Why is my ice dispenser not working

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About this repair:

• Rated as EASY
• 818 repair stories
• 7 step by step videos

Ice Bucket Auger Motor

The Ice Bucket Auger is located in the ice bin and when the dispenser is activated, will rotate to pull the ice forward to the outlet chute of the bin. The auger is driven by a motor mounted behind the bin with a set of drive forks on the gear box shaft. The gear box turns very slowly but has lots of power to push the ice. If the auger is not turning you should first verify the motor is operating. The motor/gear box normally makes enough noise that you can hear it with the freezer door closed.

If the motor is not operating then you can check it for continuity with a multi-meter. Remove power from the appliance before performing this test. If the motor has continuity then you should verify that the motor is receiving power when ice dispense is selected. This is a live voltage test and should only be performed by a qualified person. If no power is being supplied to the motor terminals then you should inspect the control actuator and switch.

Ice Dispenser Actuator

The ice dispenser actuator is the mechanical part that activates the dispenser micro switch. It is normally a plastic lever that pivots when depressed by your tumbler, and it may be covered with a soft plastic pad. You can usually hear a click when the switch is contacted. If the auger motor and dispenser door are not receiving power, then you should inspect the actuator and switch. Remove the control panel cover and verify that the actuator contacts the dispenser switch properly and if not, check the actuator housing bracket, switch mounting bracket and the actuator pivot. Replace any defective parts. If the actuator is contacting the switch, you will need to check the switch or control board for the source of the problem. You should disconnect power to the appliance when working near electrical circuits.

Micro Switch

The dispenser micro switch is a momentary contact switch that when activated it will supply power to the auger motor and the solenoid for the dispenser door. The switch sits behind the pad or lever that is pressed to dispense ice. You will need to remove power to the appliance and then remove the control panel cover to access the switch. You can check the continuity of the switch with a multi-meter.

Dispenser Control Board

Some models of refrigerators use an electronic control to supply power to the auger motor and dispenser door solenoid. If you have verified that they are not getting power and the actuator and switch are operating properly, then you may have a defective electronic control.

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It is a tragedy when you come in from mowing the lawn on a hot day for some ice water only to discover that your freezer, for some reason, is no longer dispensing ice. Your ice bucket inside is full, but it just not coming out through the dispenser in the door. This is one of those refrigerator problems you can likely ignore for a long time, but if you have had enough of a beloved feature not working, here is what could be wrong.

Ice Clogs

It is typically best to start with the easiest to solve a potential problem. In this case, it is that an ice clog is preventing your freezer from dispensing any ice cubes. Ice that has sat around for a while will tend to fuse together into a great big clump due to its own weight. This often happens in the winter when there is a lower demand for ice and it tends to linger in the tub. This can also happen during times where the freezer was left open for a long period of time or if the defrost is malfunctioning in a way that makes your freezer get too hot. Typically an ice dispenser uses an auger to get the ice cubes out, but if there are no separate cubes or chunks that can be broken apart by the auger, you will get no ice.

Pull out your ice maker and check for clumps near the bottom of the bin or even inside the dispenser itself that will prevent dispensation.

Auger Motor

If you press the lever on your ice dispenser, but it doesn’t make any noise, then it is most likely a problem with the motor responsible for turning the auger. It is the motor that is responsible for the distinct noise you hear when using your ice maker, so it is easy to tell when that is the problem.

By disassembling your ice maker so you can reach the motor, you can test the motor with a multimeter to see if it has continuity. Be sure to shut off the power to your refrigerator before doing this for your safety.

Ice Dispenser Actuator

When the lever is depressed to dispense ice, the actuator is responsible for activating the microswitch send signals to the ice maker. Often when this happens, you will hear a click that becomes quickly overshadowed by the sound of the auger motor activating.

Unfortunately, if there is a problem with the actuator, it can actually mean a lot of different problems in the process. If the actuator isn’t making contact with the switch, it could mean the housing bracket, switch mounting bracket, or actuator pivot are damaged and not making contact with the switch. Furthermore, there is also the potential that the microswitch itself has gone faulty.

Dispenser Control Board

If the actuator is making contact with the microswitch and the microswitch checks out fine with a multimeter, your final suspect should be the control board. Typically when this part is at fault, you will notice other symptoms, such as lights by your ice dispenser dimming when in use.

As you would expect, replacing the control board for your ice dispenser can be a complex repair. The difficulty comes with not so much replacing the board itself, as it is just a simple case of unmounting it and unplugging the wires, but rather, it can be difficult to reach and requires a fair bit of disassembly. It may be something that you might feel more comfortable leaving to a professional appliance repair technician. However, unless you see other visual signs that it might be the control board or you have tested all the common culprits above and they checked out, it is unlikely to be a control board problem.

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