Kenmore ice maker not working

[budman 1984]

I have a kenmore top freezer refridgerator with the water dispenser inside the fridge. (model #106.70104000 ) The ice maker has suddenly stopped working and before i do anything i was wondering if anyone can tell me just where to start?

[Dan O.]

Is the icemaker ice mold filling with water and/or full of ice?

If not, if you manually fill the ice cube mold with water, will it freeze and then harvest (dump) the cubes?

That might help to tell if it is just the icemaker not filler rather than it malfunctioning.

JMO

Dan O.
www.Appliance411.com
The Appliance Information Site
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[budman 1984]

o.k. i filled the tray manually and the ice froze but it did not harvest. it seems as if the water is not flowing TO the ice maker. i looked at it and it doesnt appear to be a frozen water line either.now what?

[Dan O.]

the [water] froze but it did not harvest. it seems as if the water is not flowing TO the icemaker.

The icemaker will not start a fill until it has dumped the last load of cubes or else the ice mould would overflow. Not harvesting suggests the icemaker is not operating... for whatever reason. Not operating = no fill.

The next step will be checking the actual temperature in the freezer compartment. The thermostat in the icemaker will not allow it to function unless the freezer temperature is in the area of 0 to 5°F. (Water freezes at just 32°F so that is not a good indicator of actual freezer temperature.)

JMO

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

[budman 1984]

Hmm, well here's how it went. I put the thermometer in the freezer to check temp and 5 mins later i heard the ice drop!! Thats about 24 hours after i filled it. Now it is running as normal. The tray is nearly full. The temp is 10 degrees BELOW 0. Is that too cold perhaps?? Or not likely.
I honestly was considering just calling the repair guy to get it over with because i thought i was never going to get it figured out anyway. DARN glad i didn't now. What are your thoughts on it or is that just how it goes sometimes? Thanks again for all your help, I really do appereciate it!!!

[Dan O.]

Now it is running as normal.

Glad to hear it. Keep an eye on it.

The temp is 10 degrees BELOW 0. Is that too cold perhaps?

It is a bit too cold to have a freezer set at. -5°F should be the most that's usually needed. Too cold however wouldn't affect operation of the icemaker. It doesn't care as long as it is below its minimum requirement of about +5°F.

What are your thoughts on it or is that just how it goes sometimes?

Intermittent problems happen all the time and are the hardest to pinpoint. Sometimes you just have to use it until it fails for good so it can be tested at that time.

JMO

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

[Arvonar]

I have a Kenmore 106.52602100 and I plugged it in and let it run for a few days before I plugged it into water, and the ice maker didn't fill (water runs fine from the dispenser).

I tried to fill it manually, and ice freezes, but doesn't harvest. I thought perhaps I hadn't put enough water into it, put a bit more, still nothing.

The temperature is approx 5 below in the freezer. I pressed the ice accelerator button to see if it made a difference and nada.

Any ideas before I have to buy a new ice maker?

Thank you

[Allison1888]

refrigerator

If the appliance is new or newer I'd check with the manufacturer. Otherwise it could be the mechanism that controls the temperature --not sure if it's called a thermostat in a refrigerator or not -- or the lines that bring water in could be clogged.

[Dan O.]

Kenmore [refrigerator model] 106.52602100. I plugged it in and let it run for a few days before [connecting it to] water.

Is this a brand new refrigerator or just new 'to you' (ie. used)?

The icemaker didn't fill (water runs fine from the dispenser). I tried to fill it manually, and ice freezes, but doesn't harvest. The temperature is approx 5 below in the freezer.

Any ideas before I have to buy a new icemaker?

Someone could check to make sure the icemaker's wire harness is still plugged into the cabinet wall. It might have come loose.

JMO

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

[Arvonar]

Is this a brand new refrigerator or just new 'to you' (ie. used)?

New to me ... 6 years old. It hadn't been used for a couple of years, sat in someone's garage after they bought a house and started using their own fridge.

Someone could check to make sure the icemaker's wire harness is still plugged into the cabinet wall. It might have come loose.

I'll ask my boyfriend to find it and check. I'll let you know what we discover. Thanks, Dan.

[Arvonar]

Hi Dan,
I looked around in the freezer, and so did my boyfriend AND my ex-husband and we can't find where the wire harness connects to the cabinet. Apparently we didn't miss our calling when we didn't become appliance repair specialists.

Anyway, I've been looking on the SearsPartsDirect site at the explosion, and I still don't see what you are referring to. If you wouldn't mind guiding a newbie, I'd sure appreciate it. Thank you!!!

[Dan O.]

I looked around in the freezer, and so did my boyfriend AND my ex-husband and we can't find where the wire harness connects to the cabinet.

Sorry, I didn't see your post until today.

There should be a wire harness like seen at the following link which goes from the icemaker to a plug in the wall of the cabinet of the freezer. It won't be far from the icemaker.

LINK > Kenmore 106.52602100 Icemaker Wire Harness

Make sure it is connected tightly at both ends and not maybe come loose.

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

[dha]

Here is a first to-do when you have this problem. Unplug the frig and take everything out for a few hours. Let the ice thaw out in the fill tube. Plug it in and start from scratch. Things usually work then. Just had this happen.