Side by Side in-door ice maker does not dispense ice. Motor doesn’t run, no noise, no hum. Makes and dumps ice fine. All lights (Interior, water & ice dispense, panel including lock/unlock and cube/crushed, filter, etc., work fine, water dispenses fine. With ice removed from the bin, the auger rotates freely, and with motor removed, the motor shaft/coupling assembly rotate freely.
I suspect there is a problem with either the Dispenser Control (though all functions except ice dispense work) or the motor/PTC. (most probably the PTC?)
I have circuit diagrams and multimeter.
Testing so far:[LIST]
*]Pins- on all motor molex connectors were cleaned with no effect.
*]Motor- removed and bench tested good with 115VDC to pins 1&2. No binding, runs smooth in both directions. Current draw was nominal w/in limits.
*]Dispense micro switch (on controller board)- tested ok using meter probes on switch leads.
*]With motor installed, there was no measurable DC voltage at (the back of) either of the two motor connectors when calling for ice.
*]With motor removed the PTC (pins 7 & 5 on the motor connector) meters as an open circuit. [/LIST]In order to determine whether the Dispense Control board or PTC in the motor is bad I need to know:[LIST]
*]What should PTC resistance be, as measured at the motor (pins 7 & 5) with the motor disconnected?
*]If PTC is open circuit, does that mean it has failed?
*]If the PTC is an open circuit (failed) does that prevent the Dispenser Control board from providing 115 VDC to the motor?[/LIST]Any other ideas/suggestions?
Thanks.
UPDATE. Further testing- I put a 7W light bulb across the PTC leads at the connector near the dispenser control- the motor worked fine! The PTC which is mounted inside the sealed plastic motor enclosure, must have failed.
Now I want to know why Whirlpool would put a small part that can fail inside a sealed housing where you can’t get to it!?!?!?!?! To replace a relatively inexpensive part (PTC) I must replace a working motor!! [COLOR=Black]
There is a possibility, since the dispenser was intermittent for a few months before it quit completely and would work for awhile after a sharp rap to the freezer door, that a wire is loose or a PTC terminal is bad, rather than the PTC itself. I will attempt to open the plastic housing. It is worth a shot, since I must replace the motor anyway if I’m not successful.
UPDATE #2 [COLOR=Black]I was able to get the motor module apart without damage. I found one PTC lead had separated from the small PC board. I re-soldered it, reassembled the motor module, and after a successful test, reinstalled everything and I now have a fully operable ice dispenser!! [/COLOR]
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