Icemaker not working

Hello Michael;

My name is Peter. I am a retired field service refrigeration technician.

You did not provide a model number so I will help you as best I can. The fact that your water dispenser works narrows it down.

Here are the causes for your icemaker not to fill:

1.) In the back of your refrigerator there is a solenoid valve for your ice maker and another for your water dispenser. The solenoid valve for your icemaker has the smaller plastic tubing that runs up the back of your refrigerator to the top. With the unit unplugged, remove the bottom back cover. remove the two connectors on the solenoid valve. Using a multi-meter, set the meter to the lowest Ohms. Place one meter lead on one of the solenoid metal contacts and the other lead metal contact. If the solenoid is good the meter will read; '0'.

Ice makers have control modules. The control module tells the water solenoid valve to open and for how long to fill the ice cube mold. Then a temperature sensor will tell the control module when the ice cubes are frozen. The control module will, if the ice maker is cast steel - will tell the heater to turn on for a period of time, and then tell the fingers to rotate to discharge the cubes, or if it is a flex mold, to flex. Then the cycle repeats.

The only one ice maker that is repairable is the one with the cast steel mold. The others are just throw-a-ways.

So, if your ice maker solenoid valve checks out, replace your ice maker. Do not buy it locally. You can save 40% or more if you buy over the internet

The first thing to check would be the water fill valve located usually on the back outside of the unit where the water line comes in, these can start leaking water slowy into the icemaker. The icemaker itself tells the valve how long tostay opened, that can be adjusted by a tech or you may need to replace the icemaker

Greetings,
is the fresh food section/freezer cold enough? the freezer temp operates the icemaker and if there is a refrigeration problem. the icemaker is the first thing to go out..I would check to see if water is frozen inside of icemaker mold. if no water..there could be a inlet valve problem(not letting water flow into icemaker) also, check the fill tube..this is the tube that water flows into the i/m..
if your water valve is leaking..it will fill up the fill tube with ice and prevent it from coming into i/m...look here first, if blocked..use a hairdryer to open blocked ice from tube. this will allow water to flow again..and you can order a new water valve.. the icemaker itself may not be working.. if you found nothing from what I mentioned...look at possible icemaker failure. these can be started manually...remove icemaker cover and if it has a front with just one gear and little holes with letters next to them..this one you can us a jumper wires to start the icemaker...see link

Icemaker Tips


Manually starting a 'harvest' cycle:

Two basic designs of domestic, analog icemakers are most common. (Electronic models come & go from time to time - shudder - but we aren't seeing them in great numbers - yet)

Pop the front cover off yours and check the large gear front & center. If the front plate is metal, and you see a Phillips
screw in the center of this gear, that's great - you own a 'microswitch' design. This is one of the most reliable units ever made! Here's what it looks like with the front cover off:

To manually start a cycle, either grasp the ejector and rotate upward (CW fr. front), or use a screwdriver to turn the smaller gear (CCW) if yours has a slot for this. Once you turn it a short distance, you'll hear a little 'click and the unit will start to run. Make sure the ice-sensing bail has clearance to raise & lower during this test cycle.

If there's no screw, that's OK too, you own a 'modular' unit, and even though we, um, make more income from these <grin>, they're still pretty decent. Here's what a modular looks like with the front cover off:

To start a cycle with this one, don't attempt to turn the gears manually! You'll need a short piece of insulated solid copper wire, 12-14 gauge. (Just strip a 4 in. piece out of some 12-2 'romex' used in house wiring
.) Strip the ends back about ¾ in. and bend it into a 'U' shape. This wire is inserted into the holes marked 'T' and 'H' in the front of the icemaker to bypass the tstat and run a cycle. (don't insert it into any holes except 'T' & 'H' !) Remove the jumper after a few seconds (or the heater will stay on), and let it run, waiting for the fill at the end. Again, make sure the ice-sensing bail has clearance to raise & lower during your test cycle.

Note: I stress this jumper wire needs to be insulated, because you're briefly jumping 120V here. The usual precautions apply


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Sounds like the fill tube at the ice maker is either out of alignment or has a crack in it.

The water supply line from the water inlet valve enters the rear of the freezer and releases the water into a large diameter fill tube. The fill tubes hangs above the fill cup which funnels the water into the ice mold. If the fill tube and fill cup are improperly aligned, water may spill out instead of going into the mold.

Most of the time where they are making ice at the fill tube point the icemaker water valve in the back of the unit is leaking / dripping water past the valve / diaphram seat and it will have to be replaced. You can prove this by turning off the icemaker and then pulling the tube off the back of the unit and placing it into a bucket over night. If your sure the icemaker is off and there is water in the bucket the next morning the water valve is bad.

Now as for that ice in the icemaker fill tube... you can use a hand held hair dryer to defrost it once you change the water valve. I just changed my own water valve on a maytag less than 2 weeks ago that was doing the same thing. (Ice in fill hole and tube) It is working like a champ now.

A GE replacement dual outlet water valve:
http://www.appliancepartspros.com/Appliance-Parts/GE-Dual-water-inlet-valve-kit-item-number-AP3672839.aspx

(Make sure to use your model number when seeking the correct replacement see "useable on model list" bottom of the page)

Thanks for choosing FixYa.

Kelly

it sounds like your water valve is bad. you have a double water valve - one side operates the ice maker and the other side operates the water dispenser. the ice maker side of the valve is bad.

you can manually pour a little water in the ice maker ice mold and wait an hour or so - if it dumps the ice then you know for sure that the ice maker is cycling and water is not getting to the ice maker from the water valved

The general rule is to put 2/3 cup of water into icemaker , and if it dumps , but doesn't fill , replace the water inlet valve . If it doesn't dump , replace the icemaker Pt # 2198597 . Check the black fill tube above the icemaker fill cup , to see if it is clogged with ice . The fill line runs from the back of the refrig , between the liner and cabinet ( unaccessable ) , and down to the icemaker . Some of this model refrig , come with a coupling on the back , which you can disconnect and blow thru , to see if it is clear to the icemaker . If you do not have a coupling , you may want to aquire one Pt # 4211117 , in case this happens again , also , turn your freezer control down slightly , it will be a quick troubleshoot step . It sounds like the optics are ok , but I'll still give you the information .
Open the freezer door and if you get 2 pulses followed by a pause repeatedly , press in on the left side flapper door and the optic should stay on steadily . If you still get the 2 pulse and pause , then the optics are faulty . If you get no light , the icemaker is in the harvest mode ,( trying to dump ice ) . If the icemaker arm is in the normal position and no light , the optics are faulty . When the optics are faulty , replace both sides , the emiter board and reciever board . They come togather in a kit Pt # 4389102 .

Oviously you need water first. You'll have to check that the fill valve is opening and that the water is making it to the icemaker. Make sure the fill tube that feeds the water from the back of the frige to the icemaker is not frozen. Be aware, just because you get water at the dispenser doesn't mean the valve to the icemaker is ok. If you are getting water, you need to check that the icemaker is not jammed, sometimes ice can fall back into the icemaker, or get caught in the ejector. You may need to remove the icemaker and run the mold under hot water to melt the ice. If it was jammed, you'll need to check that the fill level is correct to prevent it from happening again, both too much water and too little water can cause problems. There is a heater that helps loosen the ice from the mold, because of that there is a thermal fuse to prevent it from over heating. It will be molded into the wiring harness supplying power to the icemaker. If you have continuity through the fuse it's ok. If you don't the heater shorted and you will need both a new icemaker and that wiring harness.

this is from another post i did but will cover you too your ice it is on a separate valve as the water in the door so the water flow don't mean a lot in this case remove the front plastic cover on the icemaker and you will see a bunch of little holes make a jumper wire out #10 or 12 house wire strip about 1/4 inch off the ends an insert in the holes marked t&h this will start a test cycle make sure yuo hold the plastic insulation so you don't get bit if the ice maker starts cycleing remove the wire and watch for it to stop listen for the icemaker valve to open if the ice maker finishes and the valve didnt fill replace the water valves if the icemaker doesnt cycle and yuo may have to kinda twistm the jumper back and forth to get it to make contact depending on the gauge you used then replace the ice maker motor module if you hear the valve open and the ice maker doesnt fill check for a frozen ice fill tube that should do it

the first problem is solved by reducing the amount of water that pours into the ice tray. the ice maker should have an adjustment for this. pry off the cover and look for a screw adjustment. they usually adjust volume by cw is more and ccw is less water. the last problem "melting ice" is related to the first. one way that I know how these work is a complete cycle time adjustment. the final step of dispensing is to turn on a low wattage heater to help pop the cubes out. now if the timer is running too slow, not only does too much water come in, but the heater is turned on for too long and causing "melting ice". Imagine a clock running with various events triggered by the clock's rotating switch that turns on certain components at the proper time and leaves them on for a finite time. your clock may be too slow.