Possible Causes (from description):
- Ice Maker: If the refrigerator isn’t producing ice, then the ice maker may be broken or damaged and need to be replaced or fixed
- Water Inlet Valve: This valve controls the cold water that enters the refrigerator. If the ice maker isn’t working, the water inlet valve could be going bad.
- Water filter assembly: The water filter assembly filters the water as it comes into the fridge. The assembly can become clogged or damaged and need to be replaced.
Tools you’ll need
Multimeter (Other tools will be model dependent)
Full transcript – click to expand
View Transcript
Hi this is Matt with AppliancePartsPros.com, in this video we're going to show you how
to troubleshoot the top three reasons why your refrigerator's ice maker is not making ice.
Stick around to the end of the video for an important tip that can help save you money.
But before we begin, we're going to make sure the appliance is unplugged or the circuit breakers are
off so there's no chance of electrocution. Also make sure you turn off the water supply
underneath the sink. The first thing we need to look at is the ice maker. It's where the
ice is made inside the refrigerator. There are several different styles of ice makers.
The most popular kinds are the half moon style and the flex tray style. They both work the same way.
They have a control section that controls the cycles of the ice maker and a tray where the
ice is made. Ice makers can be located in several different places depending upon your style of
refrigerator. Usually they're mounted in the freezer but on some models it can be located
in the fresh food section. There are a few things to check before we can start troubleshooting it.
First the ice maker arm must be in the down position or the switch must be in the on position.
Then make sure the freezer is set below 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Check your manual to verify
the temperature required for the ice maker to work. Usually it's 10 degrees Fahrenheit. The
freezer should actually be set to around zero degrees Fahrenheit for maximum ice production.
If your freezer is a little warm you can check the condenser coils. If they're dirty the freezer
will run warmer than normal. If there's no apparent reason why it's too warm you may have
check out the freezer too warm troubleshooting page at AppliancePartsPros.com.
Also check to make sure the house water pressure is good. The system needs a certain pressure to
work properly. Check your manual to determine what your fridge requires. If it's too low water may
not be able to reach the ice maker. If the ice maker isn't making any ice it could be that it's
failed. The most common things to fail are the mold thermostat, the gears, or the motor and switches
inside the control module. If any of these have failed the ice maker will stop making ice.
Usually when it fails the ice maker is at an age where changing out the whole thing might be the
best choice. But if you want to troubleshoot further depending upon your design you may be
able to buy the individual pieces. There have been many different styles of ice makers used
over the years. Here are two very popular ice makers. Like we mentioned before this is the
half moon style and this is the flex tray style. Here are the parts of the half moon style. You
control which has the shutoff contacts, drive motor, and the gear.
The mold thermostat and the mold heater are on the ice mold itself.
We're going to show you how to test the popular whirlpool design. There are other ice makers
that look similar but they have their own testing procedures. We're going to use a
multimeter to test the parts. So we're going to set our meter to ohms. Our meter automatically
detects whatever ohms are coming in but you may need to set your meter to read the proper ohm level.
First remove the cover. Then to test the mold heater stick a probe into the holes marked L
and H. It should read around 72 ohms. Then to check the motor stick the probes into the L
and M holes. The meter should read between 4400 and 8800 ohms. Stick the probes into the V
and N holes to check the external water valve solenoid. It should read around 300 ohms.
Remember any of the readings can be a little off one way or another but if they're completely off
or you're not getting a reading at all the part will need to be replaced. Finally to check the
mold thermostat we need to see if it has continuity. We're not looking for a specific value here just
to see if the meter gets a reading. So stick the probes into the T and H holes. Measure the
thermostat when it's below 15 degrees Fahrenheit. It should have continuity when it's cold. If it
doesn't then it needs to be replaced. Then let the thermostat warm up so it's above 15 degrees.
If you don't want to unplug the freezer to let it warm up you may want to take the ice maker
out in order to test it. Once it warms up it should no longer have continuity. If it does
that means it's failed and you'll need to replace it. The flex tray style is made up of the control
head, the thermistor, and the tray. The head controls the ice maker and the thermistor tells
the head what temperature the tray is at. If any of them have failed the ice maker won't make ice.
First check the temperature of the area where the thermistor is located.
Then set your meter to ohms and touch a probe to each of the leads for the thermistor
and see what it reads.
Check your tech sheet for the temperature and ohms reading chart.
For example ours says the thermistor should be 5621 ohms at 71.6 degrees Fahrenheit which is
right in line with our reading. If you don't get any reading or it's not close to what's shown on
the chart then the thermistor is bad and needs to be replaced. If the ice tray is damaged and not
holding water the ice maker can't make ice and the tray needs to be replaced. A lot of the newer
style ice makers both flex tray and half moon have a test procedure to determine if the ice maker is
there's usually a test button or a small hole where you insert a paper clip to start the procedure.
If you have a test button usually press and hold it for a few seconds to start the test.
There are a few different designs out there so check your manual or look on the ice maker itself.
If the ice maker doesn't pass the test procedures it's more than likely failed
and will need to be replaced. If you need to order a part simply go to appliancepartspros.com
and type in your model number. Find your part on the easy to read diagrams and match it to the
number below. Click on the part if you want to see more pictures of the item or watch its repair
video. You can also scroll down to see DIY stories from customers like you or ask a question in the
Q&A section. Once you're ready you can add the part to your cart. It's that easy. Most orders
will arrive within two business days. Next thing to check is the water inlet valve. It controls the
water going into the refrigerator. Water inlet valves have solenoids that open and close to send
water to the ice maker and dispenser. They're usually located at the back of the machine
behind the access panel but some can be found inside the fresh food section. If your water
inlet valve has failed it's possible that no water is getting to the ice maker preventing ice from
being made. This could be caused by a bad solenoid, jam plunger, or a clog in the valve. During the
cycle of your ice maker you may have determined that the water valve is bad and needs to be
changed. If not we'll have to test the ice maker solenoid to see if it's failed. In order to see
if the part can carry an electric current we have to test it with a multimeter set to continuity.
Once you have it set touch the probes together to make sure it's working.
Once you have access to the valve the ice maker solenoid is usually the one that the ice maker
water supply line is connected to. Then remove the wiring harness
and touch a probe to each terminal. The meter should show continuity. If you don't get a reading
then it's failed and you'll need to replace the valve. Another thing to look at if the ice maker
is not making ice is the ice maker fill tube. It's a length of tubing on the back of the unit
the water flows down to fill up the ice mold. If it's frozen up it usually means that the diaphragm
inside the water valve has a small leak and it's slowly pushing water up the water supply line.
This could block the water from getting to the ice maker preventing it from making ice.
If the diaphragm is leaking you'll have to replace the water inlet valve.
As always guys hit those like and subscribe buttons now to help support us making more of
these videos. Next we need to check out the water filter assembly. It filters the water as it comes
into the fridge. Depending upon your design the water filter assembly is made up of a water filter
and either a water filter head or a water filter housing.
The assembly is usually located inside the fresh food section or down by the kick panel.
Sometimes if the water filter is old it can get clogged up and either reduce or stop the
water flow to the ice maker and dispenser. If the head is damaged you'll likely get no water flow at
all. To check them you'll have to temporarily turn the water and power back on then push the dispenser
to check the water flow. If it seems slow try replacing the water filter to see if that fixes
the problem. If not the check valve in the water filter housing may be stuck. Most water filter
heads have a check valve that turns the water off if it fails or the water filter is removed.
They usually have one or two pins that have to be pressed in as if the filter was there.
If you have the pin style then you can put a towel down
take the filter out and use a couple small screwdrivers to press them in
then press the dispenser. If you don't get any water flow then the check valve is bad and you'll
need to replace the water filter head. If you can't access them or you don't see the pins you'll have
to leave the good filter in and go around to the back of the refrigerator and disconnect the water
you want to put a towel or a bowl down to catch any water that may come out.
Once you're ready you can press the water dispenser in the door. If you don't get any
water flow at the water filter return line then the filter head is broken and needs to be replaced.
Now here's that money saving tip we mentioned earlier. If your freezer compartment isn't
getting as cold as they used to and your ice cream is getting soft it could be that your
condenser coils are dirty. Dirty coils can cause the freezer to run warmer than normal
if the condenser and other components are covered in dust and pet hair.
Dust and pet hair can insulate the coils preventing them from working efficiently.
This can also make the refrigerator run more and cause wear and tear to those components.
Keeping the coils clean can improve your refrigerator's efficiency by 30 percent
so doing this can save you money on your electric bill and future repair costs.
In order to clean them you'll have to pull the refrigerator out and remove the rear access panel
then carefully clean the coils. Keep in mind that some may be accessed from the front.
You may have to use a condenser cleaning brush to reach in there.
Also while you're back there clean the compressor, condenser motor and fan blade
and wipe down everything else. Be sure you're careful not to damage anything
and make sure you do this at least once a year.
Once you take care of the problem you can plug the appliance in,
turn the water back on, and take it for a spin.
Thanks for joining us for another troubleshooting video brought to you by AppliancePartsPros.com
Remember to hit the like and subscribe buttons now and if you have any questions
or want to share how your repair went leave a comment down below.
Need help finding parts or troubleshooting? Post your question in the Refrigerator Repair Q&A section.