Maytag MZD2766GEW - Initially tray fills/freezes - doesn’t dump. New ice maker - Nothing
Error Code (if any): None
Parts or tests already tried: 4 Ice makers, New supply line, Inlet valves almost new
Photos / video link:
Long version - Replaced the icemaker and BOTH water inlet valves 18 mos ago. Last month, stopped making ice. Tray was full/frozen EXCEPT front slot. Could not force cycle with jumper. Tried 3 different ice makers. None worked. Nothing. Had voltage. I’d replaced both water inlet valves 18 mos earlier and since I had water in tray, didn’t seem like the problem. Gave up and left for weekend. Came back to ice and a weak stream at the water dispenser. Worked for 3 weeks, then same thing. All but front tray frozen, wouldn’t cycle. Couldn’t force. No water in door. - Replaced saddle valve with Tee and new feed line. Nothing. Continuity on both terminals on the yellow inlet (first in line). No continuity on red side of the blue inlet valve, which is the water dispenser side. (I don’t care about water dispenser). Temp is zero degrees. Still can’t cycle with jumper. Now tray doesn’t fill at all.
Start by confirming the temperature at the ice maker. If the water in the icemaker is not frozen, the issue is temperature, as water freezes at 32°f, but the ice maker must be below 8°f to cycle.
As I said, water is frozen. Temp is zero.
The reason I went to the temperature was your statement, “All but front tray frozen, wouldn’t cycle.” If the front part of the tray is not frozen, then it is not cold enough. If three different ice makers will not cycle using the jumper, then something is stopping the power from getting to the ice maker…broken wire door switch…etc.
Sorry. Being more specific, the front tray is empty. No water. All the cubes are normal sized and frozen solid. Temp varies between-5 and +2. The door switch works to turn light off and on. It is my understanding that the control board and thermostat are part of the new icemaker. I have power to the wiring harness at the icemaker. What else is left?
The light switch has 3 terminals.When you open the door the light comes on.When you close the door the light goes off and also closes a different set of contacts in the light switch which supplies neutral for the ICEMAKER and completes the circuit for the ice maker to work. This looks like the switch part number here! W11396033
[quote=“sbean, post:1, topic:408278”]
MZD2766GEW
If the first part of the tray has no water, the ice maker is not level. The thermostat that triggers the cycle start is at the front against the mold. The ice maker should be level with equal amounts of water in each part of the mold. However, this would not stop the unit from cycling when the jumper is used, as the jumper is jumping out the thermostat. Check the thermal fuse in the wiring harness to confirm power is getting into the ice maker. If there is power to the ice maker and you use the jumper to cycle, there is no reason the ice maker wouldn’t cycle unless the ice maker is faulty or not receiving power.
The thermal fuse is that big black “block” that clips in? Just check continuity on that wire?
Yes, that is correct.
I have continuity through that and all wires in the harness. Oddly, only 70 volts, but NO voltage on L & N. Same thing I had a month ago when it mysteriously started working.
Pulled the door switch out. A pain in the butt. Tested good. The common wire pulled loose coming out and the normally closed terminal wire broke off too easy so I was optimistic that MAYBE I had a loose connection, but I’ve fixed both and still no joy. So, not water pressure/supply. Not door switch. Temp is zero or below. During all of that, I did notice that the gear rotated about 30 degrees and stopped. It was REALLY slow. Like an hour hand slow. I just came back from some errands and it had moved a little. Still no water to the door either. I have both solenoids ordered, but I feel like I’m throwing parts at it with little confidence of success. BTW, the back is VERY inaccessible. Freezer barely fits in the space and the wheels slide instead of roll, so it scratches the floor and add to the hot water I’m in with the wife.
I guess my question comes down to what happens to control when the icemaker gets power? My “reasoning” has been that I was getting water and filled the tray, but something happened between filling and recycling to make it stop. As far as I can tell, the icemaker never started the cycle and never called for the heater. Something stopped it. The lack of water in the front made me consider low water flow, so I got rid of the old saddle valve that needed to go anyway. This is the third time this exact thing has happened - stopping with a frozen tray, but not cycling or trying to. Then replacing and having NOTHING. I know it checks for cold temp before it starts to cycle. Check. Then I read some models check for water pressure before starting. Check. This particular model has two water inlets. The first one (yellow one and $180) that connects to the supply line sends water to the refrigerator side to chill when either icemaker or water is called for. Then it comes back out of the refrigerator to the second (blue) solenoid. That one takes requests from both icemaker and water dispenser and fires off the respective side of the solenoid, in either case taking the chilled water from the refrigerator. I understand if a solenoid is bad, I won’t get water, but it should cycle shouldn’t it? I also understand that the control board and thermostat are part of the icemaker so one of these four should work. The water side of the water inlet is NOT showing continuity, but I’ve got two doing the same thing, which makes me wonder if open is normal on it. I’m so confused and beyond frustrated on this.
Seems to be a loose wire somewhere. Just think about the ice maker problem as one component.Forget about the water through the door.if you have 120 volts to ice maker as it sounds you don’t and the termination thermostat in the ice maker closes and all is good with the the ice maker it will cycle with water or no water it does not matter.It should cycle about every 45 minutes if the temperature in the freezer is about 10 degrees or lower. Looks like there is a wire harness under the top freezer hinge look there! Be careful as there maybe some broken molex wires there! Good luck. Just a thought at this point!
The old fashioned plastic trays are looking better all the time! Thanks. I’ll see if I can get to that without messing anything else up.
I can’t thank you enough for your patience. This has been beyond frustrating. I’ve “fixed” it multiple times I thought, but it keeps coming back. It’s become a money pit. Neither my wife and I can do the stairs very well for going to the other icemaker in the basement. We’ve considered a new one, but we’d have to get substantially smaller to fit in the same hole and that means - going up and down the stairs to the other one.
Update - I DO HAVE POWER at the icemaker harness. 120 volts at the harness where it plugs into the icemaker side of the harness. I do NOT have power between L & N. Does power come FROM the solenoids or TO the solenoids? In other words, would a bad water inlet prevent power and forced cycling or just water? - In another act of stupidity, when testing the solenoids the video said “no worry, the plugs only go one way”. Nope. 4 plugs interchangeable. Multiple videos have them different ways and who couldn’t trust a super model. The schematic uses different colors. GRRRRRR. Trying to figure out which way they go. The schematic doesn’t seem to agree with the super model in the video. Could that have toasted the icemaker module?
And BTW, I checked the harness under the hinge. No signs of anything loose or frayed. Looks pretty pristine.
Ok, one more weirdness. I just went through all 4 ice makers. 3 of them are getting 79 volts between L&N where I should have 120. THREE OF THEM. The fourth, the brand new one is dead between L&N. I’ve got 120 at the harness, 79 at L&N. Is this a surge thing? This is the weakest link and a power surge is cooking it? I have whole house protection from power company and no other issues, but THREE OF THEM?
t e s t i n g p r o c e d u r e
Ice Maker Plugged In To Power
Shut-Off Arm Down-Freezer Cold
• Test points L & N will verify 120 volts to Ice Maker
module.
(Make sure your test probes go into the test points
1/2".)
That’s what I did. 79 volts.