Dispenser Door Solenoid Assembly

The flap to the ice dispenser would not close, which allowed the ice dispenser to frost up, freezing the water dispenser.

This was a simple fix. The solenoid had stopped working, so it would not automatically close the door flap. I read some posts on this site that suggest that you had to remove the trim around the entire dispenser to get at the solenoid. My fridge may be a newer model, but in any event it was much easier than that. Just below the touch pad for choosing water, ice, or crushed ice (above where the ice/water dispenses) there are three very small holes spaced about an inch a part. After unplugging the fridge, I stuck a small philips-head screw driver in each, freeing spring clips. That allowed the touch pad to come off. I then removed four screws to remove a plastic piece covering the chute, giving me access to the flap and solenoid. I just unplugged the solenoid from the circuit board on the back of the touch pad and then removed three screws to remove the old solenoid. I replaced it with the new solenoid and plugged it into the circuit board. The touch pad then snapped back into place.

The hardest part was figuring out how to get at the solenoid. After I found that pushing the clips in those three holes allowed me to remove the touch pad, it could not be any easier.

I read in a previous post how to do the job from outside fridge which saved me lots of time. No need to remove inner door lining. Here is my procedure:
1.Turned off power. 2.Snapped off outside trim ring. 3.Located three small holes inside lip just above ice tube. The center hole was not used. 4.Pushed rather firmly up through two remaining holes with small Allen wrench to release front control panel. 5.Removed (3) wire connectors from printed circuit board. Firmly pull/pry them straight out as lifting on retaining clip will break it off. I broke one & had to elect. tape it back in place later although I doubt it would have ever come off. 6.Release secondary panel by removing (4) screws. The problem was obvious as the solenoid had broken the crank arm off the flapper rod & trapped it open 7.Replaced solenoid, crank arm with flapper attached, spring & micro switch. Switch was okay but I changed anyway. 8.Cleaned all areas with 1/10 bleach water to sanitize. 9.Re-installed evrything in reverse order & all is okay. Thanks to someone for telling about those two small holes. Made job easy versus a very hard one.

I followed the video instructions for replacing the Flapper Valve and solenoid that Part Select suggested. It was one of the best DIY Reapair Sites I've used. Thank you

first I snapped out control face plate on outside of door. removed the screws for each part,and unplugged the wires at the connectors, replaced new parts and plugged in connectors to new circuit board.I decided to replace the board,switch and solenoid all at the same time, not knowing which part was bad.I have to say it was well worth it! it works better than when it was new!!!! It was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be.

First remove about 30 screws w/nutdriver that are hidden under door seal then inside of freezer door will come off. Second remove about 10 screws that hold dispenser assy to the inside of door, then support the unit with tape so you don't damage the wires that connect it. Third, pop touchpad loose, then remove three sets of wires plugged into the circuit board. Fourth, remove four screws that hold the ice chute and light assy. Fifth, now remove the 3 screws that hold solenoid. These three screws that hold the solenoid will be very rusty, you may want to replace these also. I went ahead and replaced all the related parts because they are so hard to get to. Also took the opportunity to clean in here with bleach to remove all the black mold and rust.
NOTE: when reassembling the inside of the freezer door to the outside of the door you must loosely attach the door on both sides in the middle first, then the top and bottom. Add some more screws on each side and tighten them all. Now you must check to be sure that the door is not racked. If the door is not sealed at the top or bottom, loosen the screws and twist the door a little and tighten screws and check door again for proper seal. Spent more time adjusting door to seal right than doing the actual repair.

I inserted the tip of a very small screwdriver from a eye glass repair kit into the three small holes under the panel near where the ice is dispensed. I never would have known about this simple procedure if it wasn't for the feedback you post from your parts cumtomers. Once I did this the front panel with the buttons on it poped off and it was just a matter of removing a few screws at that point. The wires from the new solenoid easily plugged into the board on the front panel. I would recommend changing the screws at the same time. The old one's worked but they were rusty. I feel the solenoid was my only problem but I changed all the parts in between the dispenser door and the solenoid just to be sure.

Pulled the ice/water control panel off using the three holes under the lip. Pops off pretty easy. Next came 4 screws holding the chute for the ice. Two bottom screws were very rusty, top two look brand new. Watch the wires. Replace the solenoid assembly by unplugging wires leading to the board, then removed the plunger over the top of the hook on the far right. Went ahead and replaced the dispenser door assembly or flapper. Plugged refridge back in and pressed the ice dispenser handle and listened for the solenoid to cycle. Perfect. There is a little delay before you hear the flapper fall into place. Saving rest of parts just in case they are needed next time.Thanks to everyone who wrote in to show how easy it would be. No telling how much a repairman would have charged me.

Problem: I have a black colored GE 24.9 cubic inch side-by-side refrigerator, model #GSH25KGMCBB that I purchased new in 2002. The ice cube maker stopped supplying ice cubes and the ice dispenser door stopped operating.

Repair: Unplugged refrigerator first and shut off the house water supply valve. Removed the lower rear access cover and replaced the double solenoid water valve. Icemaker and water dispenser tubing are easily removed by pushing in and holding down the white plastic collar where the tubing is inserted into each port on the valve body; no tools required to release the tubing. Hint: When reconnecting the water outlet tubing, ensure the tube diameter matches the port on the valve body. Insert each tube by hand back into the ports of the valve until they firmly seated.

Removed the control panel by inserting a small screwdriver into the three holes located on the bottom of the control panel body. Removed all of the ice dispenser door hardware and the door solenoid. The door solenoid armature was seized by corrosion. Cleaned off all of the accumulated dirt and mold with a 1:10 ratio solution of bleach and water. Replaced all of the door recess and solenoid valve fasteners with my own stainless steel #4-40 thread, 0.25" long socket head screws for longer life. The installation of the remaining hardware is the reverse of how it was removed.

The installation looks very clean now and $150 later, the ice maker still doesn't produce ice!

Root-cause analysis: I disconnected the ice cube maker water supply line from the double solenoid valve at the rear of the refrigerator and was able to blow air with my mouth straight through the outlet of the water tubing located inside of the freezer compartment; to ensure it wasn't blocked. Verified the water supply valve is not being energized! Turns out that the blinking green LED indicator on the ice cube maker is indicating more than the troubleshooting guide does about that because the white colored insulated conductor in the electrical harness for the ice cube maker is not energizing the solenoid on the water supply valve!

Conclusion: the ice cube maker assembly is next on the list of replacement parts!!

I have unlock the black panel. With a screw driver I have removed 2 screws and removed 3 conectors from circuit board. So, I had access to solenoid set. From this point on was intuitive. Very easy.

I recomend these parts be replaced once time for each two years.

after finding the video describing the same problem, i gave it a shot. Major problem was figuring out how to take outside trim off of the ice/water dispenser. Everything i tried did not work like the videos i had seen. Looking thru some of the posted blogs i found another way to get behind the control panel without even taking off the trim piece. i pressed a 1/8th allen wrench into the two outer holes on the bottom of the control panel which released the panel to pull out from the bottom. after that it was simple to release the three plugs from the circuit board and remove the control panel. 4 phi lips screws later the ice chute comes straight out revealing the flapper door which is held in by 2 more screws. once that assembly is out the solenoid is held by three more screws. there was nothing difficult at all about this repair once the secret was out about the first step about the three holes (use only the outer two) in the bottom of the control panel