How to Troubleshoot & Replace Whirlpool AP5263471 / W10408179 Water Inlet Valve

Replaced the Water Inlet Valve. The first challenge was to remove the ice which was frozen solid all around the water tube and on the inside and outside of the ice maker. I did not defrost the fridge, just unplugged the fridge for short periods of time while working. I viewed several You Tube videos and used a hair dryer which allowed me to remove the ice cube dispenser (I moved all frozen food items to a spare refrigerator). I watched the videos and read a lot of the articles and customer reviews to determine the cause of my problem on AppliancePartsPros,com. I could not have done this job without this site. While things look easy in the video, I had to struggle with the two plastic retaining clips on the bottom of the ice maker unit and there is a clip that holds the power connector together. (As it turns out I did not have to remove the ice maker, I could have just melted all of the ice with the hair dryer but at the time I was not sure what was the cause of the problem. ). I checked with my Water Utility Company and learned the average water pressure is 60 psi or better which ruled out that as a possible cause, I ordered the Water Inlet Valve and the part arrived the next day. I was not sure about the model number so I placed the order by phone. The agent, Walt, helped me with the correct model number. I also used a piece of Weed eater line from the valve up to the ice maker to make sure there was no more ice but determined this was not necessary. The replacement of the valve was a snap as I did not have to cut the ends of the water lines. Also I purchased a cleaning brush for a few dollars which helped clean the coils underneath. 

Watched the video, ordered the part, Shazammm!! 

Make sure water is turned off to valve Using nut driver remove rear cover screws. Remove bracket holding water valve (2 screws). Have new valve handy, remove plastic tubing from old valve, by pushing down on plastic retainer, I used a pair of needle nose pliers. You just need to push down on plastic retainer from both sides, not crimp the hose. Tubing should pop free - push tubing into new valve using the same location it was removed from, you will feel it when it is seated all the way into new valve. Retainer will pop out and hold it into place. DO the same for remaining tubing. Remount new valve with 2 screws. Before replacing rear cover, turn on water and test for leaks and valve function. Replace rear cover. Slide Refrigerator back in place. For the truly paranoid place a piece of cardboard (long - so you can pull it out from the front) under the water valve to double check for leaks after unit is in place. No water on cardboard after a few hours, repair complete 

The first attempt was to replace the water filter cartridge, in-which air bubbles in the waterline will cause dripping. - didn't work. Next I ordered a 'Water Inlet Valve' the the ohm reading on the old unit was the same as the replacement unit, so I returned it. Struggle for the next month trying to find a solution. Ordered a second 'Water Inlet Valve' thinking it may be a mechanical problem instead of an electrical one, and that fixed it! No more dripping! 

Replaced the water inlet valve located in back of refrigerator. I am a 59 year old woman the trouble shooting was a little challenging. but the repair was quick 15 minutes. The delivery was so fast, overnight. Gave me the confidence to try other repairs when needed. 

Did some research and found that the water valve is situated on the back of the appliance and thus easily accessible. The documented replacement procedure was quite simple, and the part is reasonably priced. Three plug-in water tube connections, two plug-in electrical connections, and a few screws/bolts are all one needs to mess with. About an hour of my time and about $80 to correct the problem...the same repair would have cost $200-250 to have an appliance repairman come out. 

Replaced the Ice Maker Control Module to get the motor working. Replace the Water Inlet Valve to get the water to start re-entering the ice maker. Actual repair of both took about 40 minutes. But since the ice maker hasn't been used in over a year, it took 2+ hours for the first water to cycle into the ice maker. Would have been nice if the information about the possible 2 hr wait would have been on the instructions. This is the only reason this process received a 4 star versus a 5 star. Use flash light to observe as the water level rises in the tube running from inlet valve up the back of the refrigerator to ice maker. Everytime you hear the inlet valve kick in, it should rise. You'll are probably already aware of this but make sure the ice maker arm is in the on position. 

My 6 yr. old Whirlpool fridge stopped making ice and the in-door water dispenser trickled water and made clicking noises when depressed. Researched causes and ordered the water inlet valve and a new water filter ( I had never changed the filter before). Replaced these parts in about 25 minutes with help from the repair video...everything went easily into place. Had to disconnect the water line to the ice maker in order to thaw the ice build-up in the line after replacing the parts. Once the line was cleared, the ice maker started and I had a quiet steady stream of water coming from the water dispenser. It took longer to diagnose the problem and order the parts than it did to fix the fridge. 

I went to appliance parts pro for the part, viewed their repair video, and then ordered the part. When the part arrived, I again viewed the repair video, and step by step replaced the water inlet valve. Perfect instructions! 

All this occurred after our utility had to cut off our water for 2-3 hours. We almost ordered a new ice maker, but thankfully someone had their repair story posted. Based on that story, we ordered a new ice maker supply line and a new water inlet valve for our Kitchen Aid refrigerator. After turning off the water to the refrigerator we noticed that the water supply line had almost burst right above the ice maker, so we thawed that out with a hair dryer, then replaced that line first. Removed the Ice Maker. Then we located the water inlet valve, removed the old one and replaced it with the new one only after watching the video on your site. Reinstalled the ice maker and turned the water back on, no problems since and ice maker is working like new.