Kenmore ice maker - cubes stuck

[Morganza]

I have a Kenmore side by side, Model # 253.54369401. The ice maker works fine until it tries to dump the ice into the reservoir. The mechanism that moves the ice from the mold works, but when the cubes get upside down and are about to fall into the reservoir, everything stops. The entire row of cubes are stuck together and they are also stuck to the main shaft on the dump mechanism. I have to reach in and pull the ice cubes loose. When I do this, the ice maker continues on its cycle as it should.

Either the ice should not be getting stuck to the mechanism like it is, or the motor that drives the mechanism is no longer strong enough to break the hold on the cubes so they can be released, or something else is wrong.

It appears also that the ice maker is not level, the left side being lower. If this is the problem, can I level the icemaker without leveling the freezer. It's built in and wont budge very much.

Any ideas about what is going on here and what to do about it would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[Dan O.]

Ice cube getting 'stuck' at that point is often the result of too little water in the ice mold, making the cubes too small for the rake to push them out. To test for this it might be possible to squirt a little extra water into the ice mold just after a fill using a turkey baster, flower watering can, etc. If the cubes eject Ok after that, you can look into why it isn't filling sufficiently.

Most icemakers have a fill adjustment screw on the side of the front mechanism or just beneath the cover. It can be used to adjust the fill time slightly. It should however usually never need to be adjusted after the initial installation so a problem in the water supply to the fridge should be looked into if adjusting the fill timing is needed.

Common causes of incomplete fills can be due to a partially plugged sediment screen at the fridge water valve (see the image below) or more commonly, a problem with the tap used on the house water line for the fridge water supply.

Use of a 'self-piercing' saddle valve is the most common cause. Such a valve makes too small of an orifice in the water pipe which can easily get clogged with lime and scale, hampering water flow. That can also occur with any type of saddle valve if mounted on the underside of a horizontal water pipe. Only a drill-type saddle valve should be used (if not a regular plumbing tap) and only mounted on the top of a horizontal pipe or the side of a vertical pipe (see image below).

the ice maker is not level, the left side being lower. Can I level the icemaker without leveling the freezer.

Not usually other than maybe front to back, no.

JMO

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

Thanks for the comments. I removed the ice maker and actually lowered the water level. It was freezing across the top of the cubes. I also used the two mounting screws to level the ice maker. These screws are not intended for that, but it worked pretty well. That was easier than figuring out why the entire ice machine assembly was installed crooked at the factory. You can see that it is crooked though. After adjusting the water level and trimming out the cube tray, it is now working again. For now, anyway . . .

[Dan O.]

After adjusting the water level and trimming out the cube tray, it is now working again.

Glad to hear it. Thanks for the follow up.

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