whirlpool icemaker keeps fillijgn w/ water

[cutestickers]

i have a whirlpool frig and the icemaker recently started overfilling with water causing a huge block of ice in ice tray where the cubes get dumped into. it has been getting worse. does the entire icemaker box need replacing, the solenoid inside it( i just took it apart and banged on it like you would a starter)hopefully it will unstick if thats the problem.
what else can i check for?
what are the possible problems?
thanks in advance for the help
victor

[cutestickers]

sorry about not posting model# but it is a whirlpool ED25DQ
the icemaker is 185Watts IM#S 106626633 LR5010 mfg 12-04-96

thanks

[LazyPup]

First of all, let me emphasize very strongly that banging on the unit will do nothing but cause further damage.

On domestic ice makers the water valve is not in the icemaker. It is on the lower back of the refrigerator where the water line attaches.

Having said all that, based upon the symptoms you describe, your water fill solenoid valve is working properly. The problem is in the ice maker cube harvest system. It simply is not harvesting the finished cubes, so when it signals for more water, the water flows to the tray, but the tray is still full of the finished cubes and the water overflows into the cube tray.

Basically there are two types of trays and harvesting techniques used on whirlpool ice makers. Some of the older ones used a flextray harvest technique. The ice cube tray is a thin plastic tray similar to the regular manual ice cube trays. At a certain time in the cycle the tray is rotated and as it nears the end of the rotation a little pins holds a corner of the tray. As the tray continues to rotate, the tray is twisted, or flexed, which loosens the cubes and they fall out, then the tray continues to rotate to upright and a new charge of water is fed in.

On that style it was common for the flex pin to break, therefore the tray rotates, but does not flex to release the cubes. The tray then returns to upright, still full of cubes and the new water runs over the cubes to the holding bin.

If you have that style, the solution is to replace the cube tray.

The second style makes half moon shaped cubes. It has a metal cube tray and a rotating set of plastic raker teeth that push the cubes out.

The half moon metal mold type has a thermostat which senses when the cubes have properly frozen. When the thermostat closes it turns on the harvest heater to warm the mold and release the cubes. The cube rakers then rotate around, raking the finished cubes out and at the end of the rotation it signals the water valve to fill more water.

If you have the half moon type, try rotating the cube rakers by hand. If they will turn easy, the drive pin is broken. While manually turning the raker very carefully feel the backside of the cube mold. You should feel a small diameter metal tube about 1/4 inch in diameter. That is the mold heater. It should begin to warm up as you manually rotate the raker. Be very careful as that heater gets very hot rather quickly.

If it gets hot, then we know the heater is working. Thats good news.

Contact your local applinace parts house and they can supply you an icemaker gear replacement kit very reasonable.

They will need to know if you have the half moon or flex tray type of icemaker.

You will have to take the ice maker out of the fridge and slip the square cover off the front of the unit to access the gears. (There are complete instructions packed in the gear kits)

[cutestickers]

banging on stuff at work seems to do the trick every now and then(oddly enough, i work on test equipment)
thanks for the info. you are very thourough.
i have the half moon type and i dont remember it moving freely but will check when i get home. either way it seems you helped me solve the problem.
i will post back with the outcome

victor

[cutestickers]

ok, as soon as i got home to check the cube maker i noticed that it was cycling and had finished dumping the cubes. all seemed well and it started filling the tray with water and then i noticed a leak in the back right part of the tray(looking at it installed)
it seems the paint coating is chipping off and i really cant seem to pinpoint the acteal location of the leak but i can tell its been ongoing since it already had icicles underneath the tray where the leak was. ill call to see if i can get the tray only or if i have to buy the whole assy.
thanks again for your help.

[LazyPup]

On the half moon cube style if the tray is leaking it is usually easier to just replace the unit.

There are two types of icemaker kits. One is the complete installation kit, which means it comes with a water valve, tubing, icemaker and cube tray. In your case you do not need all the extras so you want to ask for just the icemaker itself. It is a lot less expensive that way.

[cutestickers]

thanks. i will make sure to ask just for that.
do you know the ball park price?
im guessing $30-40

thanks again

victor

[LazyPup]

I have done a quick Google search and found many sources for both the complete icemaker and specificaly the "Mold & Heater Assembly".

It appears the replacement Ice maker is running in a range of $130 to $160.

I found the "Mold&heater Assembly" at Partselect.com.

List is $76.01
There price is $63.34

Whirlpool also recommends ordering a tube of a special silicone grease to be used during installation.

You could conduct a more thorough parts search and maybe find a better price. Also check your local HVAC & Appliance parts dealer. You may find that by the time you consider the shipping charges the local dealer may prove to be a better source.

I do know from experience that whirlpool parts usually come with a very good set of installation instructons.