Sears Whirlpool side by side fridge mfgr in 2000 ice freezes up at bottom of ice

[marky]

I saw a thread with a similar problem I think and the advice was to replace the "actuator" part in the ice-dispenser. My fridge icemaker works fine making ice and the freezer seems to work fine but I have bee3n having a problem with the ice freezing up at the bottom of the ice bin where the grinder/ dispenser mechanism is and I have a block of ice plugging up the bottom of the ice bin. The rest of the ice above is frozen and separate like it should be. Is the flap seal to the outside defective allowing outside air to melt the ice near the dump chute?  Thanks for help. Hope it is a part I can get from you people and replace myself. I am quite handy with repairs.  Mark

Model 106.50592000

[JWWebster]

Well that could be the problem Kimosabe no doubt. But the most common problem when ice cubes stick together is: The water valve will have a faucet type drip on that ice mold and drip over into that ice bucket Or the ice maker will  drop a hair more water in the ice mold than it should Or the refrigerator is not level and the water pours out the corner of an ice mold. Most likely it is gonna be a drippy water valve. If you have a modular ice maker then you can tweak it by turning the water level adjustment screw a hair counterclockwise or if you have a compact type ice maker you can adjust the water lever to smaller cubes.

[marky]

On further inspection it looks like the ice chute door is not closing completely causing melting and freezing causing the  ice blockage. I see this part site lists a "ice chute door kit" which looks like the part I need to replace. If I order it, how do I figure out how to disassemble the ice chute to replace it? Any schematics anywhere? It is not obvious from the outside of the ice dispenser on the front of the freezer door how to get it apart. Mark

[Repair-man]

There should be a couple of little slots under the front edge of the dispenser facade that you use a screwdriver blade in to pop the facade off. Under that is the dispenser assembly which will be pretty self-evident once you see it. The ice chute kit comes with instructions in the package.

[marky]

You may be right about the problem being water overflow from the ice tray. I see some frozen threads of water coming down from the ice tray along the side of the freezer and some small occasional icicles hanging from the ice tray assembly. How do I adjust the water fill level to the icemaker? My fridge was made in 2000. Sears whirlpool model 106 50592000 ser # SK3538447. Thanks, Mark

[Repair-man]

It is not 'out of adjustment'. They don't need adjusting although there is a small screw on the right side of the module for technicians to change the incoming water times if necessary. If the icemaker is not filling properly or overfilling, the water valve in back may be the problem.

The way to tell is to time the icemaker fill when you see it dump. The water valve should be energized for no more than 7 seconds.  If the I/M still overfilling, the valve is weak in back. Sometimes over the years, sediment in the water supply causes internal valve decay. The valves are inexpensive and easy to replace. Icemakers only last an average of 5 years, so you are considered lucky.

[JWWebster]

What ya could do is put the ice maker arm up and lock it up where it won't make any more ice wait for a few hours and come back at your convenience and lower the arm. That will put it in the harvest mode and you won't have to be looking in every 5 minutes to see if the ice maker is dumping.

[marky]

Per your instructions I timed the ice cube fill cycle and it was exactly 7 seconds. Looks like I need to replace the fill valve as you say. Are ther instructions somewhere I can access or do they come with the valve?
Thanks, Mark (the lone stranger)

[JWWebster]

Just pull out the ice box and follow the water line from the wall to the bottom of the ice box. The water line connects to the valve. NOTE: the water needs to be shut off before removing the valve. Do not over tighten the valve connections. Just snug everything up good and turn the water back on and look for leaks and if it does leak then tighten it a hair more till it stops.

[stevebass]

I have an add-on icemaker in my ancient GE23-Z that also has lumped frozen ice at the bottom of the container.

I reviewed this thread thoroughly (nice job, everyone) and adjusted the +/- screw on the inside of the ice maker.

My question: If this solves the problem, is there any risk not pursuing changing the valve. (And as an add-on, I'm not even sure there's a valve.)

--Steve

[JWWebster]

If you have ice cubes sticking together in the ice bin then here are some things to check. The water valve and the ice maker. The water valve will drip like a faucet and make them cubes stick together. The ice maker itself can add too much water to the mold and overflow causing ice cubes to stick together. The ice maker could be out of level, causing the water to drip over an edge in a normal 7.5 second fill.

[stevebass]

I'm a bit of a dope. Here's the story:

Two months ago a thin plastic bag got caught in the blades that dispense the ice into the tray.

To remove the plastic, I removed the add-in ice maker. When I replaced it, I pushed the plastic tube that feeds the water, just enough so it dripped a couple of drops into the tray.

I fixed the tube and problem solved.

There's some important advice here, but I don't know what it is! 

[JWWebster]

Yeah that's a weird one: fill tube out of alignment. LOL