Whirlpool Ice Maker Fix or Replace?

[cycloner29]

I went to get some ice out of our ice maker indoor hopper this morning and the hopper wasn't full like it usually is. I opened the lid to find ice cubes sitting on top of the fingers that rotate and remove the cubes from the tray so they can fall into the hopper. It never completed its full cycle as water never refilled the cube tray. Basically im guessing it just quit/died. I am a DIY guy to a degree but wonder if its just best to replace the whole thing, the ice maker that it is. I did replace it about at least 5 or more years ago. I could throw a circuit board at it, a motor. etc. but by the time I do that I've probably wasted more time and money than getting are replacement. I dare not get a tech to come out an look at it as the service call alone would probably pay for cost of a new one.

 

[JP4CY]

I bet those water tubes are extremely small diameter. I'd look at it to make sure it's just not calcified.

 

[Yaz]

I went to get some ice out of our ice maker indoor hopper this morning and the hopper wasn't full like it usually is. I opened the lid to find ice cubes sitting on top of the fingers that rotate and remove the cubes from the tray so they can fall into the hopper. It never completed its full cycle as water never refilled the cube tray. Basically im guessing it just quit/died. I am a DIY guy to a degree but wonder if its just best to replace the whole thing, the ice maker that it is. I did replace it about at least 5 or more years ago. I could throw a circuit board at it, a motor. etc. but by the time I do that I've probably wasted more time and money than getting are replacement. I dare not get a tech to come out an look at it as the service call alone would probably pay for cost of a new one.

Youtube it. All kinds of channels where pros will even show up how to fix it. If u decide to buy, we bought a new fridge recently from Costco. Got a decent deal on it. We already have a beer fridge and extra freezer so we called MidAmerican energy and the came and picked it up and we got a 50 or 100 rebate. Costco would of taken it at no cost, but no rebate.

 

[AgronAlum]

There's a piece that engages everything in the back of the unit. This happens with our Whirlpool fairly frequently. Taking the tray out and kind of slamming it back in place usually gets everything going again.

 

[BCClone]

I went to get some ice out of our ice maker indoor hopper this morning and the hopper wasn't full like it usually is. I opened the lid to find ice cubes sitting on top of the fingers that rotate and remove the cubes from the tray so they can fall into the hopper. It never completed its full cycle as water never refilled the cube tray. Basically im guessing it just quit/died. I am a DIY guy to a degree but wonder if its just best to replace the whole thing, the ice maker that it is. I did replace it about at least 5 or more years ago. I could throw a circuit board at it, a motor. etc. but by the time I do that I've probably wasted more time and money than getting are replacement. I dare not get a tech to come out a look at it as the service call alone would probably pay for cost of a new one.

Ours quit making ice cube a few months ago and I found out that like the circuit boards and all that are no longer the same and you literally have to have somebody work on it

 

[coolerifyoudid]

I've had so many battles with ice makers over the years. Sometimes it's as simple as taking a hair dryer to unthaw a partially clogged supply line or replacing the sending unit on the back of the fridge. But, it seems like one you get a problem, they continue to have issues. I wouldn't ever put much more than $40 into an ice maker repair since they are relatively cheap to replace.

Until it's fixed, get a couple cheap trays as a back up. With March Madness kicking in, you need to have the option of having your whisky neat or on the rocks.

 

[CascadeClone]

I bet those water tubes are extremely small diameter. I'd look at it to make sure it's just not calcified.

Or frozen.

There's about 5 different things in an icemaker that go wrong, they are so freaking unreliable.

The one at work, doesn't work. The last 3 fridges I have owned have all had trouble on more than one occassion. What a PITA.

 

[Billups06]

Or frozen.

There's about 5 different things in an icemaker that go wrong, they are so freaking unreliable.

The one at work, doesn't work. The last 3 fridges I have owned have all had trouble on more than one occassion. What a PITA.

French‑door refrigerators with ice makers within the refrigerator compartment (not the freezer) can ice up if the ice maker isn’t fully sealed, due to warmer, moist air entering whenever the door opens. Hopefully a defrost helps the OP's current issue.

 

[cycloner29]

I've had so many battles with ice makers over the years. Sometimes it's as simple as taking a hair dryer to unthaw a partially clogged supply line or replacing the sending unit on the back of the fridge. But, it seems like one you get a problem, they continue to have issues. I wouldn't ever put much more than $40 into an ice maker repair since they are relatively cheap to replace.

Until it's fixed, get a couple cheap trays as a back up. With March Madness kicking in, you need to have the option of having your whisky neat or on the rocks.

The thing is though it only got the cubes out of the tray and then stopped so it never had a chance to do a complete cycle and fill the tray with water.

 

[aeroclone]

French‑door refrigerators with ice makers within the refrigerator compartment (not the freezer) can ice up if the ice maker isn’t fully sealed, due to warmer, moist air entering whenever the door opens. Hopefully a defrost helps the OP's current issue.

I will never own a French door refrigerator with an ice maker in the fridge compartment ever again. Just a horrible design choice. Have had problem after problem with mine.

 

[BCClone]

The thing is though it only got the cubes out of the tray and then stopped so it never had a chance to do a complete cycle and fill the tray with water.

Ours stopped filling with water. Sounds a little similar.

 

[cycloner29]

Ours stopped filling with water. Sounds a little similar.

time to get the BFH out and "adjust it".

 

[MeanDean]

Ours quit working and a friend told us that if the refrigerator water filter is old or clogged it will stop working. Replaced the filter and a few days later it kicked in.

Of course the filters are about $40 each.

It quit again a few years later and it was something inside the mechanism that wasn't easily identifiable from any Youtube video. Had to call a repairman.

I've totally sworn off ever buying another refrigerator with an ice maker. I don't use all that much ice. (I put my drinks in the fridge so they're cold). Or I use those refreezable bag thingies in coolers.

 

[BCClone]

time to get the BFH out and "adjust it".

I think it cost us a couple hundred dollars to have the Repair Guy come out and replace it. But it was something he knew it was common and like I said the part was no longer similar so it wasn’t something that I really felt comfortable doing.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

The thing is though it only got the cubes out of the tray and then stopped so it never had a chance to do a complete cycle and fill the tray with water.

Ice makers are tempermental. I've watched dozens of videos to discover that there is no uniform fix on them. For one of mine, our water supply issues caused problems with my whirlpool. The sending unit wasn't putting enough water into the fridge. It would make cubes, then stop for days, then make weak looking cubes, then stop altogether. The weak supply was also causing it to freeze in the line. If your water comes out strong, that likely isn't your issue, though.

I've "fixed" other ice makers over the years, but I must have terrible luck with them. I don't have a solution for yours, but I know I've definitely ended up spending more time and money with some of the fixes than if I'd just replaced the thing to begin with. Good luck.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

I will never own a French door refrigerator with an ice maker in the fridge compartment ever again. Just a horrible design choice. Have had problem after problem with mine.

Agree so much with this. My current fridge has an internal ice maker that dumps into a tray. Zero issues so far.

 

[do4CY]

Try thawing it out. Either with a blow dryer or take it out completely. I gave up on ours after the plastic tray for the ice cubes broke on ours twice. We have a countertop ice maker now.

 

[cydnote]

time to get the BFH out and "adjust it".

This made me laugh. When I was a kid, I got the assignment of keeping a yard of 200 thirsty butcher weight hogs away while while my dad attempted to fix a frozen 2 drink cast iron hog waterer. My dad's temper could explode at a moments notice and after learning words I've never heard before, things seem to level off as he walked what seemed uncharacteristically calm towards the farm shop. He returned with a sledge hammer and proceeded to "adjust" the waterer--the whole time I spent dodging shrapnel only rivaled on a battle field. We then went to town and got the new version, with my dad informing me "that if I ever told anybody about this . . . "

 

[cycloner29]

This made me laugh. When I was a kid, I got the assignment of keeping a yard of 200 thirsty butcher weight hogs away while while my dad attempted to fix a frozen 2 drink cast iron hog waterer. My dad's temper could explode at a moments notice and after learning words I've never heard before, things seem to level off as he walked what seemed uncharacteristically calm towards the farm shop. He returned with a sledge hammer and proceeded to "adjust" the waterer--the whole time I spent dodging shrapnel only rivaled on a battle field. We then went to town and got the new version, with my dad informing me "that if I ever told anybody about this . . . "

OMG!! Are you my long lost brother?? This sounds so much like what my dad would do.

 

[scottie33]

I went to get some ice out of our ice maker indoor hopper this morning and the hopper wasn't full like it usually is. I opened the lid to find ice cubes sitting on top of the fingers that rotate and remove the cubes from the tray so they can fall into the hopper. It never completed its full cycle as water never refilled the cube tray. Basically im guessing it just quit/died. I am a DIY guy to a degree but wonder if its just best to replace the whole thing, the ice maker that it is. I did replace it about at least 5 or more years ago. I could throw a circuit board at it, a motor. etc. but by the time I do that I've probably wasted more time and money than getting are replacement. I dare not get a tech to come out an look at it as the service call alone would probably pay for cost of a new one.

I have a whirlpool as well and had similar problems of my ice maker not working and I spent days making sure the supply line was working, the drain wasn't clogged, replaced the inlet valve, and none of it worked.

I ended up buying a new complete Ice Maker Assembly and swapped out old for new and started working right away. I should've just bought the $80 dollar assembly from the get go and not tried to diagnose little components.