GE side by side only dispenses crushed ice

Refrigerator & Freezer Repair
1

So, my ice maker makes ice just fine, but will only dispense crushed ice not cubed. So I started taking stuff apart and figured out that the solenoid, when cubed is selected, gets energized and pulls the rod up which bypasses the crusher(optimally).

I put my fridge back together and voila cubed ice appeared, although only for a day. Then back to the point where only crushed. I tried to manually move the solenoid to where it should be selecting cubed ice and it was stuck(frozen). It took some force but I was able to move it and then for another day cubed ice worked and then the cycle continued.

I’ve measured the resistance of the solenoid to be 35ohms and the voltage to it to be 120vac.

My question is, does it sound like the solenoid is bad? Should it be much stronger than it is and able to un-stick the piston or should the piston itself not be getting stuck?

2

Was the solenoid really frozen (ice inside) or it was stuck for some other reason?

If it was ice inside, you have to figure out how it got in.

If it was stuck, replace the solenoid.

Here are the breakdown diagrams and Replacement parts for General Electric GSS25WGMCWW Refrigerator | AppliancePartsPros.com

Gene.

3

No there wasn’t visible ice, maybe a thin coat of frost on the piston. Even though the solenoid measures the correct resistance it can still be bad for other reasons?

Thanks for the response, I wanted to double check before ordering a $60 part.

Thanks!

4

The best thing is to figure out why and how it got stuck. You probably the only one who can do it.

Gene.