The electrical connections for the grid and level sensor can be removed by pressing the front side of the connector while pulling down. Re-installing the cutter grid is in reverse to the removal, just follow the instructions. But be aware that all wiring remains outside the grid perimeter when reconnecting. One other thing: While you are at it, remove the lower outside panel to expose the evaporator coils which need to be vacuumed. Replacing these parts is tricky. I had to remove the door then loosely install the upper retainer bracket for the lower panel so I could slide the upper edge into that bracket before installing the lower screws. I used an ice pick to line up the holes while using a blade screwdriver to push the panel in its place to install the retaining screws. It took me about a half hour after I figured out what to do.