Dual Outlet Valve Kit 4318046

Removed panel in back of fridge. Disconnected water line. Removed outlet valve housing and disconnected wiring. New part is a retro-fit and was modifiable to fit into same space as old part. Reconnected wiring and water line. Turned water back on to test. Checked water dispenser in front door panel. All good. Replaced panel and wheeled back into place.

Turned refrig off, pulled it out for access to the valve, unplugged refrig and turned off water supply to the outlet valve. I made the installation a bit more difficult by over tightening the supply line connection which ruined the brass compression washer. I replaced it with a plastic compression washer which is probably better since the supply line is plastic. The electrical connections were very simple. I was just guessing the old outlet valve was bad since I had checked the filter. After replacing the valve, the ice maker and water dispenser work like new on a 17 year old refrigeration. Also, I was very pleased with fast processing and delivery of the order.

Get refrigerator out away from the wall. Disconnect from power. Loosen 3 and remove 3 or 4 screws to uncover fan, compressor and water inlet valve (WIV). By hand remove plastic hoses that feed the water dispenser and ice maker feed. Unscrew 2 screws that hold WIV her you need the Spring U Joint (SUJ) or equivalent. Pull wires and make mental note or picture the way they fit. They retain the memory the way they came out. With adjustable or wrench remove tube that comes from the filter. Remover black rubber protector from WIV. Install the last hose you removed. Tighten by hand and finish with the wrench used to remove it. Don't over tighten. Maybe 3/4 turn or less after hand tight will do. The difficult part is to re-install the screws that hold the WIV in place, again you need the SUJ. The alternative would be to empty the shelves from anything that will spill or break and have someone tilt the refrigerator and access from below. I used the 1st method as I didn't have the extra help. Install the water dispenser hose (by hand), blow compressed air to the ice dispenser hose to clear the ice. There is another plastic hose just above and behind the dispenser which must be removed to clear the ice that is being blown. After the ice is clear re-install the one in the freezer. That one is just pressure held be careful not to break when replacing it. Re-install by hand the ice dispenser hose to the WIV. Replace the cardboard cover that was 1st removed to access the components. Power the refrigerator and you are ready to make fresh ice. My ice maker lever was stuck at 1st. I released pressure from the metal wire lever and wiggled up and down several times to loosen up.

Pulled close out panel exposing valve kit. Removed water lines, removed retaining screw, removed both electrical connections. Installed electrical connections on new valve, installed assembly, connected water lines. Replaced ice maker by removing three screws, unplugged connection. Installed connector on new unit , installed screws and plugged in unit. Everything worked just fine.

The part received was a straight replacement part - no modification required, just a simple remove and replace. This made the job really easy. Used the socket set to lower the front wheels to move the refrigerator, the nutdriver to remove the back cover and the valve, and the adjustable wrench to remove the water line. I had to cut the supply line tubing because the ferrule was too far up the line to make a good seal (minor leak quickly corrected with parts available in the kit - nice touch!) What took the most time was cleaning the coils and lint, etc. - hey I hadn't moved the unit in years! - but I did not include the 45-60 minutes this took in the repair time. Directions supplied were clear and easy to follow - but in my case I could have done the job without them - easy to see what needed to be done, but the stated precautions were nice.

The replacement valve was identical to the old one, so I didn't have to use any of the adapter parts sent with the new valve. This made the installation rather simple. After removing the back cover on the lower part of the refrigerator, I turned off the water and electrical supplies, and removed the water supply line to the valve. Then I removed the two screws securing the valve to the refrigerator. Next, I removed the two electrical connections from the valve, and unscrewed the plastic nuts holding the tubing to the valve. I didn't have to use a wrench to do this as they were hand tight, so when I attached the tubing to the new valve I tightened the nuts hand tight. This seemed to be sufficient and avoided the possibility of stripping the nuts. After checking for leaks, I attached the electrical connections and secured the new valve to the refrigerator. Then I attached the water supply line, but before replacing the back cover, I turned on the refrigerator, and let it cycle through it's first load of ice.

I turned off the water supply and disconnected the power. Then I removed the back cover plate and the two water lines. Fortunately the water lines are a different size so it is not confusing which line goes on each outlet. Then I loosened the two screws that fasten the valve assembly. It requires a nut driver with a flexible drive or a 1/4" socket set with a "U" joint. We were then able to disconnect the third water line on the back side of the valve assembly. I then reversed the sequence to install the new valve. The only difficulty is getting the screws started on the valve assembly.
The trouble shooting guide in the Kitchen-aid user manual is totally inadequate. I bought and replaced the whole icemaker unit when all I needed was the valve.

first bought new ice maker installed it-didn`t fix the problem. next bought fill tube kit and dual outlet vale -installed those ice maker works GREAT no leaks -no ice froze together in bend. thanks for the help GUYS.

Started the replacement of the existing dual outlet valve by removing cardboard covering the lower back of the refrigerator exposing the outlet valve. Closed the water supply valve at the wall. Removed the hose bibb water supply connection on the outlet valve by hand as it is only hand-tight. I used a small plastic container to catch the minimal amount of water left in the copper line. I removed the electrical connection on each solenoid valve (one for the in-door water supply and one for the icemaker supply). I removed the plastic supply lines from the outlet valve. I removed the screws on the bracket attaching the dual outlet valve to the refrigerator vertical rail. I reconnected the electrical connectors to the valve. I reattached the plastic supply lines to the valve, but did not tighten them fully at this point. I secured the bracket on the new valve to the existing screwholes on the refrigerator rail. The new outlet valve does not have a hose bibb connector, it has a compression fitting for the supply. I reused the existing copper supply line from the wall angle-stop valve to reconnect to the new outlet valve. (It would have been best to have cut the copper line and used a new furrel on the copper line). Note that the supply line now comes into the outlet valve from the top, not the rear as on the old valve, so now the dual outlet valve sticks out beyond the frame of the refrigerator. I tightened the nuts on the plastic supply lines on the valve. I had to cut the cardboard cover around the new outlet valve. Resecured the cardboard cover to the back of the frig. Checked for leaks, turned the icemaker on by lowering the shutoff arm, and after a few moments, the outlet valve opened, water flowed into the icemaker, and all is well.

I replaced the dual outlet valve and deiced the filler tube going to the ice maker. I removed the filler tube and ran hot water on it. I believe the old filler valve was leaking letting water slowly into the filler tube where it eventually froze solid.