Your Kenmore Fridge Stopped Making Ice AND Water? Yeah, It's Probably the Inlet Valve

Your Kenmore refrigerator is just standing there looking smug — no water from the dispenser, no ice from the ice maker, just a whole lot of nothing.

What's Actually Going On

When both the water dispenser and the ice maker go out at the same time, that's your first clue. A lot of people panic and think they've got two separate problems, but bro — you almost certainly have one. The water inlet valve is the single part that controls water flow into your fridge for both functions. It's an electrically operated valve that opens when you press the dispenser lever or when the ice maker calls for water. When it fails, everything downstream dries up simultaneously.

On Kenmore refrigerators — especially the side-by-sides and French door models built around the Whirlpool platform — the valve that dies most often is 4389177. This is a dual-port inlet valve, meaning it feeds both the dispenser line and the ice maker line through two separate solenoids. One solenoid can actually fail while the other keeps working for a while, but usually by the time you're Googling "Kenmore ice maker stopped," both ports have given up the ghost.

Before you assume it's the valve, do a quick sanity check: make sure the water supply line behind the fridge is actually turned on, and check that your water filter isn't clogged enough to kill pressure. A severely restricted filter can mimic a dead valve. If the supply line has good pressure and the filter's been changed in the last six months, you've almost certainly got a failed Kenmore refrigerator water inlet valve situation on your hands.

The Fix

Here's how to swap out the 4389177 water inlet valve yourself. This is a legitimate beginner-to-intermediate DIY repair. You'll need a quarter-inch nut driver, pliers, and a towel for the water drips.

1. Unplug the refrigerator. Don't skip this. There are live electrical connections on the valve.
2. Shut off the water supply to the fridge using the valve on the supply line behind the unit.
3. Pull the fridge away from the wall enough to access the back lower panel.
4. Remove the lower rear access panel — usually four to six screws with a quarter-inch nut driver.
5. Locate the inlet valve. It's where the supply line connects into the fridge, typically bottom-left on the back panel. You'll see the plastic water lines and two wire harness connectors going into it.
6. Disconnect the wire harnesses — squeeze the tabs and pull straight out. Take a phone photo first so you know which connector goes where.
7. Disconnect the water supply line from the inlet side and the plastic outlet lines from the fridge side. Have your towel ready — there will be residual water.
8. Remove the mounting screw(s) holding the valve bracket to the cabinet and pull the old valve out.
9. Install part 4389177**** in reverse order. Snug the fittings — don't gorilla them.
10. Restore water and power, then give it 15-20 minutes before testing the dispenser. Ice maker will take a few hours to cycle its first batch.

The 4389177 runs right around $35-$45 depending on where you grab it. We keep it in stock at the Piedmont shop because it's one of the most common Kenmore refrigerator water inlet valve calls we get.

When to Call YAP vs DIY

DIY it if you're comfortable with basic hand tools and following steps — this repair has no refrigerant, no complex wiring, and no special equipment required. Most folks finish it in under 45 minutes.

Call or swing by YAP if you've confirmed good water pressure, replaced the filter, swapped the valve, and the no water dispenser Kenmore problem is still happening — at that point you may have a control board issue and you'll want to talk it through before throwing more parts at it.

Come grab part 4389177 at the Yukon Appliance Parts shop in Piedmont, or text us at 405-876-8100 and we'll have it ready for you.