My GE ice maker isn’t making ice. The shut-off arm keeps raising up to the shut-off position all by itself, in other words, there is no ice being made lifting it. I gently brought the arm down to the on position (MT ice tray position) when I come back to check on it, the lever is half way raised, with no ice. I was feeling around where the arm connects and got burned from the housing. What do you think the problem is?
Thank you,
Rudy:rolleyes:
This is not a bona fide reply. I’m just adding a little more info from my original post and wasn’t sure how else to do that. I now realize that there is a heater element in the ice maker that explains how I got burned. Also the shut-off arm raises with out ice pushing it up, but it doesn’t raise it to the shut off point. If the empty bin position for the arm is 6:00 o’clock, the arm will raise by itself to about 5:00 o’clock. I shut the ice maker off for a while by raising the arm to the shut off position. After turning it back on and waiting 1/2 hour I see that there is a row of cubes sitting on top of the dispenser, hopefully ready to drop in the bin. Is there any way the timing of the motor and cam can be off so that evrything is a little out of sequence?
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#000000]There is a spring inside the icemaker that pulls the arm back down after the cam lifts it up. Typically that string will break causing the problem you are having here is a link to the part. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][SIZE=3]Part Details - GE Spring, part number: AP2068436[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=3]You have to take the front cover off the icemaker then unscrew the next panel (that holds the motor on) to access the spring. [/SIZE]
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[SIZE=3]GE Icemaker Repair Guide[/SIZE]
Hi Thanx for the reply. Today, while waiting for a reply I tested the coil for the water supply valve and the coil tested good. 200 ohms. I then plugged the unit in and with the shut off arm down all the way to the on position there was no voltage to the water fill valve solenoid. Does this change your diagnosis? I was wondering if the switch to activate the solenoid is NG. I cab’t take it apart now, have company over. Will look futhe tomorrow, but would appreciate any thoughts you have.
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#000000]In your first post I thought you were talking about the wire arm is that correct? If so does that wire feel like it is spring loaded? See that wire get lifted up during each cycle and the spring pulls it back down unless ice is blocking it. If ice is blocking it the icemaker will not cycle again until the ice is out of the way. If the spring is not pulling it back down it would be just like ice were blocking it therefore the icemaker will only cycle one time. After it cycles that one time it will not cycle again until someone pushes the arm back down. If this doesn’t seem to be the problem post back. There no need to take the icemaker apart if that wire arm seems to be spring loaded. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#000000]If you are saying the white arm (the one that ejects the ice) is not moving all the way the gears on the front of the icemaker may be stripped out. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
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[SIZE=3][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman]The water valve receives voltage at the end of the cycle just before the icemaker stops turning. From you first post I don’t think the water valve or the water valve switch is bad unless I misunderstood you. [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE]
Hi again. Yes I was refering to the wire shut-off arm, not the plastic fingers that push the ice into the bin. Believe it or not I think we are getting somewhere. There is no spring tension in the shut off arm I can move it manually up to the off position and I can move it manually down to the on position. The cam lifts it up to about the five o-clock position and that’s where it stays unless I manually push it back down to the on position. It appears, as you mentioned in your last post that the icemaker makes one cycle and stops. When I checked it this morning there was a row of ice cubes sitting on top of the dispenser and the shut off arm was at 5 o’clock. I pushed the shut off arn down and the motor activated and the fingers pushed the ice into the bin and then everything stopped again. So, what I see is: The solenid and water supply must be o.k. as I do get a row of cubes every now and then. I feel no spring tension in the shut off arm, and I probably didn’t get a voltage reading at the solenoid because I did not know when in the cycle it is supposed to get voltage. Your post says at the end of the cycle, I had assumed it was the first think that happened so thus I got no voltage reading. I will open the unit up today to see if I see the srping you referred to and see what the status of that is. Thanx again for your guidance.
I opened up the cover of the unit and I found the spring was indeed broken. I ordred a new one. Hopefully I’ll know how to attach it properly as I wasn’t able to see it when it was working correctly. I see that the short end was hooked on to the end of the shut off arm, but the long end of the spring was hanging free as the spring was broken. I assume the long end justs hits the housing of the unit and starts its torsioning of the spring as the shut off arm moves. Also not sure if I have to apply any pre-turns before “locking in the spring”. I am going to open the GE Ice Maker Repair Guide link you provided me maybe that will help. Of course I’ll contact you again if I can’t get the spring on correctly. Thanks
Maybe this picture will help!
Picture 569.jpg (8.1 KB)
As they say, a picture’s worth a thousand words. One question. Do you put any pre-tension on it before connecting it to the shut off arm, i.e. do I twist it around any before letting the large end lay against the casing? Thanx.
No you dont have to twist it or anything like that.
Just an update for you. While I am awaiting the delivery of my spring, I gave something a try. I hung some weight on the shut off arm to take the place of the spring tension. I took about 4 small stainless nuts and ran a piece of fishing line through them with loops at both end. I slipped the loops over the arm and the cycle began. I works great as it returns the arm to the bottom position and allows the cycles to continue. After a day I had the bin full of ice to the point where the nuts hit the ice thus stopping the process.
Now that my icemaker and I have become one over the last few days, I noticed that when filling the trays I get about one or two overflow drips per cycle, building a small icecycle. I see the GE icemaker repair guide discusses removing the “separator” and running a bead of caulking on top of the first tray. What do you think of this idea. If you agree with that then could you tell me : do you have to take the icemaker out to remove the seperator (I’m assuming this is the part official named the stripper)? Is the idea of the caulking to seal between the separator and the mold unit. or is it to simply build a wall to serve as a dam. I wasn’t sure if I would put the separator back in on top of the caulking right away, which would be to make a seal, or if I’m supposed to allow the silicone bead to dry so a dam is made before putting the separator back in.
[FONT=‘Times New Roman’][COLOR=#000000]Yes I do agree with that page and you do have to remove the icemaker to do this. I have repaired many icemakers this way. Make sure you use silicone caulking. Note that this will only work on a small leak. Oh and the separator and the stripper are the same (stripper is the official word). [/COLOR][/FONT]
O.K Thanks again. Just clarify for me: After I remove the ice maker, I’ll take off the stripper and then run a bead of silicone caulking along the back and side of the first tray. Do I place the stripper back on right away so that the silicone caulking forms a gasket between the tray and the stripper, or do I allow the silcone to harden and act as a retaining dam, (sort of an extension of the back and side of the tray)? Is the repair a seal or a dam?
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#000000]I always put the stripper back on right after then whip the access off. Two things happen to cause the first cube mold fills before the water gets a chance to drain to the other cube molds or the water follows a imperfection in the cube mold right out the icemaker. It doesn’t take much to block the water from coming out. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=#000000]Sometimes that stripper can be a pain to reinstall just make sure you don’t whip all the silicone off trying to reinstall the striper. [/COLOR][/FONT]
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Appliance Repair Guide For All Major Home Appliances
Well, I was almost home free. I got the new spring and installed it yesterday. Ovenight I made a bin full of ice – no problems. Today I thought I would tackle the drip. I removed the ice maker and the stripper. Put the bead of silicone on and replaced the stripper. Re installed the ice maker and then a big problem. Afeter hearing a batch of ice drop in the bin I assumed all was o.k. When I returned a little while later there was a pool of water on the floor. The ice maker is going through about at least three maybe four cycles of adding water to the tray. Why is this happening? I shut it off by lifting the arm and I’m going to try to find answers in the guides. Hopefully I’ll get a response from you. Thanks
[SIZE=3][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman]Now I am not sure. Are you saying that the icemaker was working after you got the spring on and now after you done the silicone thing it doesn’t? Make sure the tube coming in the back of the icemaker is in place and the tube isn’t frozen. [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE]
The water valve may have been the leaking problem to start with.
Or something got out of place when you took the front of the icemaker off.
The water valve seems to be working fine. I had the fill tube out when I removed the ice maker. The problem I have is I get too much water in the tray now. I didn’t have that problem before. Something may have gotten out of adjustment when I was doing the drip repair. Right now I have turned the ice cube size screw in one full turn. I’ll have to keep trying that to see if the problem can be remedied this way
I had the cover off the module and this is what I observed. Starting with frozen cubes in the tray. The heater I assume activated and then the motor turned and pushed the frozen cubes into the bin. When the arm came to the bottom the water valve let in some water. I thought that the motor would stop at this point to let the water freeze, but the motor turned the gear around again and when the arm came back to the bottom more water was let in. This happened for four revolutions. The trays started overflowing by the third revolution. Is the motor supposed to make one revolution in each cycle, or more than one revolution?
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#000000]It is supposed to stop after one cycle until the water is frozen. What is mind bogging is that the drip repair shouldn’t have had any effect on that. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#000000]This is a harder thing to diagnose. There is a cam inside the icemaker that turns and as it turns it makes and breaks switches. When the icemaker finishes the cycle it makes a switch and cuts the motor off. The motor doesn’t come back on until the thermostat bypassed the switch indicating that the ice is frozen and ready for harvest. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#000000]If the cam is out of place you can get this problem. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#000000]If one of the switches is bad you can get this problem. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#000000]If the thermostat is bad you can get this problem. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#000000]I wish I could be of more help![/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#000000]I hope you get it going but you may have to end up with a new icemaker, which is what I was trying to help you avoid. I say the drip repair didn’t have anything to do with it so go back into the icemaker where you installed the spring and look for anything that seems out of place. Typically nothing will get out of whack when you take the front off of these icemakers but you never know. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
