How to remove an ice maker from a whirlpool refrigerator

A nonworking icemaker does nothing but take up precious space in the freezer. You could use that space for ice trays to make the ice that the icemaker obviously failed to make. You can remove the offending icemaker from the freezer, even if you do not have a replacement for it. Since the icemaker is not a permanent feature in the refrigerator, you can disconnect it almost as easily as unplugging a lamp from the wall.

1. 1.

   Reach behind your refrigerator and unplug it from the electrical wall outlet, instructs Easy Ice. Pull the unit from the wall to access the water line and valve.

2. 2.

   Close the water valve by turning the valve handle clockwise until it stops. Place a bucket behind the refrigerator. Loosen the compression nut holding the water line to the valve with pliers. Pull the water line off the valve and place it in the bucket to let any water drain from the line.

3. 3.

   Coil the water line. Secure the water line to the back of the refrigerator with duct tape.

4. 4.

   Open the freezer and move any food items on the shelf directly beneath the icemaker. Turn off the icemaker by raising the wire arm, or if your unit has a power switch, turn the switch to the “Off” position.

5. 5.

   Pull the ice bucket from the freezer to expose the body of the icemaker, advises Refrigerators Reviewed. Look for the two 1/4-inch hex-head bolts holding the icemaker to the freezer wall. They are located above the ice tray at each end of the icemaker.

6. 6.

   Loosen the two bolts with a 1/4-inch nut-driver. Lift the icemaker up slightly to disengage the brackets from the bolts. Pull the icemaker from the freezer to expose the wiring harness connecting the icemaker wires to the refrigerator’s electrical system.

7. 7.

   Press down on the ends of the locking tabs on each side of the harness with your fingers. This lifts the tabs to allow you to pull apart the wiring harness and complete the disconnection of the icemaker.

8. 8.

   Wrap the end of the wiring harness left inside the freezer in several layers of electrical tape. Tape the harness to the rear wall of the freezer with a piece of duct tape.

9. 9.

   Reach behind the refrigerator to plug it back into the electrical outlet. Push the refrigerator back into its original position against the wall.

   Things You Will Need

   • Bucket

   • Pliers

   • Duct tape

   • 1/4-inch nut-driver

   • Electrical tape

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Repair and disassembly guides for food cooling appliances including refrigerators, freezers and fridge-freezers.

1606 Questions View all

How to take off cover plate on ice dispenser front door

I need to replace the plastic ice guide that is an outside part of the ice dispenser on the front door on my Whirlpool refrigerator ED5NTQXKT00.

I need to know how to remove the front cover (without breaking it) to access the ice guide.

Does it pop off or slide up,down, sideways?

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Chosen Solution

Jacob, check on here and see if this looks familiar :) good luck with your ice....http://www.applianceaid.com/ken_whirl_di...

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Run a flat blade screwdriver along the bottom edge to find each of 2 recessed areas to slip the blade into where you can twist and pry. They're each about 1.5 inches from the left and right edges. Once you have it free then pull out and up at the bottom to clear the face panel from the upper lip. There is no need to pull out anywhere but the bottom once it snaps free after using a screwdriver as a pry tool. The wiring connector has a tab that you need to get a fingernail under. The tab might be on the side hidden from view until you twist the harness to see it if necessary. Pull apart the electrical harness connector once the tab is free. The face panel can then be set aside.

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Solution: I have a whirlpool side by side GC3SHAXV02 but there are many other brands and models like mine that the ice chute replacement kit doesn't show how to completely remove the display panel. I decided after 6 months of searching to just push on and see if I could remove it at the risk of doing damage! Removing the lower clips with the normal process is valid but there are 3 more clips that I found. They are tucked up under the lower edge of the display face. There are 3 clips and if you get a flashlight and look just up under the overhanging face plate with a mirror or forward facing camera face you will see them. You just pop them down and out. Mine were black, clipped into a white piece. You need to pop these off after the 2 normal bottom clips are already popped loose. The other thing I found about the Chute replacement kit is that for my refrig the ground wire didn't reach the same screw as the control panel ground. I needed to do 2 things. I pulled it off the metal chute piece and reattached it to the right edge to help it reach better and the other thing was change the screw hole on the frig to the upper hole as there were 2 identical holes to screw the ground wire to the frig. I also had to make sure the wire didn't interfere with the water dispenser mechanism. One last thing - My frig had 3 tabs instead of 2. 1 tab was to simply keep the pin in place instead of needing the little retainer clip that the kit doesn't come with and they tell you to hold on to. Well you can either get a clip and break off all 3 tabs but I simply left the 3rd tab as is and it works great.

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How do I disconnect my refrigerator ice maker?