How to Troubleshoot (& Fix) a Kenmore Ice Maker Yourself

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A DIY guide to repairing your Kenmore refrigerator ice maker

Co-authored by Trevor Storey and Elaine Heredia, BA

Last Updated: January 21, 2025 Fact Checked

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Quick & Easy Fixes

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Troubleshooting Trickier Issues

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Manually Resetting a Kenmore Ice Maker

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Why does the water dispenser still work?

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Video

Has your Kenmore Elite or other Kenmore refrigerator model stopped making ice? There are many different reasons an ice maker may quit working. Fortunately, you can address many of them yourself without calling in a professional! This guide will explain 9 possible reasons your Kenmore ice maker is malfunctioning and how to fix it so it will keep dispensing clear, pure ice for your beverages. We'll also tell you when it's safer to call in an appliance repair technician.

Why is my Kenmore refrigerator ice maker not working?

Common reasons that your Kenmore ice maker stopped working are: it's frozen over, the temperature in the freezer is too warm, the door switch is malfunctioning, or the condenser coils are dirty. Trickier culprits are a clogged water filter, a kinked water supply line, a broken water inlet valve, or a broken compressor.

Section 1 of 4:

Quick & Easy Kenmore Ice Maker Fixes

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1
Defrost the freezer if the ice maker is frozen over with ice. If your ice maker is covered with ice, preventing it from making or dispensing ice properly, your freezer may need to defrost. To manually defrost your freezer, remove all the items and shelves from both the freezer and refrigerator compartments and unplug the appliance. Then leave the doors open and allow all the ice to melt.^{[1]
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- Set towels and buckets down underneath the refrigerator door(s) to catch any water that might drip out.
- After all the ice is melted, dry the inside of the freezer with a towel, replace all the shelves, and plug the refrigerator back in. After the refrigerator and freezer reach their optimal temperatures, put all the items back inside and check if the ice maker is dispensing ice again. If not, move on to the next fix in this article.
If the freezer is too warm, the ice maker won't be able to form or dispense ice. Your Kenmore refrigerator model allows you to control the temperature through a dial or slider on the inside of the refrigerator compartment or a digital display on the door. Adjust the freezer temperature to 0 °F (−18 °C), which is the highest freezer temperature recommended by the US Department of Energy.^{[2]
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3
Clean the condenser coils to help your freezer lower its temperature. If your freezer is warm and you already adjusted the temperature to 0 °F (−18 °C), dirty condenser coils may be the culprit. Condenser coils remove heat from the refrigerant as it circulates through the appliance to keep it cold. Over time, the coils become caked with dust and dirt, preventing them from evaporating the heat properly.^{[3]
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- Access the condenser coils on your Kenmore refrigerator by removing the rear access panel or the front grille. Clean the coils and surrounding parts (i.e., the compressor and the water inlet valve) using the tube attachment on a vacuum cleaner and a coil brush.^{[4]
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4
Test the freezer door switch to see if it's working. The door switch on your freezer is supposed to allow your ice and water dispensers to work when it senses the door is shut. Sometimes, though, the switch is faulty and indicates the door is open when it's sealed shut. Test if it's working by opening the door and pushing on the door switch. If the lights turn off in the freezer, the switch works. If they don't, replace the switch.^{[5]
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- To replace the door switch, pry off the switch cover using a flathead screwdriver, then unscrew or unclip the switch (depending on what type it is) and disconnect the wires from it. Install the new switch using the same steps as above in reverse order.

Section 2 of 4:

Troubleshooting Trickier Kenmore Ice Maker Issues

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1
Check the water filter for clogs and replace it if needed. The water filter is located inside the Kenmore refrigerator. Its job is to remove chemicals, such as chlorine, and debris from the water coming into the ice maker so the ice maker can make purer ice. After 6 months of use, the filter can become clogged and reduce the amount of water coming into the ice maker, resulting in fewer ice cubes. Here's how to replace it.^{[6]
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- Locate the water filter in your Kenmore refrigerator model. Place a towel underneath it to catch any water that drips out, then remove the filter by twisting it and pulling it out of its housing. Install a new water filter that's compatible with your Kenmore refrigerator by inserting it into the housing and rotating it clockwise or pushing it in (depending on the model) until it no longer moves.^{[7]
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- Run the water dispenser (if your Kenmore refrigerator has one) for 5 minutes to flush the water filter. If your refrigerator has a filter reset button on the front and the indicator light is on, press down on it for 3 seconds to reset it.^{[8]
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- Below is a brief guide to where to find and change the water filter in a Kenmore refrigerator based on its style/model.
  - Smart Refrigerator (i.e., Kenmore Elite): Upper left corner of the freezer compartment.
  - French Door Refrigerator: In the lowest door bin on the left-hand door.
  - Side-by-Side Refrigerator: Upper right corner of the freezer compartment or the bottom of the appliance (i.e., the Kenmore 5175x series).
When the line connecting the refrigerator to the water supply valve is bent, water may not flow through it into the ice maker at a fast rate (or at all). To see if this is happening, unplug your Kenmore refrigerator, pull it away from the wall., and examine the water supply line at the back of the fridge for kinks or twists. If you find any, gently straighten them out.^{[9]
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Ensure the water inlet valve is functional. The water inlet valve (located at the back of the refrigerator) takes water from the supply line and feeds into the ice maker and water dispenser (if your model has one). If you've tried the above fixes and your ice maker still isn't producing ice, the water inlet valve could be blocked or broken. Here's how to remove the old water inlet valve from your Kenmore refrigerator and install a new one.
- Unplug the refrigerator, pull it out from the wall, and shut off the water supply valve behind it.
- Place a towel underneath where the water supply line connects to the water inlet valve at the back of the refrigerator. Then unscrew and detach the water supply line from the inlet valve using a ¹⁄₂ in (1.3 cm) wrench.^{[10]
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- Remove the screws securing the rear access panel with a Phillips screwdriver. Then unscrew the bracket holding the water inlet valve to the refrigerator.^{[11]
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- Disconnect the wires from the water inlet valve, remove the locking ring securing the inside water line to the valve, and pull the water line out of the valve.^{[12]
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- Install the new water inlet valve by sliding the locking ring from the previous step underneath the collar where the water line connects to the valve. Then push the end of the water line as far as it will go into the valve opening. Then connect the wires to the terminals, screw the water inlet valve bracket back into place, and reattach the rear access panel.^{[13]
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- Attach the water supply line to the new water inlet valve, turn the water supply valve back on, and plug your refrigerator back in.^{[14]
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Replace the ice maker assembly if it appears to be malfunctioning. If your ice maker still doesn't work after all the above solutions, the issue could be the ice maker itself. The motor that powers the auger arm that pushes ice into the ice bin could be broken. Alternatively, the thermometer that reads the temperature in the ice maker so it knows when to shut the assembly off could be faulty. In either case, the easiest fix is to replace the entire ice maker.
- To replace your Kenmore ice maker, first take out the ice bin. Next, loosen and remove the screws attaching it to the interior of the freezer compartment or freezer door (depending on your model). Gently pull the ice maker out of its housing and unplug the wires connecting it to the refrigerator's power source.^{[15]
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- Install the new ice maker by following the above steps in reverse order. Finish the installation by restoring the ice bin to its proper place.
If the ice maker isn't broken, but you notice strange signs like the refrigerator running all day or making loud noises, or the compressor is hot to the touch, the compressor, evaporator fan, or some other internal component may be at fault. For these more complex issues, hire an appliance repair technician.^{[16]
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Section 3 of 4:

How do I manually reset a Kenmore ice maker?

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But you can still reset it by resetting the entire refrigerator. You can do that by either unplugging the refrigerator and then plugging it back in after a few seconds or pressing the Lock and Light buttons on the door at the same time for 3 seconds (if you have a button display on the front of your door).

Section 4 of 4:

Why does the water dispenser work but not the ice maker?

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If the water dispenser is working but the ice dispenser isn't, the ice maker may be frozen over or have a faulty part. Defrost it if it's frozen over and replace the ice maker assembly if it's not making or dispensing ice on demand.