Maytag French Door Ice maker unit cannot be removed

Refrigerator & Freezer Repair
1

Brand: Maytag
Model Number: MFI2269VEM11
Main Symptom: Ice maker froze
What happens & when:

I have a Maytag French door unit #MFI2269VEM11. The ice maker froze over; there was ice under the ice bucket, etc. I cannot pull out the ice maker unit, as there are bumps (see arrows) that block its removal. I assume these bumps should not be there. There is water and some ice in the unit. As I cannot pull the ice maker unit out, I do not know how to proceed.

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unnamed (2) - arrows
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Thank you in advance for your assistance.

2

Those “bumps” are actually part of the refrigerator liner and should be there. They act as retaining stops to keep the ice maker from sliding out accidentally. On your Maytag MFI2269VEM11, the ice maker does not pull straight out past those bumps. Instead, there is a release tab and wiring harness that must be disconnected first, then the ice maker slides forward and can be maneuvered around the stops.

Since your ice maker is frozen over, here’s what I’d recommend:

  1. Turn the ice maker OFF using the switch on the front of the ice maker.
  2. Shut off the refrigerator or unplug it.
  3. Remove the ice bucket.
  4. Use a hair dryer on low heat or place towels under the ice maker and allow the ice to thaw. Don’t use sharp tools to chip the ice, as it’s easy to crack the mold or liner.
  5. Once the ice around the ice maker has melted, remove the small wiring harness cover at the top left, disconnect the harness, press the release tab on the left side, and slide the ice maker forward.

Since you found ice under the bucket…

That usually means one of three things:

  • Most likely: The water inlet valve is seeping and slowly dripping water into the ice maker between fill cycles, causing an overfill.
  • The ice maker mold has cracked and is leaking.
  • The ice maker failed to harvest properly, overflowed on the next fill, and everything froze together.

If the ice maker itself is full of ice and there is ice underneath the bucket, I would suspect a slow-leaking water inlet valve first, followed by a failing ice maker assembly.

Could you upload the photo showing the arrows pointing to the bumps? I’d like to verify exactly where it’s hanging up. Also, after you thaw it, let me know:

  • Does the ice maker slide forward at all?
  • Is it still completely locked in place?
  • Do you see a release tab on the left side?
3

Thank you, Jeffrey_S_APP_Team -

The second photo has the bumps. I’ll upload it again.

  • I used a hairdryer to melt the ice and remove the ice bucket.
  • I removed the side panel and disconnected the harness
  • I pushed the release tab, but I can only get the ice maker unit to move about 1/8" to 1/4" before it hits the bumps.

Here is the 2nd photo with the arrows:

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Here is a new photo of the bump on the bottom:

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And here is a new photo of the bump on top:

IMG_7566
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Thank you again!

4

All the instructions I can find say you should be able to maneuver the ice maker past the bumps once the harness is unplugged

5

Unfortunately, as you can see in the photo below, the red line is the edge of the ice maker unit and is behind the “bump”.

I saw a post that claimed bumps are caused by ice from a freeze-up.

I believe the unit is overfilling, spilling water that becomes ice all over. There was also ice coming out of the fill tube into the unit, which may be causing water to go around the ice box, and thus causing the bumps on the side.

Per your suggestion, overfill was caused by a “slow-leaking water inlet valve”. The question is should I:

  • Hope that the ice maker unit is still good and works.
  • Somehow, try to get as much water out of the ice maker unit as possible.
  • Replace the water inlet valve. Which I would need to figure out how to do.
  • Pray the issue is resolved.

Thanks again.

IMG_7565 - red line
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6

If you want to remove the ice maker, you’ll first need to melt the remaining ice that’s holding it in place. A hair dryer works well for this. Once all of the ice has melted, gently warm the plastic bump that’s blocking the ice maker. As it softens, you should be able to press it back into place enough to carefully work the ice maker past it.

As for whether the ice maker is still good, that depends on whether the overfill damaged any of the electronics. Once you’ve removed all of the ice, you can test it before replacing any parts.

Turn the refrigerator’s water supply back on just long enough for the ice maker to complete one fill cycle, then shut the water supply back off so it can’t continue to overfill. If the ice maker freezes the water and harvests the ice normally, then the ice maker itself is likely fine, and you’ll only need to replace the water inlet valve(s), since they’re most likely leaking by and allowing water to continue dripping into the ice maker.

On your model, the water inlet valves are located inside the fresh food compartment behind the panel below the water filter housing. To access them, remove the water filter cover, then remove the rear panels in the fresh food compartment. That will expose the inlet valve assembly for replacement.

7

Thank you!

I just watched a video on it and searched this site, and it seems that for my Maytag MFI2269VEM11 the correct value is a Whirlpool W11645245 Dual Water Inlet Valve OEM Part.

I don’t know why finding parts is so complicated!

8

According to our diagrams the valves for the internally mounted valve sets is WPW10312696