How To Troubleshoot A Whirlpool Modular Ice Maker With Optical Controls 

You saved me! Turns out it was my sensor and only spent $35 for new sensors on Amazon and repaired it myself!!!! Icemaker now working!!!!!!!

I went through all the above, the ice maker did nothing after plugging in the jumper wire. So, then I decided to remove it and melt all the ice in the unit. It's very easy to remove, shown in another video on RU-vid. I re-installed it, and it has worked fine ever since. Just something else for you to try before buying a new one!

Was worried that I'd have to buy a new ice maker after watching this... same symptoms. However, the break in the video that talks about unplugging the refrigerator for the jumper test actually fixed/reset the ice maker! So, I recommend unplugging the fridge before making a jumper wire, it may fix the issue.

Your video skipped how to get the ice maker out to do the test..do you have a video showing how to remove the ice maker?

Just wanted to say to anyone that may read this....had an issue with the optic not transmitting...took the optic control board out and noticed that it appeared to be dirty. Cleaned the optic lens and replaced....works great now. Just something to check if you think it may need to be replaced.

Your explanation off the gas valve is excellent, i have oldergas dryers that i can no longer get the 3 separate coils for, but i can get the new style 3 terminal coils!

starting this "diagnostic" with "If the optics had no red light, that's a slam-dunk sign that the optics board is bad" would have been very helpful. Thank you though for the help!

I have seen other You tube videos where they initiate a manual harvest by jumping test points N and M. N for neutral and M for motor. Also, they say that you must close the emitter flap but also push the door switch for the light so the icemaker gets power because the icemaker will not get power if the light switch is open (door open and light on)

Excellent question! Short answer: No. Long answer: Let's look at the Official Test Procedure from Whirlpool Service Update, 8178023. On the last page, Step 6, it says, "Open the freezer door and observe the ice maker. A harvest should be in progress. NOTE: If the ice maker will not operate, refer to the 'Important Note' above the chart." Since the door can be opened to observe the cycle in progress, the light switch must not have any effect on the ice maker cycling.

you're a life saver!!!! very helpful video. we thought our laser sensor was broken because it was flashing. so glad i watched this BEFORE calling a repair man.

Several possibilites here. One is that the micro switch in the dispenser for the ice is broken. Or the augur motor may be burned out. Also, you may need the ice door kit. We can go into detail on these repairs with you at the Appliantology Academy repair forums.

Excellent Video. Other videos had given me incorrect information and this one allowed me to very simply test the optic switch, which was good, so now I can continue onto the right problem.

I checked the optics and those checked out. I bought a new ice maker and installed, still no ice. Finally called the service tech and he checked my work and then said a common problem was the water line to the ice maker freezes and then no ice. I unplugged my fridge and let it set for a day. Plugged back in and it worked. The water line had frozen. Probably didn't even need the new ice maker. Still cheaper than a whole new refrigerator. Check for a frozen line after the optics check.

I serviced a unit a while back that would not quit making ice. The optics had no led light, Nothing lit at all. Initiated a harvest cycle so I ordered optics & installed boards. Took 2 days for ice to make again. Works fine ever since. Go figure why it took so long to work.

Yep, sounds like the optics board is bad in your unit. I've linked to the optics board kit in the video description.

What if the optic sensor is the problem?

Or bypass the optics altogether and jump B-B/W on the receiver board

We have this exact icemaker with 2002 optics; the flashing LED will stop randomly after it makes ice for a day or so. If I unplug the fridge and plug it back in it works again for a short while, then no flashing LED/no ice. Bad IR sensor?

Look at the wiring diagram for the fridge-- you'll see that the switch is in series with the light but in parallel with the optical receiver board (I would post a link here if I could but RU-vid does not allow links in comments). This board, in turn, supplies power to the ice maker. The exact purpose of this is unclear from the documentation. However, while this does mean the board is informed of the door openings, it is apparently not for the purpose of cutting power to the ice maker.

4 days ago we work up to a waterfall in the freezer. We ordered and replaced the water inlet valve on the back of the fridge, and had to dissemble (and reassemble) the freezer to thaw. Since then, the ice tray is filling, but ice is not being dropped in the ice bin. We used the method on this video to check for manual progression, and the ice maker is manually progressing. The optical eye is making contact, and the water valve has been replaced. Any further insight, as the video does not say if it does progress......

I have the whirlpool refrigerator gs2shaxss01 side by side with the same sensor. It makes ice but I notice that it makes icicles and drips down the right side of the inside door, Any way to fix it? thank s

A question regarding the reset and manual harvest... Ok Power off, jumper T and H, Plug back in, wait 15 sec, and then close the flapper door. Is it necessary to also close the door light switch? Bob at Coastal Appliances

Once you install the new ice maker is it just plug and play ?

Would the manual test work as it should by just turning off the unit using the on/off switch behind the panel on top of the refrigerator freezer? Or does the unit have to be unplugged prior to setting the test wire? The unit is built in and I don’t know how I can get it out to get at the plug.

We switched out the eye with a new one and it's still blinking, we tested the module and it didn't move. Should we replace the module? Will that help with the eye blinking?

Ok. Sometimes the light doesn't blink at all, and other times it works. Do you know what that means?

Update. I got the icemaker out. Plugged in jumper wire T and H. Put icemaker back in. Plugged in refrig. Opened the door and held in the flapper on the left, the little plastic wheel starts to rotate. Is the door switch involved with any of the icemaking troubleshooting?

My Whirlpool RSB33-a/g (post 2002 model) makes ice, BUT: - Even if I SWITCH OFF the ice maker (button on door display on my model, but same ice maker) the solenoid makes 2 short bursts of water every 10-15seconds or so, causing water to fill the freezer basically. I had this problem once before (though less frequent water bursts) and then i removed the ice maker module, defrosted it and put it back and it worked. Now its been 2-3 years and it starts behaving the same way. (The solenoid works fine as it lets water through and pressure is not the issue, have had the same water pressure since i bought it 10 or so years ago). This time: I "solved it" by rubbing the LED part a few times with my hand making sure there was no tiny hair.or something blocking and a bit to heat it (thaw any thin ice that could have blocked the hole) and then putting a piece of tape over the right hand LED simulating full ice bin, closing the door and wait. TADA, No more spurts of water (regardless if ice maker is on or off now). Opened door and removed the tape. Turned on ice maker. Allowed it to push out the ice (it wouldnt before strange enough). And now it's working again. Though something IS WRONG as it keeps failing (this was 2nd time) and its a big risk for water damage due to the amount of water it spurts out (if it fails when im not st home im in trouble) It seems like it enters some kind of "test mode" to check if water is flowing,EVEN if ice mode is OFF (IDIOTIC). Not until i tell the system the bin is full, it stopped. And then it was like a reset and all is good. The LED flashes 2x pause 1s and so on=ok Closing flap lights up continous red=ok I really dont have a clue what is wrong. It seems like the optics might have been blocked somehow since that was the only part that solved it, but why the spurts of water? (The tray was overfilled allready) Totally crazy program logic, especially to spurt water when ice maker is turned off....crazy.... Logic board? Why did it start working when fiddling with light beam in that case? Ice maker unit? Does that even control the water? IR/LED module that checks level? Seems involved but is it? I put a cotton bud in reciever emitter holes to check of there was debris/dirt, but bud was clean as a whistle after swiping a few times.

If the motor is bad, replacing it would solve the problem... unless it's not getting voltage. But you can check for that with your meter. Can also check continuity of the augur motor. Why would you want or need to run a new wire from the mico switch to the motor if the switch itself is good and sending voltage to the motor?

Any suggestions on why my maker won’t STOP making ice? Even in the off position it won’t stop. Any suggestions?

You dont need to use a jumper on the icemaker if the ejector(fingers that eject ice) are not sitting at a 1-2 o-clock position while the optics are showing good. That means the motor/gear failed on the icemaker module. If the fingers are in the 1-2 o-clock position i would squeeze the icemaker fill tube first to ensure its not frozen before you tried something potentially dangerous as a novice.

my emitter light will not light even after i changed the board. How can I determine if the emitter board is getting power. I was able to bypass the sensor lights and was able to produce ice. Something funky going on with the emitter light. When I close the flapper panel the receiver continues to blink. Now also when I close the fridge door about 3/4 of the way the internal light system in the freezer goes out as does the receiver light. I ran a video inside my fridge when the door is closed there is no emitter or receiver light? Yes I'm baffled. Everything is installed correctly becasue the pins for the board can only go in 1 way. Any ideas? thanks...this is on a Jenn-Air Model JS48SSDUDE01....Iit has the same sensor system as this video. my gut says the emitter board is not getting power and if that is the case how would I test for power?

i have replaced the ice maker and the water valve the sensor seems to be working as it stops blinking and is a solid red light when i depress the flap so it can make contact. Any ideas? Thanks

If you have verified that you have the 2002 optics control per the 1st part of the video and are sure you are not blocking the beam when you press the flapper, then replace the optics: the emitter and receiver board. Go to Appliantology and enter your model number into the green parts search box at the top of the page to find the correct board for your model. Comes with a one-year, no-hassle return policy, even after it's already been installed!

I did these test you show, My ice maker rotates when I jump it with a homemade cord, but not when I got it in the fridge?? My blinky light seems ok, and I changed it 9 months ago as well,. when I check the voltage at the wire inside the freezer, I only get 34 volts?

On mine the infrared sensor does not light up or blink. What do I have to do next?

We have this type of optic control. The light sensors work just as you explained they should. However, our ice maker will not shut off! When I manually switched it to off, our kitchen floor was flooded. Does that mean the water control valve is bad? Does the optic control also control the valve?

I have a kenmore with the exact setup you showed. My led does not light at all. I already replaced the modules. They still do not light up. Acts like no power.

What if holding the flapper in doesn’t make the LED light stop blinking.. and remain lit?

On the unit I worked on, the freezer door switch was in series, if I remember correctly

My fill tube dumps water and freezes with the icemaker removed and the control set to off? What gives? I'll do the sensor test you describe. Would a bad optics sensor cause the above scenario?

You are right i have checked micro switch is o k because light came on when ice dispenser lever depress. But my motor is burned out because ice build up inside the motor. what if i replace the motor and run the new wire from micro switch directly to augur motor?

question. I have that same fridge/ice maker. The ice cube tray fills with water but it only empties once or twice in a 24 hour period. Is that the heater? The freezer temp is good. Everything in the freezer is frozen. I replaced the ice maker motor already. It turns and empties the tray just not very often. Thanks in advance

Maybe you could answer this one? Everything works except the ice maker. I found the fusible link blown,(in the ice tray) so I replaced it but now there is no power coming out of the wall in the freezer that goes to the ice maker. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you,

I have a whirlpool modular ice maker that the arm keeps popping up in the shut position even though the ice bin is not full. Would you happen to know what I can do to fix this issue?

Also yesterday the ice bin was overflowing with ice but today it wont cycle to make any ice at all?

LED continues to blink twice and pause when the icemaker switch is set to off and continues to blink twice and pause when the flapper door on other optic is closed. Is that an indication of anything okay or bad with optics ?

I have these controls on my Kitchenaid side by side, but mine are not lit up or blinking???

Try using a cheater cord back at the water inlet valve for the ice maker and powering the water inlet valve solenoid directly. If the ice maker mold tray fills with water, then replace the ice maker. If not, then either bad inlet valve, plugged fill line, or no water supply to the valve. Buy the replacement parts at the Appliantology forums using the Appliantology Parts Finder box at the top of the page, one year return policy on all parts ordered there.

I have replaced the ice mold thermosrat the water inlet valve and now I see that when I depress the flapper on the left and the freezer light the red light does not blink at all. After replacing the thermostat the icemake filled, cycled, and then over flowed twice before starting to work properly again. However i have a feeling that water damaged the components of the infrared optics and it is why the ice machine is not harvesting frozen ice from the molds. Can someone give me some insight

Can I use any certain gauge wire for the jumper wire?

I broke flapper what do I do

I broke the flapper what do I do

If the optics had no red light, that's a slam-dunk sign that the optics board is bad. Not sure why it took 2 days to make ice-- maybe a temperature problem in the freezer kept the ice maker from getting to 17F-- needs to be at that temperature before it'll make ice.

My icemaker will work great for about two weeks, then stop for a week. Then start again as quickly as it stopped. At the moment, it is stopped. There are no lights, blinking or solid, illuminated near the on/off switch. What does that mean? Optics are bad? Maybe the line is frozen and the optics shut themselves off when this happens?

Thank you

Correction: the light switch is in series with BOTH the freezer light and the optical receiver board; so the optical receiver board is in parallel with the freezer light. Sorry for the confusion, however this does not change the punch line: while the board is informed of the door openings, it is apparently not for the purpose of cutting power to the ice maker.

hi, ive replace both these optic boards and the whole ice maker unit is still as dead as a doornail...any ideas what to look at next

hi, ive just got a whirlpool fridge ( the same as this one in the video, everything is working fine ) except the icemake is not working, ive noticed that the above has a red light flashing, ours has no light flashing whatsoever, im presuming from the post above i need a new optics board ( whatever one of those is ) can anyone point me in the right direction on where to get one of these and are they expensive. thanks

My sensor lights don't go on at all. Ice bin empty, nothing blocking... Help!

My designer fit is from 2005 and has the same ice maker but you lost me when you poked wires in the machine.

Hello: I have Whirlpool side by side refrigerator less than 4 years old i am hardly use my ice dispenser and turn of in winter time because only my kid used ice dispenser and now my ice dispenser not working at all my water dispenser and ice making great. I've removed motor and sit aside while testing for voltage from wiring harness to motor found no voltage while depressing ice dispenser lever. Now went back to my motor tried to shaking and see water keep coming out from my motor. What next?

My ice maker over fills with water and flows into freezer. What could be causing this

bought a brand new icemaker, replaced the original. worked for about a week or 2 and now nothing. it started making a weird sound like it was trying to rotate the motor but i think the heating coil that loosens up the ice wasn't cooperating. the new machine didn't come with a new 4 pin cord it was just the raw ice maker. do you think replacing the old cord might help?

I check the V and N and the Water still does not work, the water tube it not plugged, its like no energy is seing to the water inlet.

So I guess it's my optical sensor.... light blinks twice no matter what I do. Is there a way to bypass the sensor.

I'm only getting about 38v on the black and white wires. is this correct?

I have replaced my entire ice maker kit. However the optic control does not stay on upon holding the flap on the opposite side. the optic control on the 2002 is continuing to blink in 2 blink sequence. Any suggestions?

Hello Sir. I have an KSRG25 and the optics light are not coming on at all 2/2002 production, Please help. Shall I order the Emitter board kit?

How do you trouble shoot the post 2002 control?

my ice maker is making icecicle at the end closes to the door...what do i do

What if the red light isn't flashing at all?

Make sure that you also check for the black wire on the ice maker itself, it has a temp sensor in the middle of the wire and this must be under the metal stainless clip up against the ice maker green aluminum housing to sense the housing temp, this is how it knows when the water if frozen and it can cycle. If this white sensor is not under the stainless clip the ice maker will not work no matter what.

My optical sensor blinks 2 times when flapper is up and solid when down, but when I press the door switch the sensor goes blank. Is this normal?

two different tests?

what is the light flashes 3 times??

What if it is flashing 3 times

My icemaker makes tons of ice, just great, but the bin will not sit in the door where it belongs. It has the hex type rod

You need to do step-by-step instructions for EACH step. If you already have some knowledge about icemakers, great. But, I'd like to see a "Ice-maker reset for dummies" video. This is NOT it.

Whirlpool icemaker is not making ice..........so, I put 120 on the solenoid (water valve) and it passes water, I put 120 on the m004 motor at the icemaker and it spins.....here is where my problem lies, i am only receiving 98 volts from the optical receiver pcb which supplies power to the ice maker itself (on the black/white line on the 4 pin connector). I have 120 in on pin 3 of the optic receiver. my confusion comes with the led stating that the board is working properly. ever experience this, i assume i will have to swap the receiver pcb, but i hate to spend any $ without being able to verify this symptom.

My piece of shit is only getting 33vac from the harness?! Everything working except icemaker. Replaced ice unit and water solenoids... Ive been going at this fucking thing for a week.

& then again maybe it was not.

Dear Mr. Samurai, I am being defeated by an inanimate object. I bow my head in shame. I am trying to remove the above icemaker component to look at the control module. Could you do a quick video how to remove said icemaker component? There are those of us who are truly brain dead. All we have is time and patience, and I may die before I fix this mother effing not making effing ice component. Sigh. I have a Kitchenaide KSRA25ILSS01. Appears to be the same one as in this video. You are my last hope. Then I will fill .50 cent ice cube trays and freeze them and admit defeat to an inanimate object. I have to be smarter than this, sigh.....