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Whirlpool Model WRX988SIBM00 refrigerator ice maker not filling nor dispensing ice. Water dispenses just fine. Have checked water pressure, have replaced water inlet valve to ice maker. Temperature appears fine as we have unplugged refrigerator to reset and are sometimes met with once cycle of ice cubes. Ice cubes will mysteriously appear once or twice every couple of weeks. Suspect it might be the infrared emitter board or the receiver board, but have no idea how to test them and unwilling to willy-nilly replace them for $400+ (emitter board around $80 and receiver board $300+) . Does anyone have any idea how to narrow this down and/or test the emitter and receiver boards. Many thanks in advance.
Scott Williams, in 34 yrs I’ve never replaced an optic sensor, This model has had several issues that have caused little to no ice. Before spending all that money do these checks. I’ve started with the easiest checks first Get an exact temperature of the ice room. The ice maker wont advance if the temp. is above 9*F Bypass the water filter by removing it and adjust the ice setting to MAX ICE or fast ice - turbo ice. Check ice production in 24 hrs. If you have ice then you need to replace the filter and flush the line at the water dispenser at least one gallon of water to remove air. Clean condenser coils. Dirty coils cause refer temperature to rise, thus, effecting ice production. Look for signs of frost on back wall of freezer and fresh food section. Remove food, and even the drawer so you can feel the back wall. If you see any frost on any walls, floor, ceilings, then you need to completely defrost the unit by unplugging, remove all food and leave doors open for 2 days. Once you plug it in, allow 48 hrs for ice production. If everything works fine, for a few weeks then ice slows again, you have an issue that many have had. Diagnosing the defrost circuit and all fan motors to find the issues. Do these checks in the order I listed. Let me know what you find.
Cause 1 Low Water Pressure from House Supply The home may have insufficient water pressure. The water inlet valve supplies water to the ice and water dispenser. The water inlet valve requires a minimum of 20 psi to function properly. Check the water flow and test the pressure to determine if it is at least 20 psi. Cause 2 Ice Level Control Board Some refrigerators use an infrared beam to sense the level of ice in the ice bucket. When the ice level reaches the top of the bucket, it interrupts the infrared beam. The control board then shuts off the ice maker. When the ice level drops below the beam, the control board signals the ice maker to make more ice. If the ice level control board fails, the ice maker will stop making ice. Ensure that the ice level control board is getting power. If the ice level control board is getting power, but the ice maker won’t work, replace the ice level control board. Whirlpool Refrigerator Ice Level Control Board W10870822 $79.15 Ice Level Control Board W10898445 $316.10 Also try cleaning both the send and receive lens. To test use your finger and see if it is putting out a beam.
Bud, I think your maker is the first thing thing to replace…it creates demand and the emitter controls it when its full…. Update (07/12/2019) emitters have come down in price significantly and there is nothing wrong with the generics….https://www.amazon.com/Whirlpool-4389102…
The most likely cause is the rotating mechanism in the icemaker….its also the simplest to replace. Just determine model number and its an easy order…..check if yours is narrow one (5 cube) or full width (8cube). Then follow these instructions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DdUW9Il… when your part arrives…..the rotating mechanism is plastic and can break easily if for some reason there is an obstruction in the emptying into ice reservoir process.
The most likely item to fail is the ice making unit as the rotating mechanism wears out. When that happens all kinds of weird ice making behavior can occur. Not the infrared emitter or the water valve or the wiring harness…they have no moving parts…..I disagree with the door replace diagnosis. Has the ice maker ever been replaced?
I have a similar issue. The ice level emitter doesnt work. Only time it works is if I unplug and plug back the fridge. However, it works for 5 min then goes off. It also works in maintenance mode, but when I go back to normal mode the red light shuts off. I’m starting to suspect a relay in the main board.
The entire issue is due to the inlet hose not being above physically the inlet hose going into the refrigerator. My mom’s did this for months. Somebody came by charged her 60 or $100 to fix it came back said they fixed it it wasn’t fixed. I noticed when it was first installed the inlet from the water source was put in a way to where I was at the top of the fridge. Now I noticed it no longer was. I raised up the inlet hose about 2 ft above the line that was going to the fridge and within three or four hours my mom asked what did I do to fix the ice machine. Hope this helps all who is dealing with this. I literally screwed a hook into the wall and used a bread tie to hold the line in place. Fixed. May your drinks be cold. :)
