Repairing Whirpool Kenmore Coldspot 106.57706701 Icemaker, Water Valve and Air Diffuser...

[WCelsiuss]

Hello, I am sharing my experience with my Kenmore ColdSpot model 106.57706701 which stopped making Ice. A quick diagnostics of modular icemaker revealed that the internal switch bending contact inside the commutator broke and fell down inside the box. Not sure if it shorted anything, but the heater on the mold was burned too. The plastic lamination on the ice reservoir also turned into flakes, so it was not repairable, and I replaced the entire assembly. On the side note, its mechanical design with fancy shaped bronze wires looked very strange in the age of PCBs and microcontrollers. Anyway, the replacement was not difficult thanks to appliantology site.

After that was done, I discovered that the "smart valve" for water inlet (part W10159839) was sometimes working and sometimes not. The diagnostics of this part is difficult as it uses microcontroller to control the relays that turn on icemaker and water dispenser valves integrated into the part. I also found that the greedy manufacturer made water tubing too short, and a small displacement of the valve assembly resulted in water leaks in water connectors. A deeper look into the problem revealed that the o-rings in the connectors are aged and their rubber shape was not round anymore. The replacement o-rings are somewhat rare - the ones needed for water and filter supply lines are "109 Silicone O-Ring, 70A Durometer, Red, 5/16" ID, 1/2" OD, 3/32" Width" and icemaker supply lines are "108 Silicone O-Ring, 70A Durometer, Red, 1/4" ID, 7/16" OD, 3/32" Width". After replacement of the o-rings the water leaks stopped. But both valves were not working, the icemaker and dispenser were dry. 

While the normal approach would be to replace the entire assembly, I checked the electronic board and found that there was no power on the microcontroller. The troubleshooting revealed that the drop of water around pin 1 of 3-pin connector (~24V AC in) electrolytically eroded the trace, and the trace between pin 1 of the connector and diode D5 was broken. The manufacturer attempted to apply conformal coating to the board, but there was no coating around the connector. Hopefully, I managed to repair the board and restore the operation of the valves. I am and electronics engineer and it was fun to troubleshoot it, but it may be not a type of repair anyone can do.

Finally, I found that the air diffuser assembly in the right top side of the refrigerator chamber is producing ticking sound, and the temperature in the refrigerator section is not regulated. I discovered that the gear in the motor in the assembly is slipping relative to the gear that moves (opens and closes) the vents between freezer and fridge. Unfortunately, I could not find the exact replacement part, but managed to repair it by slightly squeezing the gearbox by a wise.  As a permanent fix, I found that "Kenmore Refrigerator Air Diffuser Part # 2203079 WP2216112" can be used, but the cold air will go into the refrigerator directly, not through the vents in the rear of the refrigerator chamber. 

In general, I found that nearly every a part in this refrigerator failed in one way or another... I will not look at Kenmore and Whirlpool brands when I decide to replace the fridge. 

Since I needed some wiring diagrams, I am attaching them here in case someone would find it useful.