FRIDGE ICEMAKER HOW IT WORKS - TOTAL DIAGNOSTIC GUIDE
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- Опубликовано: 6 авг 2024
- Fridge Ice Maker How It Works - Total Diagnostic Guide. Here's a video on how to diagnose the ice maker from it not producing ice, to small ice cubes, to there being ice in the ice maker but its not coming out. In this guide we will take apart the ice maker and see what's inside these ice makers.
I wouldn't want anyone to be forced to have a room temperature drink, If you find yourself in this situation, just follow this easy to use diagnostics.
This style of ice maker for the most part is found in Whirlpool, Kitchen aid, Maytag, Amana types of fridges. If the freezer is cold enough, and the shut off arm is on the icemaker should be working. The water valve can be bad, so its not supplying water, so I've added a little diagnostic for that problem also.
If you would like to purchase this ice maker to replace yours you can follow this link fix.pxf.io/B0rA7q
Chapters
00:00 Fridge Ice Maker How It Works - Total Diagnostic Guide
00:53 How to take out icemaker
01:50 Pre checks for diagnostics
03:16 Taking apart ice maker to diagnose further
12:19 Dismantling ice maker
#appliancerepair #epicfixin #icemaker 
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Thanks for watching, Let me know if you have attempted this video on your ice maker, and weather it helped at all. Hit that like button if you liked the video, or it was helpful for you also. Have a great day!!
Awesome, I had already pulled it all apart and fixed a broken circuit, but it still wasn't working. After watching your video though, I was able to know for sure that the heater was going bad also, so thanks!
@@justgoaz thanks for watching, and I'm glad you got it fixed!!
Video very helpful in troubleshooting my Whirlpool ice maker thanks again.
@@tammiehavens7480 thanks for watching, I'm glad the video helped you out.
Thanks for this in-depth ice maker troubleshooting video - very helpful, led me to pinpoint the failure of mine to a bad motor.
Thank you for this thorough video. My issue is the over filling of the ice tray, and your description of the little turny thing has helped me to figure it out. Only thing is I had already turned that piece and was not keeping track of my rotations, so now I’ll have to watch and wait!
Caroline Chang thanks for watching, I'm glad the video helped maybe even after the fact.
Best presentation on ice makers I was able to find, thank you!
Thanks for watching silviuconstantin, I'm glad it could help you. Was there anything I missed?
Great video. Very detailed. Thanks for taking the time to produce it. The music in the background was distracting to me however. I had to keep rewatching it to understand what you were saying.
Thank you for the feedback, it is greatly appreciated. Thanks for watching!!
Try using Closed Captions.
Greg great Job on explaining how to troubleshoot ice maker. So far your the only one who has shown how to do this. I learned a couple things I wasn’t aware of. I’m honing to check my refrigerator now. Thanks again. David
Glad it helped, thanks for watching
Thank you brother. I usually wouldn't comment on anything but you're awesome in your effort and explanation. Keep up the good work.
Thank you so.much for the feedback, thanks for watching!!
Hi Greg since last time I watched your video I took out my ice maker out, Kenmore model 106.58422700, I removed the cover off, the shot off arm then I looked for any corrosion did not see any then I removed the cam arms then aha moment happened 🤔 there were contactors with heavy arch buildups. Once I sanded them the contact surfaces it worked like a charm. Thanks again for your time and a great video.
Focus 737 That is good to hear, thanks for watching again!!
Thank you for the thorough diagnosis possibilities. I think you helped us fix our ice maker based off different senerios you gave.
Thank you for watching Jessica Saunders, and I'm glad I could help.
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@@cecilgibbs6817 thats a good idea for a video, ill try and find one I can work on.
Informative video. Pretty sure I have a bad thermostat. I will know in a couple of hours. The motor and heater checked out good.
Thanks
Thanks for watching barney Howard!! Glad I could help.
Great detailed video Greg. Thank's for doing it.
When I checked the resistance values they were way lower than they should have been.
New ice maker on order!
your very welcome!
Very helpful video. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for watching Concerned patriot.
Thanks so much for making this video! My only regret is not finding it sooner! My ice maker is getting too much water, creating a layer of ice on top of cubes. This must occur after dumping the cubes, as they are free immediately after dumping. Another video on here explained it may be the inlet valve and/or the filter assembly. Then another pointed to the defrost thermostat. After replacing all these at considerable expense and no fix, I found your video. My next step is to adjust the amount of water into the area. Hope it works! Thanks again!
Thanks for watching ni4cx6gc5h, yep sounds like an adjustment is needed, let me know how it goes. You got this!
Thanks for the video! Helped me diagnose mine. You could get it to cycle by t to h, but wouldn't intiate the water valve. L to v would run the valve though. What I found was 1 of the contacts that extend through to the slides on the back of the big gear was broken. Ordered a new ice maker.
Thanks for watching kraftzion, and yes thats the case with these things either the contact arms break or weld themselves shut. Good job!
GREAT video !! very comprehensive... I learned a lot ... especially taking apart mechanism and mentioning what each "test hole" is for including resistance and voltage if there is any. Sure don't want to purchase a new (expensive) part only to find out the problem was somewhere else. I wish I could find electrical schematics for this and other appliances; it would sure make troubleshooting so much easier.
Thanks for watching Jeff Karr, and thank you for the great feedback.
@@Thomasappliance On most appliances, if you look long enough, there's usually a wiring schematic somewhere hidden in a place you'd never look.
@@jumpercable20 true enough
Hey man, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! I'm used to the little metal set screw, so 10:40 for anyone looking for the water fill screw....
Thanks for watching Joerichmar, and I'm glad the video could help you out.
@@Thomasappliance Maybe you'll know the answer to this. So the water flow is slow on my Kenmore elite side-by-side. Its probably the filter. If I just remove the filter, will the ice make and dispenser still work? I lost the filter cap, but can still remove the filter.
@@joerichmar6041 if you take the filter out the water shouldn't work, to either. You have to have a bypass cap or filter in place.
Thank you Greg, second time pulling the ice maker after seeing your video I decided I needed to inspect contact points under the cover and wala there it was. Over time moisture caused the heater terminal in the inside of the cover to arch and burn eventually causing it to😀 short and stop working. You Did a nice job of identifying ALL the test points on the exterior cover. Again thank you, everything got a good inspection and cleaning also. Jayme
I'm glad you got it figured out. And thanks for watching Monty Piethon!
Thank you so much! I was able to diagnose my ice maker and only need a new arm. Once I removed the modulator and turned the arm holder it began working…. So I don’t need a whole new ice maker. Keep up the great work!
That's awesome, good job diagnosing.
Than you Greg. Your presentation here is excellent. Actually, it is very calming with your voice and nice background music. I just replaced the Whirlpool icemaker in my Kenmore fridge and I couldn't resist dissecting the old one to learn about what makes it tick. What led me here is the new one is not working and I am trying to learn as much as I can to troubleshoot the reason. The water valve works as I disconnected it from the fridge and jumped it with 120V. The solenoid actuated and the icemaker water tray filled. I am at a loss as to why it is still not working.
Thanks for watching hootinouts, do you have 120v between l and n on the icemaker head?
Very helpful, now I can start troubleshooting!
Glad I could help! Thanks for watching!!
Great tips! Had a frozen fill tube. Jumpered ice maker to rotate it and it refiled.
Some fridges there is a fill tube heater kit to make sure that won't happen
pretty clear thanks for this Greg big help
Thanks for watching softmetals, and thanks for the great feedback!!
Totally awesome video on ice maker you help me troubleshoot my ice maker on my Whirlpool identical ice maker turns out I'm going to have to get a new ice maker I guess but thank you so much for your video
😭
Great details on trouble shooting, very nice video. Thanks man 👍👍
Thanks for watching sami4chicago, thanks for thr kind words!
Thank You !!!!! I just installed a new ice maker for my Mother and it was doing nothing. I watched 30 install and trouble shooting videos and waited and waited. Now I got the whole kit which included new water valve , box , lever , everything. I would probably be knee deep in water trying to change the water valve if you had not explained the internal thermostat. I had washed the tray out with very hot water before I installed it so that may have made it take a little longer to get going. Your video gave me the patience to wait and now it seems to be working. It is full of water now and my fingers are crossed that it will just work fine now. Thanks again.
Thanks for watching Jerry P., thats awesome hopefully it stays running, good job!
@@Thomasappliance Yeah it's putting out ice now ! Mom is happy LOL all that matters.
@@jerrypeevey thats great
Thank you very much for the detailed video. Very helpful. Have a nice day, I'm a subscriber now.
Thanks for watching genescarfone, and for the awesome feedback.
Holy Smoke! Your video is so thorough that I just got a part-time gig repairing ice makers at a high-end appliance store! Lol. I am going to check your other videos! It's a euphoric feeling to know how to troubleshoot problems! Very informative!
Mine made the ice, but it's not dumping them. It's the heater, but I tested it. It's around 73...so good. If I reset it manually and it rotates the dial, the arms move down and dump the ice. So...what's next?
Thanks for watching dentistmomchef, lol thank you. I would check the mold, a lot of them were known to peel, when it looses its slipperyness the ice dont seem to want to come out.
thanks Greg , good information
Thanks for watching integrity5264, and for the awesome feedback.
Great video, thank you!!!
No problem at all, I hope it helped you out.
Good job, you went through it all it’s awesome. Keep up the great work thank you.
Thanks for the great feedback, I hope the video helped
very informative. And well done .
Thank you for the great feedback, I hope it helped!
Very good and helpful thanks
Thanks for watching dbernstein, and I'm glad the video helped.
Thanks for the great video. I have a Kitchenaid KSR225ILWHo2 Side by Side which is about 20 years old. The ice had just stopped. I have to remove the unit to try the jumper test and the motor did not turn. Taking the entire unit to my bench, I discovered the motor resistance was 4400 Ohm not 8000 so I assumed this was the issue. There were no other issues I could see or test results bad. I replaced the entire section 106626640 using part Supco IMM8366. ($25 Amazon). The new motor had resistance 8200 Ohm. I was stumped when I hooked up the new unit and jumpered the HT I still could not get it to turn. My unit has in LED ice level and this tested fine. I held both switches and the unit would not turn. As a last effort I just installed the unit, hooked everything up and to my amazement it started producing ice in about 20 min. I am very happy of course with the repair but am stumped on why this worked. I was ready to take the unit out and start the entire diagnostic test using the board but didn't need to do this. Maybe a video on how to do this for us non expert home repairers. Thanks again for the great video and taking time for us repair wannabes!
Thanks for watching Mark Confer, thats great you got it going. Sometimes I find after everything is installed I have to reset the whole system, usually i do this by unplugging the fridge for a couple min and plugging back in. I dont know why this works but it seems to reset everything and then everything works as it should.
Thanks for the tips. Mine just stopped making ice, pulled ice maker and the fill cup was frozen. Defrosted that, put back ice maker but still no ice. Watched your video and the jumper portion appeared to fix my problem. Removed jumper Mine has a black housing with one wire coming into it that plugs into the portion that was jumpered. Motor turned and water filled ice tray. Hopefully it will continue to work!
Thanks for watching Bob Love, hopefully it stays going for you!
Thanks Greg very informative and detailed instructions. Appreciate your time to make this video. Two Questions: 1) Is it possible to increase ice production if so how? 2) near the main gear looks like adjustment screw and also a nother one near top right face cover mount screw, what are they for. Thank you in advance answering my question.
Thanks for watching, if you go to around 10:40 in the video, is where I talk about the fill adjust.
Thanks again I appreciate it. It turns out those two adjustment screws 2nd part question, so I thought, are actually are pivot points for the bucket arm etc.
@@FOCUS-777 yes exactly, once the head is taken off you can see a little better what everything is tied to.
Word to the wise. Replace the whole unit. The tray coating wears and pits. If power is at the head and you jump to make it cycle and it does not. Replace the unit. Very informative video.
Thanks for watching Most Likely We Do It Services, and yes you are quite right on that one.
This video is amazing
Thank you for the great feedback, and thanks for watching Gooksta!
Outstanding.
Thanks for watching trickhealey, and thanks for the feedback.
@@Thomasappliance thank YOU! Definitely helped me with my ice maker. I did not think to jump T and H to get it to cycle. Thing had somehow lost its way, had a valve issue a little while ago, sorted that out but then the darn thing refused to cooperate. Your video was just what I needed to understand the whole thing. Right to the point all killer no filler.
My Whirlpool fridge stopped dispensing water and ice. After all kinds of searching it was the filter. The pin on the end of the filter (water inlet/outlet end) was too long. IT works the bypass(?). Anyway, I trimmed off 1/16 of an inch and solved my problem. On another video people where c/o the same thing and someone said trimming the pin worked for him and it worked for me......after going through a whole lot of other items. Loads of people are having problems with the filters fitting properly. Good luck and thanks for all the suggestions.
Thanks for watching Steve zelev. I haven't heard of that fix but I'm going to look into it because that sounds interesting.
Thank you for the great video. I liked you didn’t rush your talking so one can understand and able to follow your reasoning.
I’d like to suggest to you explore more troubleshooting the inlet water valve to the ice maker.
Also you mentioned regarding the feeding pipe frozen but didn’t explore troubleshooting it.
I have a frozen pipe that feeds the ice maker. What’s the cause?
Thank you Greg Thomas
Thanks for watching imadbedros, your very welcome, that was one of my first videos so I was panicking a little that it was way too long do some things got cut. I just came out with a video on a ge fridge where I just diagnose the water system. With the frozen pipe it's very difficult because these ice makers go in hundreds of different fridges, which all have different fill systems, some actually have in tube heaters you can buy for this issue.
Thanks for this great info! On my icemaker, the motor resistance between points L and M measures only ~200-500 ohms. But when I unscrew and take the head off, the motor resistance is correct at ~6300 ohms. What does that mean? Something is interfering with the motor when plugged in?
Sounds like probably just build up at connections but the head could definitely be faulty. Thanks for watching Eric Wong.
Hello Greg I agree with the comments I see great video. I have a whirlpool domestic refrigerator with ice maker in my RV. The units has worked great for two years up until I went to winterize it a couple days ago and now the water valve does not seem to be filling/opening. My question is does this thermostat that will not let the icemaker work until it gets down to 0 interrupt power to the test terminal L? I was not getting 110v at L but I was reading something like 58v. I am using a good fluke meter.
Thanks for watching John Howell! I would check at the wiring coming into ice maker if there is 120v there then the icemaker inside has resistance and will need to be changed, if you get the same voltage you had before you know the board that supplies power to the ice maker is bad.
@@Thomasappliance
Thank you for this great video! The ice maker in my refrigirator was not working when I moved in my apt and I didn't bother to fix then! Today, I decided to try to fix it, but no luck! This ice maker doesn't have those two holes to use the jumper wire. My guess is that there is power issue. Maybe the inlet valve? Please advise. The refrigirator model is: General Electric GTH18XCT2RWW
On that model you can hold in the door switch and push the panel just on the bottom of the ice maker in 3 times and then let go of the door switch, this will force the unit into manual cycle. If it doesn't run you can check for power to ice maker. If there is power but it won't run you will have to replace ice maker. But before doing all that make sure there is no off switch somewhere that turns the ice maker off. Thanks for watching Saeed Hasanzadeh
Great video! I'm trying to adjust the amount of water coming into the ice maker. The model you have and I have also does not have an adjustable screw. Is there another way to reduce the water amount?
Thanks
On most ice makers there is an adjustment, some fancy fridges you can change the amount through the service mode on the fridge. Thanks for watching Foster Carr!!
Easily the best icemaker video on RUclips. Thank you. My icemaker will attempt to cycle manually, but cannot budge the ice, so my suspicion is a bad heater, but I will also pull the module and check the points just in case. And now I know how to test the resistance on the heater. On my second icemaker, probably about to be a third.
Thanks for watching and your kind words whoisjohngalt, these icemakers just aren't made too well. Good job doing this yourself!!
couldnt thank you enough... my motor was working but it read 50ish ohms. i didnt believe it so i took three mm's out... turns out it was @ 55ish ohms. ordering a new unit, wish me luck!
Thanks for watching Enjie Grows, glad you could diagnose it, good job!
Thanks for your video Greg. I have a question about the input voltage. It measures zero on my icemaker. Is there a fuse inline for this input voltage. I seem to remember that there is an inline fuse in the 120 volt wiring harness. Can you let me know if there is.
Thanks,
Dave K
Thanks for watching David Kling, some icemakers do in the incoming wiring and some don't, it would just depend on the year and model of the ice maker.
One thing you left out was the small nylon screw on the side is to adjust the size of the cubes.If they are too large.turn it clockwise.maybe a quarter turn. It took me a few videos to find this out. Mine was over filling and causing problems. Good video though.
Thanks for watching Elton Yancey, From 10:40-12:10 I explain all about the adjuster for incoming water. It isn't used very often but sometimes its needed.
Gracias no sabía para que era
Great video Greg , my ice maker stopped mid-cycle. I'm thinking about 120 degrees from a complete cycle. Any thoughts would be appreciated. thanks Greg
Sounds like the ice cubes aren't releasing from the mold when the heater is turned on. It could be calcium build up or the paint could be peeling causing the cubes to stick. Thanks for watching Linda Mcnett!!
Hi, good job explaining how the ice maker works...I believe you forgot to mention is to make sure the fridge is level, or water might spill into the bucket.
Yes, you are right. There's so many things that can affect an ice maker or fridge in general.
Very helpful, my fridge stops producing ice every few weeks or so ice cubes get frozen to the arm and Jams it up. What could that be ?
Sounds like its a little too cold in the ice maker section, or the mold has a coating on it and it is worn off, causing the ice to stick. Thanks for watching Dillan Clymer.
Does the thermostat have to be closed in order for the motor to run when jumping T & H?
Great informative video, thank you if I want to remove the ice maker and not replace it, do I need to seal the electric socket, or I can keep it exposed.
Some have covers, and some don't. So don't worry about it if you don't have one. Thank you so much for watching, and the great feedback. Iam iam.
@@Thomasappliance Thank you again for your reply, I appreciate it.
@@iamiam1425 I'm just glad I could help
Great video! Thanks. My ice maker is identical to the one you have shown here. My fridge is Whirlpool ET18PKXGW01 All the tests you gave says ice maker is good to go including the heater. EXCEPT the only way I can get it to dump the ice is with a hair dryer. It is as if the heater doesn't work, but it tests just fine. so???? What replacement ice maker to order for my fridge. I appreciate the assistance.
Thanks for watching Hank Goodness! Sounds maybe like the thermostat possibly or the ice maker head, either way its a new icemaker.
Hank, Greg, I have EXACTLY the same issue :-) Identical icemaker as the one in the video, and all of the tests check out, including resistance of 72 ohms on the heater. It fills the ice tray, but is too frozen to release them. About a minute with a hairdryer, and it’s able to push them out. Just curious if you ever found a fix for this or replaced the icemaker as Greg mentioned? Thanks in advance!
@@dglasgo1 I ended up replacing the ice maker.
@@HankGoodness Thanks for the reply! I’ll try the same. Have a good one!
Thanks Greg. I have a 20 year old Kitchenaid refer and the ice maker appears identical to the one in your video. Both the ice maker and water dispenser did not work. I disassembled the existing water inlet valve and determined that the valve was bad. I went ahead and replaced the water inlet valve. At this point my water dispenser is now fully functional, but the ice maker is still not filling with water. I took out the hair dryer and cleared out the frozen water line serving the ice maker. I put it all back together and expected the water to fill the ice tray. Unfortunately it did not. My hunch is that the water inlet valve switch within the control module is faulty. How would you suggest testing the water inlet valve switch to determine if it is indeed faulty? I have to assume that the water inlet valve is good based on the fact I only replaced a week ago.
Thanks for watching Ben Bessert, first off is it a single valve system or one valve for ice maker and one for the water dispenser?, can you put the ice maker into a harvest?, if so then put ice maker into harvest, run around behind the fridge and test for power to the water valve, if no power the board or ice maker is bad, if there is power see if the water valve is actuating. If it is then the lines can be plugged or there is air in the system which on some fridges is very hard to get rid of.
Hey, GREAT VIDEO. Thanks. Can’t believe all the complaints. Question is how it’s mounted? Should it be level or tilted towards the front of the freezer?
Thanks for watching Mark Padykula, the ice maker should be level in the freezer. And thanks for the great feedback.
@@Thomasappliance I’m still getting ice blocks in the ice basket. Water dial is turned all the way down. Sounds like it fills too much. Any ideas?
@@markpadykula2409 its a timed cycle from the ice maker head. The only way that can be overcome is if the water valve is sticking.
Nice video Greg - thank you. This confirms that my ice maker mechanism is working properly. My problem seems to be ice build up in the fill tube (mine doesn't have a funnel). This has happened several times and it results in water running down the insides of the refrigerator and out onto the floor. Any ideas what could cause the fill tube to become blocked with ice? I'm wondering if the fill valve might not be closing completely, thereby allowing a trickle to flow constantly.
Thanks for watching, and yes that is usually the issue, the water valve doesn't fully close or over fills the ice mold.
@@Thomasappliance Thanks for the reply.
Mine is this exact model. The ice cube tray is full, the on/off arm is down, and the gear is trying to move but doesn't seem to be able to. It makes a sort of grinding/clicking noise. The heating element is heating as well. I can't figure out how to make the arm turn to empty the ice cube tray.
Laura Selby sometimes the arm gets caught on the mold, the best way to see is to pull ice maker out melt the ice and see if anything is jamming it up. Thanks for watching!!
Thanks for the video. I've been at war with my ice maker for far too long. First the inlet spout would freeze up every few days and I had to use a turkey baster and boiling water to thaw it out. I turned the temp up to see if that would help. Then the inlet would overflow and run icicles all the way to the bottom. I changed the water valves and get water to the door but now the icemaker doesn't cycle at all. I turned the temp back down to see if that would help. It didn't. So I jumped the T and H, nothing. I have a few old icemakers in the shed so I'm going in. Hopefully I can find the problem and have some parts. The old ones I have are for the side and mine is for the door but they look very similar.
Thanks for watching House Bill, good luck getting it going again, you're on the right track.
@@Thomasappliance The problem I found is I don't have 120 volts from the fridge to the icemaker. The control lights are flashing correctly. L-N is reading nothing and so is the harness coming from the fridge.
@@unti419 that could very well get into a board issue or broken wire problem.
@@Thomasappliance Thanks. Most of the wire problems I've read or watched were where the ice make was in the door and the wiring went thru the hinge. Mine is stationary in the fridge. I'm going to try to find a good tech, they are scarce here. Thanks again and keep up the good work,
@@unti419 thanks for keeping me up to date, hopefully everything works out ok.
Hey Greg,
I replace my ice maker all the power is correct at all test points but it will not trigger an auto fill with water. I can manually fill it by jumping but it won’t do it automatic even after a full cycle of the motor
Is the freezer cold enough to trigger a cycle? Did the new ice maker come with a new thermostat?
Forgot something about my Kitchenaid french 3 door the ice maker does not have an adjustment for tray water fill.
Hi there, excelent explaining. I did all that in my whirlpool french type fridge. Everything inculuding water valve is good. The only problem is that water is not coming in ice maker. By the way when filling manually and test with jump wire ice maker works good. Therefore kindly tell how to make water come to ice maker.
First thing to check is when you jump it to run a cycle does the water valve do anything when it should be filling?
Hello Greg. Question. My ice maker is identical to this one. what it's started to do is Freeze up I guess. If you leave it in the on position it cycles normally. If you turn it off or goes w/o cycling for awhile, say the bin is full , when it cycles again, it struggles very hard to push the ice out. The motor just sits there and creaks as it trys to push out the ice. I actually had to defrost w/ a hair dryer to get it going the last time. Heater ohms ck fine. Thoughts ? Thanks.
Thanks for watching Monteric!, the mold that the water sits in can build up with calcium causing it to stick, or the mold can peel which I've seen too. Both would cause the heater to not be as affective also.
Greg- thanks! You have no idea how helpful your video has been! In these cases, do you replace just the tray, the heater or whole icemaker? Thanks again!
Great video with great detail. My ice maker is stuck about 1/4 of the way into the harvest cycle and shorting T-H does not force a harvest cycle. There is no power between L-N. Since I removed the ice maker there no water/ice in the mold. Does ice need to be in the mold to force a harvest cycle?
There is no sensor in the ice maker that tells it there is water in the mold. It sounds like the ice maker may just be toast. Thanks for watching Ron Paraggio!
@@Thomasappliance Thanks for replying. Prior to the current state, I was able to manually cycle the ice maker and it produced ice for a day. Then it stopped a little less than 1/4 of the way into the cycle with the ice ejector pointing down. There appears to be only 13 VAC at the connector on the back wall of the freezer with the ice maker disconnected. I would expect to see 120VAC or almost 0VAC. Does this mean something failed in the fridge itself? Thanks for your help. Ron
@@ronparaggio8197 no problem at all, some fridges you have to have the door switch closed when checking for power to ice maker.
@@Thomasappliance I have the freezer door switch taped closed. Can you think of any other reason why the voltage at the back of the freezer is so low and where to look if I pull out the fridge and look in the back?
@@ronparaggio8197 at this point the problem could be further down in a board maybe, this is where things get tough and you need either a diagnostic sheet for your fridge or a wiring diagram. Every fridge does different things electrically to get power up to the icemaker.
Would have liked to have seen you point out how to check the voltage at the connector. There are 5 wires there and I'm not sure which should have voltage.
Overall a good video though.
Thanks for the feedback Wayne Hearn. Thanks for watching.
Is it cold enough to produce ice ? As I told you, I need to replace the digital system in a WHIRPOOL for an analog one and was worried about how to keep the ice maker producing ice without any refrigerant gas pipe going into its system. So, that means that the only thing I have to worry about is to have the voltage, and the water....am I right ? Thanks for your fast response, I will be waiting again for this question. Thanks and I am following you to get all your great explanations. Ramon Perera, Miami
I'm not sure I completely understand, what digital system are you replacing for a analog one? The ice maker won't run if it's not cold enough in the freezer, hopefully that's what your asking.
@@Thomasappliance Thanks again for responding....I am trying to convert a digital WHIRLPOOL WRF555SDFZ08 to analog, because the board has failed more than once, and you know they are expensive.. This model has the freezer in the bottom part and the ice maker on the upper part of the machine...so it is difficult for me to understand that only the cold air from the bottom will make the ice maker to work. Understand that I am new in this field and always thought there was a gas pipe going to the ice maker. To have this clear will allow me to start the whole system, including the ice maker just by having 120 volts and not using any low voltages from the digital board. The same if the motors in the dispenser work with 120, it would be just a matter of changing connections. I know maybe it is not the best thing to do, but I do not want to spend any more money in a very sofisticated system. What I need is to have cold water and ice. Thanks for your patience and understanding. Continue being GREAT, Greg....Love what you are doing for us.
Thanks for the video my arm will not shut off 😞 but it does work on the On position
Thanks for watching Aaron Guerrero, is the arm sitting right in the head, if yes then the head has some issue.
What can I do ? How do I fix the arm so it turns off ?
@@aaronguerrero4753 its probably easier to take the whole ice maker out and see whats going on. Just be careful putting it back in that everything goes back where it belongs.
@@Thomasappliance I took the ice maker apart as recommended. it turned out the plastic inside that holds the arm was not set correctly. Your video shows how it should look and used as guide to reset my piece . Thanks for the awesome video , I just hope the ice maker continues to work after I put it back together , if not I'll be in touch
@@aaronguerrero4753 thats awesome, good job. Hope the rest goes well.
I made an attempt to do what u did. It did start spinning the arm and filling with water. I'll know tomorrow morning if it worked.
Thanks for watching dand, hopefully it works out!! Let me know
@@Thomasappliance it got stuck on an ice cube but yeah it worked. I used a piece of copper washer and bent it to shape and soldered it in
@@dand7056 sounds like the heater isn't coming on properly
I just replaced mine with a non-OEM unit. The plug was wrong, easily swapped with the OEM that was leaking at the tray in a couple of spots. The cubes are slightly smaller. The heater actually has a cover so there are no accidental shocks to the back of the hand. It happened to me once.
The aftermarket unit cost 65 bucks. The OEM is $130 from Whirlpool. I’m battling the water level. It over filling so much that the fingers can’t dislodge the ice. I gave it a 1/4 turn clockwise to reduce the flow time.
I saw a video where the guy was talking about the overfilling is due to water pressure. He didn’t say anything about a time for the valve to open. I didn’t watch the whole video. It would be nice if the small dial on the side had markings for -/+. A lot of the “water level adjustments” videos have the screw on the face of the module, upper right of the dial. I had a 50/50 shot in getting it right. Your video confirms I did get it right.
Thanks for watching Dave B, and for the great feedback.
My on/off arm won't go all the way down, like it's stuck half way, although it will go up all the way to off. So if it doesn't go down, it won't cycle or anything else. I tried all your tests. Do you know if there is a reason the arm won't go down to "on"?
If the arms haven't rotated back to the resting spot the arm won't go down all the way. Thanjs for watching Ken Save!!
Great video!! My voltage shows 97 volts. Even the jumper and the wiring plug to icemaker. I also replaced the control boards. Light was not coming on, it is now. Still the ice maker won't cycle. Any suggestions?
That voltage is low, when jumping the ice maker does it do anything?
@@Thomasappliance I taped down the light switch and it ran through the cycle but no water. I guess the next thing would be to defrost the water supply, right? I tried a heat gun to blow hot air into the pipe for a few minutes but it didn't do much.
@@astroluck1525 yeah it could be frozen inside the line or the water valve isn't coming on at all
Did you ever solve the problem? I'm having the same issue now on a replacement install. Its reading 95v after the install, and remains non functioning when I put the jumpers in. Any help would be appreciated!
I have same type of ice maker. Mine is making ice but not as much as it should. Any ideas. Thank you for a great tutorial
It sounds like maybe it's not getting enough water so possibly a faulty water valve. Or if the cubes are fine but it doesn't make ice fast enough, the temp in freezer could be not cold enough.
My heater has a 106ohm resistance and it seems the frozen cubes stick in the tray. Is the heater shot or some contact not clean?
Thanks for watching Robert Dawson, the heater resistance should be 72ohms almost always, if the number is that high its not within the 10% allowable fluctuation. The mold can also be peeling inside which doesn't let the cubes slide out easily. I would say you are probably going to have to change the whole ice maker assembly. You can also check between t and h, which should be a reading of 0 ohms if thermostat is closed, or infinite if the thermostat is open.
Thanks for the video! Question for you - my ice maker will run if I jumper it, but once it goes through the cycle, the fingers hit a spot where it just stops. Again, if I jumper it, it will work (motor turns the fingers, heater turns on and allows the ice to break from the mold and be moved, and the fingers make their way around and harvest the cubes. Then it fills with water, but the fingers stop and won't move again to harvest the ice unless I jumper it. Any idea what might be the issue?
Thanks for watching Chris A, it sounds like either something electrically is wrong in the head or the thermostat isn't sensing as it should. There can also be an issue with the board that controls the ice maker but not usually the problem.
@@Thomasappliance I see. I'll buy a replacement ice maker and hopefully that will fix it!
@@chrisa8541 it definitely should, good luck.
Hey Greg, I ended up replacing the entire ice maker but it still only makes one round of ice then stops. I shorted the pins to make it rotate and it does. It also fills with water with pins shorted. What could be causing it to only make a few cubes of ice then stop?
Thanks for watching Paul Nunes, some fridges use sensors to measure the ice level in the bucket, the sensors must be clear of anything inside the freezer. The board for the fridge can be faulty not listening properly to the ice maker. The arm for the ice maker might not be down properly.
@@Thomasappliance Thanks, Greg. On a related note, the mechanical arm/flap for the ice maker controller became disconnected from the head. Is there an easy way to reconnect it correctly? I am not sure how that happened - unless it was jostled out. Great video. I am about to tackle this project. Thanks!
@@garyrenick1071 it can be a pain to put that arm back in, I find wiggling and turning it side to side helps. Thanks for watching Gary Renick
So if the motor is running, the ice removal fingers are turning, the freezer is cold enough?? My GFs ice maker isn't working. I have already replaced the water valve and checked the water tube for being frozen, still no ice. I'm thinking the ice maker itself is bad. Could a bad control module cause no water flow to the ice maker?? The ice maker works in every way but water flowing to it. I can pour water into the tray and it will make ice. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Great video!! Iven tried to watch some other ice maker videos, yours is by far the most info filled.
Thanks for watching stephenhood, a board can cause issues with an ice maker but thats not usually the case. I would put the icemaker into harvest and climb behind the fridge and when the ice maker should be calling for water check for power to the valve.
@@Thomasappliance Thank you for the reply. Your video does explain where the board needs to be to send a water valve signal. When I get over her place I will watch it again and see where it needs to be to signal the water valve. Thanks again!!!
@@stephenhood2948 no problem, hope you can figure it out.
Mine is freezing with arms trying to push the icecubes and the water filled and froze the arms from another side before they got out. That ice maker started acting up when the inline filter was installed.
Thanks for watching Check Engine, there are so many things that can go wrong with an ice maker, hopefully you got yours fixed up.
Is the time for harvesting the ice controlled by a timer or does it measure temperature to see if ice is solid and ready?
When the thermostat is cold enough it tells the motor to run which turns on the heater
My ice maker stopped working on my Kenmore 10654582400 side by side. I bought a new Ice maker and Installed it with the existing wiring harness. I used the self-test jumper and the unit cycles on, rotates as it should, calls for water to the ice tray, and appears to work correctly but when the self-test cycle stops it doesn't activate again on its own. I checked the voltage from the front of the ice maker/water valve when the water is called for and it looks correct too 120v. Any idea what's causing the old and new ice maker to not cycle or rotate on its own? I also just increased the freezer temperature settings thinking that could be an issue, The ice looked a little clearer or wetter than in the past.
Thanks for watching Q, the freezer needs to be cold enough for the ice maker to cycle, the door switch needs to be reading as closed. I dont believe there is a control module for the ice maker so that shouldn't be an issue.
@@Thomasappliance I ordered a bimetal Defrost Thermostat.... I pulled the back plate off and the coil line was frozen. I didn't realize the freezer wasn't as cold as it should be. My old side by side overloaded freezer might be on it's last leg. Thanks for the video and the information!
@@Vitamin-Q no problem at all, glad I could help.
Ok so my Amana side by side black fridge I got back in 17 decided to not make ice I noticed been working fine... Well I watched vid and did the jump wire deal and it worked like it should heard the ice drop and refill... I think last night it did it on its own but not sure... Figured there'd be some ice in it after work tonite and didn't look like anything was added... So what's going on now ?
Thanks for watching shaneh, putting the jumper wire in bypasses the heater, the ice maker will need to be replaced because most ice makers don't come in pieces.
Thank you so much for this very useful video, Greg. I have gone through the tests you have recommended and I found out that there is only 27V are present in my ice maker (instead of the 120V) Where do you recommend I go from there? Thanks again, your video is great!
sounds like a leakage voltage, if you take the ice maker out and test at the plug that goes into the icemaker and you have 120 there then the ice maker needs to be changed. if you're only getting a low voltage there too the problem usually is in a control board.
Thanks for watching Erik Ven!!
Thank you so much. Do you know where I can get my hands on a wiring diagram?
@@erikven6193 sometimes you can find them online, or contact the manufacturer.
@greg what color of wires I should test that goes to the ice maker?
Thanks for answering so fast,,,,but the one I am changing is the main board on the back. I have the sticker with NO CODE number. That's whay I am looking for what to do now. I watched a video where the technician does not reprogram the unit after replacing the main board, so I am confused if I have to do it or not. Please let me know. Thanks again, Ramon, Miami
Mist fridges don't need you to program anything if its the back board
That is a very good news. This unit only has the back board plus the control panels in front, maybe that's why there is no CODE NUMBER on the sticker. You can't imagine how much I do appreciate your answer. As I said before, you are GREAT Greg. you are more than helping us. You deserve our respect and consideration. I will continue following you wherever you go. Thanks and have a great day. Ramon.@@Thomasappliance
@ramonperera6218 thank you for those kind words. I'm glad I can help!
please cover the diagnosis of the Thermal fuse that is in the Harness. I believe mine is blown. No power to the N neutral and L line terminals in my new Icemaker, nor the old one.
Greg. This was a really good diagnostic, and R&R video. Great work. As I said, please cover the Thermal fuse, in the Wire Harness. My new ice maker came without one, so had to use the original. The Thermal fuse was blown in the harness. I spliced in a temporary wire, to bypass the Thermal fuse, and the new ice maker works great, until the New Harness arrives.
Thanks for watching John Firebaugh, I will definitely cover that in my next ice maker video. Hopefully your ice maker is working as it should now
You didn’t mention what looks like a ceramic piece on the black wire.
It snaps into a clip on the mold.
Would you happen to know what this does? Is it needed for ice production?
in most cases that piece is a thermal fuse, which if the ice maker overheats for some reason it will blow. it is not self resetting. Thanks for watching Darryl Goldstein.
Hi Greg mine does not have all these testing point (L,M,H...etc..). but some pins sticking out the head. are these pins correspond to L,M etc....
and I dont get 120 volt to the water valve.. any sugesstions ?
whats the model number of the fridge it came out of?
@@Thomasappliance its from under counter U Line ice maker not the Frig.
@@hamidkashi7778 I'm not sure about the one you have but I think I've seen ones like that and the only testing you can do is through the electrical system and a schematic.
nice
great video actually
Thanks for watching CDMusicGroup, and also the great feedback.
@@Thomasappliance pleasure is mine chief. I watched plenty of videos (possibly ~100) revolving around the subject & your channel is amongst my favorite two.
Hi GReg! Here again asking for help. If I change the board on my WHIRLPOOL WRF555SDFZ would I need to reporgramm it or not ? I watched a video about this but talking about a CODE to do it that should be in the label,,,,but my machine has not such a code, so I don't know what to do. Pleas, if you have some idea regarding this subject let me know please. Thanks in advance, Ramon from Miami.
If you are changing the jazz board, which is the one right in your face when you open the door, yes you have to program the board. The code will be written on the model and serial number sticker.
Can I stick a insulated jump wire into the L and H to check if my heater works or does it have to be done with this device?
The wire will bypass the heater, so it might get a little warm but I would wait until the arms are just about down to feel for heat. Be careful it is pretty hot.
The red light on the power switch is on so I think there is power. I have it loose and the white end of the ice maker has a screw in it so I couldn't pull it off, and there doesn't seem to be a plug to disconnect the power.
What kind of fridge is that on?
my icemakeers metal bar dowsnt want to fall all the way down??unless i take it out of the side..its a whirlpool
Thanks for watching Denise Turk, if there isn't anything blocking it, it may be not fully in the icemaker or something on the ice maker head is broken or out of place.
I just need the fill cup but can't find just that. Any help?
I would need a model number to see which ice maker exactly is in your fridge.
What would be the cause of no voltage at L and N? We've purchased a new ice maker, thinking that the old one was bad, but we have no power coming in to the unit. Is there an inline fuse somewhere? Thanks!
Thanks for watching deaniespikes, make sure you check for voltage there with the door switch held closed, if no power at l and n I would checkbto see if there is power to the icemaker.
@@Thomasappliance I finally tested each wire of the 4-pin cable for continuity. The black wire, the one with the thermal fuse embedded in it, had no continuity. I replaced the cable, and it now works fine!
Greg Greetings, question does the plastic screw have any adjustment?
Thanks for watching, yes the water adjustment screw does move, I talked about it in the video briefly, will definitely want to see what I say, it's a very fine adjustment.
Do you have a recommendation on a replacement unit?
The ice maker used depends on the fridge model number. there's hundreds of different icemakers. Just use your model number to figure out which one is used
Isn't there any refrigerant tube getting into the ice maker , like in the Samsung system ? Thanks for responding,,,,,Ramon Perera, Miami.
Thanks for watching ramonperera, most fridges there is a fan that blows cold air towards or around the icemaker. The evaporator fan is usually used.
mine is a Kenmore Pro built in not sure about the electrical, it doesn't have a plug that I can see. and I can't pull the end off to see the gear.
Thanks for watching Jerry Bryan, what was happening with the ice maker?
i took off the front cover and saw the same discoloration/burn on the main power line. so i replaced the entire unit, jump started it and it worked!… for a couple cycles. then it stopped working again. i pulled the cover off the new unit and the same electrical burn had happened in the same spot? what could be causing this?
Thanks for watching cameronbremer, when it comes to electrical systems, anything could cause that to happen. Whether a wire is shorted, or the house wiring is causing an over current situation.
The metal arm s done and doesn't seem to want to move, no water is coming out. It just stopped working????
Can you actuate the water valve from the V test point on the front of the head?
My refrigerator is a Maytag about 10 years old. I’ve never replaced the ice maker.
Good video!
Thanks for watching pmscalisi, I'm not 100% sure, I wouldn't try it personally. I activate a cycle, wait for the end when it should be activating the valve and see if there is 120v to water valve when it's calling for water.
@@Thomasappliance okay, thanks!
@@pmscalisi no problem at all
Why does the tube feeding the ice maker freeze? It's happened on mine many times. I've replaced the ice maker and the ice maker water valve.
Thanks for watching johnharris, some fridges have made heaters on the incoming fill tube that you can get. Most of the other ones its just poor design.
Ho, Hanks for video.
My icemaker not go out completely the ice.
Ti make ice, Hot for go out, move on the ice…but not compketely. The finger stop when the ice are up still. So the ice is, for 50% immerse in the new water.
What’s the problem?
The finger that non work completely, how i can do ?
Thanks for watching Ubi UbiVR, the ice maker could have a build up of calcium causing everything to stick or slow down. I would take the ice maker out and give it a good cleaning. Run through test cycle and see if it goes through like it should.