Kenmore Refrigerator Ice Maker Troubleshooting (11 Problems!)

There is generally little to complain about Kenmore refrigerators, especially an elite series. However, one component that never escapes customers’ complaints is the ice maker, which is the focus of this Kenmore refrigerator ice maker troubleshooting guide.

The guide shall focus on troubleshooting common Kenmore refrigerator ice maker problems such as an ice maker that won’t turn on, make or dispense ice, or is slow, leaking, frozen, overflowing, or not filling up. We’ll also look at an ice maker making smaller, discolored, or odd-tasting ice.

By looking at all these issues, fixing your Kenmore ice maker should be easy when it fails. That means you don’t have to hire an expert fridge technician to help you unless it’s too technical.

Later, we’ll look at how you can reset your Kenmore ice maker as an option for fixing some issues and a necessity after replacing a component.

But first, check out ways for troubleshooting common Kenmore refrigerator ice maker issues below.

Quick Kenmore Refrigerator Ice Maker Troubleshooting Guide

	Problem	Probable Cause	Fix
1.	Ice Maker Won’t Turn On	The child lock might be active, or the ice maker is faulty	Deactivate the child lock if on or replace the ice maker if faulty
2.	Ice Maker Won’t Make Ice	Warm freezer, low water pressure, clogged filter, torn door gasket or faulty ice maker switch, door switch, mold thermostat, ice level control board, or water inlet valve	Reduce the freezer temperature (under 10⁰F), increase water pressure to 20 psi+, and replace the clogged filter, torn door gasket or faulty switch, thermostat, control board, or water inlet valve
3.	Ice Maker Won’t Dispense Ice	Ice clumping, frozen anger motor, or faulty thermostat	Reduce the ice clumping, replace the defective thermostat– talk to an expert; however, if the anger motor is frosty
4.	Slow Ice Maker	Clogged water filter, warmer freezer, or faulty water inlet valve	Replace the clogged filter or faulty inlet valve and lower the freezer temperature if it’s above 10⁰F
5.	Leaking Ice Maker	Ice clumping, unlevelled fridge, or non-aligned fill valve	Reduce ice clumping, level the fridge, or re-align the fill valve if out of alignment
6.	Frozen Ice Maker	Low fridge temperature or frosty water supply tube	Adjust the fridge temperature to 1-4⁰C or defrost the inlet valve
7.	Overflowing Ice Maker	Improperly positioned ice bin, broken ice control arm, or missing shelf	Reposition the ice bin and replace the fractured control arm or missing shelf
8.	Ice Maker Not Filling Up	Water supply is off or a faulty filter, inlet valve, motor, or control board, or due to a kinked hose	Turn on the water supply and remove kinks from the hose or replace the defective water filter, inlet valve, motor, or control board
9.	Smaller Ice Cubes	Low water supply or higher freezer temperature	Unblock the water supply line and lower the freezer temperature
10.	Dirty/Discolored Ice	Faulty inlet valve, dirty ice mold tray, or dirty supply line	Replace the defective inlet valve, clean the ice mold tray and supply line
11.	Odd-Tasting Ice	Clogged water filter, dirty ice bin, clogged inlet valve, or spoiled food	Replace the clogged water filter or inlet valve, clean the dirty ice bin and remove bad food

11 Common Kenmore Refrigerator Ice Maker Problems

Here are 11 common Kenmore refrigerator ice maker problems for DIY troubleshooting.

1. Ice Maker Won’t Turn On

Generally, the ice maker won’t turn on because of one of these two reasons:

Child Lock – If ‘Child Lock’ is on, the ice maker won’t turn on until you deactivate it. It generally locks the ice maker.

Faulty ice maker – Sometimes, the Kenmore ice maker won’t start because it’s defective. So, if the problem is not child lock, you should replace the ice maker.

Here’s how to go about a Kenmore refrigerator ice maker replacement;

Unplug the fridge and open the freezer compartment to take out the ice bucket
Loosen the mounting bucket to slide out the ice maker from the inside cradle
Now slide in the replacement ice maker and screw it to position
You may have to slide it out from beneath when dealing with a Kenmore Elite refrigerator ice maker replacement
Plug back the fridge and power on the ice maker

2. Ice Maker Won’t Make Ice

Occasionally, the Kenmore ice maker turns on but fails to perform its most important job – make ice. If so, then it could be because of:

Warm freezer – The ice maker won’t make ice if the freezer temperature is over – 12⁰C (or 10⁰F). So, adjust it accordingly, preferably 0-5⁰F if it’s higher.
Clogged water filter – Replace the water filter if older than six months as it’s likely to prevent water flow.
Turn door gasket – The door gasket creates enough suction to prevent the door from unintentionally opening. So, it’s unable to do that when torn, necessitating a replacement.
Faulty switch – A failing door or ice maker switch prevents the ice maker from running. So, test them with a multimeter, then replace the defective switch.
Faulty mold/tray thermostat – A faulty thermostat fails to monitor the ice mold temperature, stopping ice production. So, replace it if that’s the case. You can test it with a multimeter.
Defective ice-level control board – Also, replace the ice-level control board if it doesn’t receive power.
Bad water inlet valve – A bad water inlet valve prevents water supply to the ice maker. Thus, consider replacing it if it fails to show continuity on a multimeter.
Low water pressure – A low water pressure (under 20 psi) prevents water supply to the ice maker. Hence, adjust it (about 20-120 psi) if lower. You can measure it with a water pressure gauge.

3. Kenmore Elite Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Dispensing Ice

The ice maker may fail to eject or dispense ice due to any of these reasons:

Ice clumping – If ice clumps in the ice chunks or allow it to melt on its own by turning off the unit
Frozen auger motor – Since the auger motor is behind the freezing unit, it can freeze and prevent ice dispensing. If so, don’t defrost it not to damage it but consult a fridge expert instead.
Faulty thermostat – A faulty thermostat may prevent ice dispensing. So, test it with a multimeter and replace it if it’s bad.

4. Slow Ice Maker

At times, the Kenmore fridge ice maker may make ice only in small amounts or at a slow pace. If so, here are the possible explanations:

Clogged water filter – If the water filter is partially dirt blocked, the ice maker will run slow due to low water fill-up. If so, replace the filter.
Warmer freezer – Try adjusting the freezer to about 0-5⁰F if it’s higher than that to promote optimal ice production.
Faulty water inlet valve – A faulty inlet valve reduces water flow, slowing ice production. The problem is, however, fixable by getting a replacement inlet valve.

Kenmore elite refrigerator ice maker replacement

5. Leaking Ice Maker

If your ice maker is leaking, it could be because of one of these reasons:

Ice clumping – Excessive ice clumping causes the ice to leak. If so, disconnect the unit to allow the ice chute to self-defrost.
Unleveled fridge – The ice will overflow and leak into the ice bin if the refrigerator is not stable. Therefore, check it and stabilize it if it’s not level.
Non-aligned fill valve – Check the fill valve and re-align if it’s misaligned. An out-of-position fill valve generally causes ice leakage.

6. Frozen Ice Maker

The Kenmore refrigerator ice maker may freeze due to these reasons:

Low temperature – Maintain a freezer temperature of 0-5⁰F and a fridge temperature of 33 – 40⁰F but not anything below that to avoid freezing the ice maker.
Frosty water supply tube – A frozen water supply tube also freezes the ice maker. In such a case, run warm air (using a hair dryer) through the line to defrost it.

7. Overflowing Ice Maker (Too Much Ice)

Your ice maker may overflow with ice under any of these conditions:

Improperly positioned ice bin – An out-of-position bin misplaces newly produced ice, causing it to appear overflowing. If so, reposition the ice bin correctly.
Broken ice control arm – a broken ice controlling arm fails to stop the ice maker from making more ice. Thus, replace it.
Missing shelf – Some Kenmore ice makers may cause an ice overflow if a shelf is missing. You may need to reach out to the manufacturer for a replacement.

8. Ice Maker Not Filling Up

If the ice maker won’t fill up with water, consider these possibilities:

Water supply might be off or blocked/kinked – Your ice maker won’t fill up with water if the supply line is turned off, kinked, or blocked. If so, turn it on and remove any kinks or blockages.
Faulty filter, water inlet valve, control board, or motor – The ice maker may also not fill up if the filter, water inlet valve, control board, or motor is faulty.

9. Smaller Ice Cubes

Kenmore ice makers don’t make tiny ice cubes. It can, however, happen due to these reasons:

Low water supply – If there is insufficient water supply, the ice maker will make smaller cubes. If so, improve the water supply by removing any kinks or blockages.
Higher temperature – Keep the freezer’s temperature at about 0-5⁰Fand the fridge operating temperature at 33-40⁰F for optimal ice production.

10. Dirty/Discolored Ice

If the ice that the Kenmore ice maker makes is dirty or discolored, consider these possibilities:

Faulty water inlet valve – A faulty inlet valve may discolor the ice water passing through it and end up discoloring the ice. If so, change it if it shows no continuity.
Dirty ice mold tries – Clean the ice mold tray if it’s cloudy as its condition makes the ice messy.
Dirty supply line – If the supply line is dirty, try cleaning it as it could be due to a clog. However, if the problem is from the source, report it to the local water supplier.

11. Odd-Tasting Ice

Lastly, consider these possibilities if your icemaker for Kenmore Refrigerator makes ice whose taste is terrible:

Clogged water filter or valve – The water filter could be obstructed by dust, dirt, and microbes, altering the ice’s taste. If so, replace the filter.
Dirty ice bin – Check the bin and clean it if it’s messy. It could be the reason the ice is tasting odd.
Spoiled food – Don’t forget to dispose of bad food from the freezer, which could be why the ice maker makes bad-tasting ice.