Kitchenaid ice dispenser problem

[russff]

Have a Kitchenaid KSRA25ILSS03 side by side refrigerator. The overload failed on the compressor and the thing thawed for almost 2 days, all the ice melted. Replaced the overload and it works fine again. The ice maker is working fine, it fills the bucket with cubes, but the dispenser doesn't work right. When I push the ice dispense button, I hear the motor work and I see the auger turning, but it seems so weak that when an ice cube gets into the dispenser channel, the auger blades hit the cube and stop turning (but the motor is still working), like it doesn't have the oomph to push the cube out. The ice crusher does the same thing, I hear the crusher working, but no ice comes out. The water dispenser works fine. Anything to check? Could water have gotten into the motor?

[Dan O.]

the auger blades hit the cube and stop turning (but the motor is still working)

If the dispenser motor is definitely running but the auger not turning, there has got to be a disconnect between the two. Part of the linkage between the two might be worn and slipping. I can't see any other way what you describe could happen.

Someone will likely need to actually look into the mechanism to see if anything's amiss. I can't see such a problem being related to the compressor failure. It has to be coincidence.

JMO

Dan O.
www.Appliance411.com
The Appliance Information Site
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[russff]

Thanks for the reply, but the auger IS turning and the motor is running, but the motor sounds weak and as soon as an ice cube drops into the dispense area and an auger blade hits it, it stops turning. I'm thinking when it thawed, water got into the motor and may have damaged it and that's why it doesn't sound right. I'll need to take it apart and see if there might be ice frozen in there or something.

[Dan O.]

Clarification needed

the auger IS turning and the motor is running

The auger and motor are two separate parts. You said, "the auger blades hit the cube and stop turning but the motor is still working".

If the motor IS running but the auger is NOT, than there has to be a problem between the two. If on the other hand the motor is NOT turning (which is the opposite of what you stated previously - I assume "working" means turning), than the motor is suspect.

Is the motor running when the auger stops or not??

Please clarify the symptoms of your complaint and we'll try to suggest a course of action.

Dan O.
www.Appliance411.com
The Appliance Information Site
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[russff]

I will try to restate the symptoms.
I push the ice dispenser button. The motor hums and the auger turns. As soon as an ice cube drops down into where the auger blades are (the sharp blades), the auger stops turning but the motor is still humming. The auger blades hit the ice cube then bump back then hit the ice cube then bump back and so forth. It seems like the motor is so weak that it cannot overcome the force of an ice cube blocking the auger.
I took it all apart last night and there is nothing more than the motor, the shaft, and the coupling, so I would have to assume the motor is bad. It looks like the motor housing is sealed, but I guess water somehow found a way into the motor housing anyway. The whole auger assembly in the ice bucket looks fine and it turns with no trouble if I spin it by hand (with no ice).
I just thought the motor would either work normally or not work at all, I never heard of an in between.

[Dan O.]

the auger stops turning but the motor is still humming.

Than yes, the motor is 'stalling'. I can't see the problem being in other than the motor itself but I don't know how the compressor failure or the defrosting could have affected it. It may have just been coincidence.

LINK > Kitchenaid KSRA25ILSS03 Dispenser Motor

I just thought the motor would either work normally or not work at all

Motors can fail in numerous ways, not necessarily a total failure. 'Stalling' can be caused by bad motor bearings or a problem in its electrical windings. It could also be caused by external forces (eg. jamming) if the motor doesn't have enough torque to overcome those forces.

JMO

Dan O.
www.Appliance411.com
The Appliance Information Site
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[russff]

My only reason for mentioning the compressor failure is that the dispenser problem started immediately after I got the compressor fixed. Before I realized the compressor had failed, I pushed the ice button and got a gush of water come out, this led me to check the ice, saw that it was melting, and that led me to discover the compressor had failed. If ice melted, could water flow down the connecting rod and get into the dispenser motor? It would seem for sure that the melted ice somehow caused the dispenser motor to fail, although when I took the motor out and let it sit for a while, no water came out of it. Either that or it is a big coincidence the dispenser motor failed immediately after the compressor got fixed.

[Dan O.]

If ice melted, could water flow down the connecting rod and get into the dispenser motor?

It think that would be unlikely but I couldn't say it was absolutely, positively out of the question. Maybe try letting it dry out thoroughly and trying it again.

JMO

Dan O.
www.Appliance411.com
The Appliance Information Site
=D~~~~~~

[russff]

I let it dry out for 2 days and when I put it all back together, it's working fine and pushing ice out. Very strange that it only partially stopped working.

[Dan O.]

Working now

If moisture got into the motor winding it could have caused a short, reducing the motor's efficiency.

Glad to hear it was a simple fix. Thanks for the follow up!

Dan O.
www.Appliance411.com
The Appliance Information Site
=D~~~~~~

[mpn237]

How did you access the motor?

Russff:
I have the exact same model of Kitchenaid Superba SidebySide refrigerator/freezer and experienced failure of the dispenser motor after an extended power outage. I think your diagnosis makes sense and believe the melting ice dripped down into my motor. The motor worked briefly when the power resumed but then stopped after an hour or so. I'm guessing that moisture got into the motor and then froze when the temperature dropped again.

I have tried to get at the motor to remove it and dry it out as you did, but cannot figure out how to access it. Would you mind explaining how you got at the motor to remove it?

I tried removing the screws at the auger and then pried up the larger plate, but then encountered a thick layer of dense foam under it. Did you remove that, or am I going about this wrong?

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks!