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BrewItUp  
#1 Posted : Sunday, August 20, 2017 10:29:22 AM(UTC)
BrewItUp

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Hello, I am having an issue with my ice maker. I replaced the unit about 3 weeks ago or so. After about 3 days it started making ice and all was good for while. It has now stopped making ice again. There is ice in the tray but it never dumps. I let it sit for a few days and it never dumped so I removed the unit and let it defrost then dumped the ice and reinstalled the unit. A day later it dumped single tray of ice and now there is ice in the tray again but its not dumping. With the flap on the left side open or closed the light blinks twice then pauses then twice again. If I trigger the door switch at the top the light just stays off. The door water is working and given that the ice tray will fill and freeze I assume both sides of the valve are working correctly. I am at a loss and would appreciate some guidance. Thanks in advance.
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PNWDrew  
#2 Posted : Monday, August 21, 2017 7:35:35 AM(UTC)
PNWDrew

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The flashing light you see is part of the optics system that looks for a full ice bin, it's just an indicator but there is an infrared emitter on left and receiver on right. The ON/OFF slider just physically blocking that beam. If the receiver doesn't see the beam it doesn't harvest ice. Just a neat check- your cell phone camera may be able to see that IR emission on the selfie cam.

That system may be failing and there are tests for it if you were to pull that right optics board off. Depends on how much diagnosis you want to do. First step is to unplug the fridge for a few minutes and see if it harvests a little while after you plug it back in.

After that next test is that you can pull the right side optics board out entirely and jump the 2 innermost wires of the harness coming from the fridge. That is the circuit that sends power to the IM. If after a few minutes the IM harvests that's usually definitive. It is working on live circuits however so take care if you choose to open that little panel.

Whirlpool W10757851 Ice Level Power Control Board Kit - AppliancePartsPros.com

Before you buy the kit, be sure that the unit is getting below 15 deg, it will not harvest until thermostat in IM closes at 15deg. It probably is but poor cooling is always a check I do with "no ice" calls.
BrewItUp  
#3 Posted : Monday, August 21, 2017 12:16:13 PM(UTC)
BrewItUp

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Hi PNWDrew, thanks for the response. The freezer is set to 0 but I haven't test the actual temp. I will try both tests you suggested and report back. If unplugging the box for a few minutes results in it harvesting ice does that, by itself, point to the optics being an issue or is it that in addition to the board test the ultimate indicator?
Thanks!
PNWDrew  
#4 Posted : Monday, August 21, 2017 10:41:16 PM(UTC)
PNWDrew

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That system has always been a pain to diagnose. I wish I could say there's a definitive test but even Whirlpool's documents have conflicting info. Since you've replaced the IM already the optics are all that's left really. I've seen several that fooled me.
The best test is jumping the wires, its actually pretty easy. Just remember to use caution. You may have some fun getting a jumper that stays put, and I think the door must be closed after its jumped, both to keep temps low enough for the IM thermostat and to power the system.
Good luck.
BrewItUp  
#5 Posted : Wednesday, August 23, 2017 1:53:01 PM(UTC)
BrewItUp

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I unplugged the fridge, let it sit for about 5 minutes or so and plugged it back in. It did not harvest the ice. Jumping the inner most wires on the right board...The two most inner wire slot on the connector leaves one without a wire. Are you referring to the black/white and blue/yellow wires? Thanks again. I appreciate the help.
BrewItUp attached the following image(s):
FreezerOpticsConnection.jpg
BrewItUp  
#6 Posted : Sunday, August 27, 2017 1:26:58 PM(UTC)
BrewItUp

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I broke down and just bought the level control board and that fixed the issue. I decided to not run the test given the ambiguity I was feeling. I did not want to jump the wrong wires and take the chance of making things worse. Thanks for the help.
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