Excellent story from James M. • Williamsburg, VA
Turn off water to ice maker and unplug refrigerator. Unload bottom freezer. Trays/baskets all lift out. Press white plastic side lock (one each side, inside the freezer) to unlock the metal drawer slides and carefully pull out the drawer and slides as a single unit. No tools needed, you don't need to disassemble the drawer or slides. Now that you have room to work, remove ice maker by removing 2 screws at front, pull forward, then unplug unit. Remove flexible silicon water guide on the front end of the pipe (push from back of flex guide is easier/safer than pull from front) Unplug heater connection. Go to rear of fridge and locate the plastic water line leading to bottom freezer. Remove back cover (2 screws) and 2 screws holding in the pipe. Pull the entire 12 inch pipe assembly out the back. Unscrew and remove the water connection with your fingers. Clip plastic tie wrap at front end of pipe holding wires. Carefully slide off insulation (it is a tube shape) to expose foil covered heating element. Work carefully so you don't tear the insulation sleeve. You do not need to remove the tape on the insulation. Note the position of the wires to the plug. Peel off old heating element. Take off adhesive protective cover on new heating element. Line it up like the one you just removed and then stick it firmly into place. You want good contact of all heating wires to the pipe. Slide the insulation cover sleeve back on. Use a new tie-wrap to hold the wires in place. Slide this whole assembly back into the freezer from the back of the fridge. Attach the water line (finger tight) and then secure in place with 2 screws. Replace back cover with 2 screws. Back inside the freezer you need to plug in the heater wires and push the flexible water guide back onto the front end of the pipe. The opening in the water guide must face down. Plug in the ice maker wire connector first, then slide the top of the ice maker back into the two round brackets at the rear. Secure with the two screws at the front. Carefully slide the door assembly back in until the door closes. Pull it back out enough to reach the front edge of the metal drawer slides. Push those back in until the side locks snap into the frame of the drawer slides. Replace the bins, turn on the water, plug in the fridge.