Slow Whirlpool ice maker

[silmaril8n]

Hello,

I have a Whirlpool fridge/freezer combo (model GS5SHAXNL00) that has an ice maker on the fritz (shocker). It hasn't dropped a single piece of ice since we moved into this place until yesterday when I simply took the unit out and put it back in. I had tested the emitter board first and it responded as expected with a solid red light when the flapper was depressed and a 2-flash pattern when not (except in harvest mode). Since putting it back in however, it has started to produce ice, albeit at a very slow rate. So, I have a couple of questions about this behavior:

1. What is the typical rate of one of these ice makers?
2. How should I start troubleshooting this if indeed it isn't producing at the expected rate?

[Dan O.]

What's the freezer temperature?

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The speed of the ice production is most dependent on the freezer temperature. For best ice production the freezer compartment temperature should be -2 to -5 deg. F. and have good air flow around the icemaker.

Test and find the actual freezer compartment for at least 12 hours and report back.

From: The Appliance Clinic

Average Ice Production Time

Average ice production time is the approximate time needed for one complete cycle, from fill to one dump of ice. Complete cycle time for full-size, 8-cube icemaker models is usually between 1 hour, 45 minutes to 2 hours (or approximately 8 to 12 batches of ice in a 24 hour period) depending on the type and size of refrigerator it is installed in.

Dan O.
Appliance411.com
The Appliance Information Site
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[silmaril8n]

Well, it appears that there may be more going on. It hasn't churned out a single cube for days as it's not filling up the tray with water. Any idea what would have caused it to spontaneously fill up? And more importantly, how do I get it to consistently fill?

[Dan O.]

It hasn't churned out a single cube for days as it's not filling up the tray with water.

That is a different symptom than slow ice production.

Not filling at all could be caused by the icemaker's water fill tube frozen closed, a defective water fill valve or a fault in the icemaker mechanism. The Appliance Clinic link I supplied previously describes some test procedures for the design of icemaker used on your fridge.

Any idea what would have caused it to spontaneously fill up?

Does it fill spontaneously??? You never mentioned that occurring.

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

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[silmaril8n]

What I thought was a slow production was probably just a fluke. Apparently it filled up once after I removed the unit and put it back, and hasn't filled up again. I will take a look at your link and test the water line to see what's up.