Replaced Ice Maker How Long For It To Produce Ice?

[Chazzum]

My old ice maker (Whirlpool) stopped making ice. Prior to it not making ice it had started to make an intermittent creaking noise but made good ice. After a few months of creaking it then stopped getting water. I tested the module and found there was no voltage to the water valve during the 7.5 seconds during the cycle that it is supposed to send water to the ice maker. Last night I replaced the ice maker (the whole unit inside the freezer compartment) with a new one I picked up from Lowes (only $50...quite a deal compared to some online sites like repairclinic.com that wanted over $100)...the model was ECKMF94. It was an easy swap out of just three screws and plugging in the wiring assembly.

Question is this: how long should it be before the new unit delivers water to the ice maker?

After 13 hours (checked before I went to work) the ice maker still had no water. Is the 24 hour period mentioned in the installation manual for it start producing ice that hits the ice bucket or when it should first state getting water to make ice?

[Steve B]

Usually a month

[Bob]

Aaaahhhh, did you turn the water back on?

[trader4]

There should be water going into the tray immediately and if the freezer is at normal temp, you should have ice in an hour or two.

[jerry_maple]

Did you lower the arm to the icemaking position?

Jerry

[Edwin Pawlowski]

You would think that, but now always true. I replaced mine and it did not work. I was PO'd and it was getting late. I went to bed and the next morning I found that the ice fairly delivered a bunch. No idea why, but it took about 12 hours for it to start functioning.

[Chazzum]

Yes, of course.

To the guy that asked if I turned the water on: yes it is on.

[Chazzum]

Edwin;

Thanks for the info. I'm hoping to find ice when I get home. If not, next step will be to replace the water valve (one came with the kit) and water line. I'm trying to avoid fiddling with the water line though.

Chazzum

[hallerb]

water vallve was probably bad

[Chazzum]

I appreciate the advice but if the water valve was bad shouldn't I still get a voltage reading to it on the module's test holes N and V during the fill cycle? It's now been 24 hours with no ice so I ran the new unit through a cycle and it is also not reading any voltage on N and V during the fill cycle. I think you may be correct about the water valve since the new module isn't getting water but don't understand why I'm not getting a voltage reading during the fill cycle.

TIA

[Jeff Wisnia]

I sure hope that the original solenoid valve didn't fail in a shorted coil mode and take out some component like a triac in both the old and the new icemakers.

I don't know that much about present day icemakers, 'cause the one in our old GE fridge uses mechanical contacts on the motor drive to switch and time the voltage to the valve. I've had to clean up those contacts once or twice already when they got grotty and wouldn't conduct when they should.

I'm just suspecting that since everything else in appliances has gone electronic, maybe your icemaker is made that way too.

Can you disconnect the valve's coil leads and make a measurement of it's resistance, comparing that to the unused new valve's coil? That might tell you something.

Jeff

[PipeDown]

Some ice makers do double duty as the timer for the defrost cycle and run on a long schedual instead of on demand. Usually there is a hole to advance the clock if it is this style and if you turn the knob inside you can cycle through the paces. In any case it may have filled already and you are just waiting for it to eject the ice. have you looked in the tray. If not maybe you need to replace the solenoid as well.

[PipeDown]

If a load (the solenoid) is a dead short, you will read no voltage across it even if the source (module) is still outputting a signal.

Unplug the solenoid. measure the voltage on the wire from the module during the fill cycle. If it is 0V all the time, the new module is defective or improperly installed. If you get voltage when you expect it diring the fill cycle, then the module is probably OK

Measure the resistance of the solenoid. If it is open or shorted then it is bad. Not sure what you should get but 100 to 2000 ohms is reasonable.

Connect a light bulb to in place of the solenoid, it should go on during the fill cycle.

The solenoid may just be plugged with crud or it may be electrically failed. Electrically speaking see advice above. Mechanically speaking, it would appear to be electrically functional but still no water gets through. You should be able to hear the solenoid click when it opens.

Anyway, it is a cheaper part than the module and probably easier to replace than to debug it or repair it (clean out any crud). Just get a new one, should be a 15min job if the tubing cooperates.

[hallerb]

I had flakey ice maker operation it finally quit.

I cheated a little connected solenoid valve to ole power cord, and plugged it in looked for water in tray, it does not take long to fill.

turn valve off to solenoid valve, unscrew supply line, have someone hold it in bucket while valve is turned on as test, this test assures water is available

[Chazzum]

I really appreciate the well thought out and explained responses.

I took PipeDown's advice and ran the resistance and voltage tests.

The resistance on the exising water inlet valve (aka, solenoid) was around 380 ohms. The new one that came with the ice maker kit (model # ECKMF94) was around 220 ohms. I also cycled the ice maker and tested the voltage at the solenoid to see if it was getting any volts and it wasn't (or at least my voltmeter didn't read any...I was jury rigging the test probes and contact may not have been all that good). I then decided that since I had a new water inlet valve I might as well install it and see what happened. I also wanted to check if the water line was flowing properly. I had resisted this step as I'd have to undo the compression nut and didn't want the hassle of it not working after I reconnected. Anyways, the water flow thru the supply line was good so that ruled that out as the culprit. I then proceeded to connect the new inlet valve, and hooked up the water supply line. Luckily, the compression nut was plastic, somewhat flexible and not overtightened when I hooked the line up 11 years ago so I had no problems with leaks after I reconnected it to the new inlet valve (I will keep a close eye on it for a few days to make sure it isn't leaking just in case).

Fingers crossed I plugged the fridge in and immediately noticed the ice maker was cycling. As it got to the water valve part of the cycle it didn't work and I felt defeated and frustrated...I was about to call it a night when I heard the water valve click on and water, precious water, filled the ice maker. I noticed the inlet valve cycled at about

1 PM > If a load (the solenoid) is a dead short, you will read no voltage across it

[hallerb]

Glad it all worked out! Your experience was like mine solenoid valve bit the dust.

I am a office machine service tech for a living, this discussion made me realize that although I use meters and other test equiptement I prefer to swap parts when possible since its more reliable........

[DaRa]

replying to Chazzum, DaRa wrote: You tested water valve to be bad. Why change out ice maker when valve is culprit?

[DerbyDad03]

A ten year old thread, but still a valid question. :-)

Come on, Chazzum, fess up!

[JimmyB]

replying to Chazzum, JimmyB wrote: The unit needs to get to 15deg before it will add water for ice, this could take

24-26 hrs

[Mustang61]

replying to Chazzum, Mustang61 wrote: no it does not tell you anything