First of all, it is good to know how your ice maker works, before you start working on your ice maker repair. The two most common ice makers are the modular and the compact and they both use molds that are made of metal and heaters to release the ice from their trays. Copper or plastic tubes bring the water into the back of the refrigerator, where the line attaches to an inlet valve. This is what controls the water flow. The valve gets electrical current and activates the ice maker to send water to the ice mold in the freezer. The ice mold has a thermostat, when it reaches the temperature that it was set at for the ice maker to make ice, the cycle begins to freeze the water and make ice. The ejector blades are turned by a motor which makes the ejectors touch the ice. The ejectors cannot release the ice because the ice is stuck to them. This signals the heater to turn on to warm the mold so the ejectors can release the ice. The heater then shuts off until the next cycle.
Ice Maker Repair Of The Shutoff Arm and Switch
Problems with there being too much ice or the ice maker will not shut off, you will need to check the shutoff arm and switch. The shut off arm is that piece that extends out from the ice maker, which swings up and down. Ice can pile up in the bin or a piece of ice can be stuck in the little cube unit and both will stop the maker from producing more ice. Check each of these and remove the excess ice that is in the way of the arm. The shut off switch is in a little gear box and with a small wire you can check to see if the gears are rotating properly.
Ice Maker Repair Checklist – No Ice Or Ice Too Small
If your ice maker is making no ice or the cubes are too small, or not enough, you should check the following:
First check the supply valve that brings the water into your ice maker. If the valve is not turned on properly it will not allow enough water to fill the ice mold.
While looking behind the refrigerator you should also check to make sure there are no bends or leaks in the water line itself. To help make the ice maker repair a little easier, check all the lines behind the refrigerator first, and move up to the motor and valves after all lines are checked.
Check your freezer temperature to make sure it is at 5 degrees. You can do this by placing a thermometer in a cup of oil, put it in the freezer for two hours and then see what temperature reading you get. Do not use water in the cup. The water will freeze and give you a false reading.
If you are having problems with the ice not coming out of the trays, it might be the ejector gears. Look at the ejector gear to make sure there is no missing or worn out teeth
in the gears. Check for cracks in either of the gears or worn areas. The ice mold heater and thermostat should be checked if you are getting no ice at all or it is not ejecting properly. Open the modular and make sure the ejector blades are in the proper start position. If the blades are in the mold section then the ice maker is in the middle of the cycle and your modular unit may need to be replaced. The thermostat can be replaced if it is bad because it is a separate unit. This would be the easiest ice maker repair to fix. Testing it is easy with a multi-tester to test for continuity. The meter should be set on ohms and the setting should be X1. Insert probes into the holes when the thermostat is at 10 degrees. The reading should show zero continuity. Then when the ice maker is warmer, take the test again. The second reading should show infinity or no continuity. If the thermostat cannot pass these two tests, then it should be replaced. Unscrew your old thermostat and replace it with a new one and your ice maker repair will be done.
Bad tasting, discolored ice cubes, or leaks, could be the fault of the supply line, or inlet valve. The lines might need to be flushed out to clean out any problems and the valve needs to be checked for tightness. The valve can also be taken off and soaked for a while to clean all the threads. Double check the supply lines for cracks or bends that are restricting the water from flowing freely. The ice maker is a separate unit from your refrigerator, and an ice maker repair can be simple to fix once you know where to look.
Check out this great YouTube video that gives a really good tutorial on ice maker repair: