We have an older model Kenmore refrigerator (c. 1997) that’s on a wall without access to water but still has an icemaker. The icemaker is missing its lever (it’s the style with a wire lever that you move up to turn it off, down to turn it on) and the previous owner had crammed a plastic bag into the mechanism to force it into “off.” It currently makes a great deal of noise (rattles the freezer), and we’ve finally started looking into it in more detail to find out exactly why, and are hoping to find a solution. Should it make noise like this while it’s off, or is this because the plastic bag solution is as iffy as it looks? Given that we don’t plan to add water to this wall anytime soon (and also hope the fridge will give us a few more years!)–is there anything wrong (or unsafe, I guess) about removing the unit altogether and running the fridge with nothing plugged in there? We haven’t taken it out yet so I don’t know what the wiring plug looks like underneath–didn’t want to mess with that if it’s a bad solution, but it would be wonderful to get the space back if it won’t cause any problems. Is this something we’d have any problems doing ourselves, if so? (We’re fairly handy DIYers but certainly not appliance technicians–but it looks like it’s just bolted down with a few screws.) Thanks!!
Take it out. You wont hurt anything by removing it. 2 maybe 3 screws and a plug, and it’s out.
Thanks–just needed a vote of confidence! Tried this tonight (bravely ignoring the large warning to unplug the fridge first, as we couldn’t reach it without moving the whole thing 
and it was easy as pie. Fridge is silent for the first time since we moved in! Thanks for the help.