Control Bracket

Thanks to the pictorial diagram, I was able to order correct parts. It was just a matter of removal of broken parts and replacing them. Ice maker now working and air is no longer getting into freezer which was freezing up ice maker. Thanks for timely delivery, now I am able to use ice dispenser, which I haven't used for long time. Thanks

Unplug the refrigerator. Snap off the ring surrounding the dispenser from the bottom. There are two slots on the bottom. This is the toughest part of the repair because my refigerator is older and the part stuck. Then unscrew the two hex screws and unsnap the parts, then reassemble with the new parts. Snap the ring back on and you're all set. Pretty easy.

The control bracket is made of plastic and holds two microswitches that activate the ice dispenser and the water dispenser. The plastic clips that held the switches on the control bracket broke so that the switches no longer operated when the ice dispenser lever was operated.

Two screws held the external dispenser bezel, and two screws held the control bracket in place. The wiring and switches were transferred to the new bracket and the new bracket screwed into place. Then the bezel was replaced.

Total repair time was less than 5 minutes. The control bracket was $16.50 with shipping and arrived two days after I placed the order.

The PartSelect website had a clear diagram of the control bracket so I was comfortable with the order.

Remove side handle from the freezer door ...pop out the black panel from the ice/water dispenser... you need to bend it a little bit to remove... un snap the electrical connections ...the plastic connectors, not from the fridge or the back of the panel,there are plastic connectors (white) in the middle between the fridge & the plastic outside panel.I needed a thin knife to lift the connector snaps to pull the pieces apart. It's not a bad idea to note how they match up so you can put it back properly. unscrew the white panel. There are two screws remove panel.I had to cut the micro switch out of the old style panel. the new panel is much more precise. By the way, if you are replacing the micro switch, it's a good thing to know, there are two. One is for the ice maker, the other is for the water dispenser. You might as well replace both at the same time even if one is working it will save you having to do this again anytime soon.Snap the micro chip into place & thread the wires back through the control panel screw the panel back into the door snap the wires togeather. now test the water dispenser just to be sure. Now arm wrestle the panel back in to the tracks. This is the hardest part. Why it doesn't just slide in is beyond me. Must have been designed by a guy!!! It really is easy & it saved me $300.

Found the control bracket housing had broken and micro switch for the water pump was not making contact with mechanical link. (In other words when you put a cup under the dispenser and push water did NOT come out.)

I removed the faceplate and switches, removed all the switches and installed them in the new control bracket. Installed new control bracket into fridge and tested. Works! Reinstalled faceplate and switches and drained system for a few minutes. Man I forgot how good filtered water tasted!

I removed the outer ice/water dispenser cover following directions I found on-line (push down and gently pry out at the bottom). I then removed several nut-head screws which were holding a plastic plate which had the door light and electric control wiring mounted in it. Behind that I found a broken tab on the Control Bracket which was why my water dispencer was not working and I found the chute door for the ice maker was chewed up which allowed warm air into the chute and was causing my ice build up problem. Replacing the Control Bracket was easy. Just note how things come apart. Putting the chute door in was a little more complicated, but again, note how things come apart and you should not have a problem putting it back together.

Removed face plate, disconnected wires, removed and replaced micro switch and control bracket.

I replaced the control bracket, which has mounts for the switches used to activate the ice and water dispensers. The water switch mount was broken, so the switch would not activate. It was great that I could find this part (the control bracket) on PartSelect's site.

If the person doing the repair has a little patience, then he/she will be rewarded!:

The first step is to pry off the front panel: I pried off the panel at the bottom. It will pop off, but takes a little effort. I used a couple of screwdrivers to pull it up at a couple of spots at the same time. Once the bottom pops out, then I pulled straight up on the panel. (If you try to pop out the panel at the top, you will damage it, so make sure to pop it out at the bottom.)

Next, disconnect the wiring that goes to the panel, and put the panel aside.

I then took a digital picture of the arrangement of wires and switches on the control bracket.

I disconnected any wires going from the inner part of the refrigerator to the control bracket, and then unscrewed the control bracket.

After removing the old control bracket, I carefully noted how the two switches (one for ice, one for water) mount into it. I removed these switches and put them into the new control bracket.

I then remounted the control bracket into the refrigerator, screwing it into place. I used the digital picture that I had taken earlier to make sure that I knew how to reconnect all of the wires.

I plugged the the remaining wires to the front panel, and then snapped the front panel back into place on the refrigerator door.

I was done!

Remove the cover plate from the bottom. Use care and patience when performing this step. It takes longer to remove the cover plate than replacing all of the parts involved. Slide off each switch, unplug electrical connectors and trust me when I tell you that you can figure out the rest. E Z, E Z, E Z!!!!!

remove the front cover. everything else is a quick disconnect type of connection. Nothing to it! I would remove the cover and check these connections anytime the dispenser does not work. Look for broken or disconnected switches. This reapir took me a couple of minutes whereas the repair guy wanted almost 200 bucks to do this job. Parts ran around 30 with shipping.