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I have a component-style ice maker, by which I mean it's not one of the modular kinds with holes for probe tests. It's similar to that style in that the water fills the mold, then the thermostat activates the mold heater once the water has frozen. A plastic arm rakes the loosened ice out of the mold.

At least, that's what's supposed to happen. About three weeks ago, my ice maker stopped ejecting the ice. The water filled the mold, and the ice froze, but the mold heater never turned on.

I took the ice maker out of the fridge and tested the heating element and thermostat with a multimeter. Both seemed fine. There is no water frozen in the supply tube, either. With an empty mold and a manual turn of the gear, the ice maker fills with water like normal.

I decided to replace it, but now the new one isn't ejecting ice, either. What am I missing?

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    Did you use the wiring harness that came with the new unit? It sounds like something went wrong with the power supply or wiring harness.
    – Wayfaring Stranger
    Commented Feb 4, 2012 at 1:00
  • Can you clarify what you mean by wiring harness? The ice maker has one power cable that plugs into a 4-pin connector at the back of the freezer.
    – J. Strange
    Commented Feb 4, 2012 at 15:25
  • Ok, my replacement came with a separate seperate bundle of wires (a harness) that adapted the icemaker plugs to fit the freezer connector. Rephrase: Have you checked that the 4-pin connector is actually delivering the juice it's supposed to? It sounds like your trouble arises from outside the icemaker unit itself.
    – Wayfaring Stranger
    Commented Feb 4, 2012 at 15:30
  • The ice maker is definitely receiving power. The rake rotates, and the ice maker opens the water valve to fill the mold. I guess it's possible that everything but the mold heater or thermostat receives power. I did notice last night that the rake eventually scooped the ice out but didn't quite dump it. Ideas?
    – J. Strange
    Commented Feb 5, 2012 at 15:31
  • What Model, type, and year of refrigerator?
    – RSMoser
    Commented Feb 20, 2012 at 20:45

1 Answer 1

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Check the lever mechanism (mine looks like a flag) to make sure it moves properly. That is the device that keeps the ice maker from constantly making more ice once the bin is filled. There's a small spring on it that can become misaligned and keeps the ice maker from properly functioning.

Look at that "flag" lever closely. The spring issue may not be immediately visible to you. Move it back and forth. If it's binding or does not return to it's static place when you move it, that's probably the case.

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  • Some refrigerators do not use this mechanical / electrical switch to stop making ice when the bit is full. This appears to be the case when ice falls into a "far away bin" which is mechanically distant from the ice maker. Some Whirlpool refrigerators are made this way. Still, a good starting point ... to check this switch. Note, I believe some ice makers have in internal screw to set the position at which this arm is activated (indicates full ice bin).
    – st2000
    Commented Sep 19, 2023 at 13:01

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