How to Jumpstart the Cycle on a Kenmore Ice Maker

Filling an ice cube tray can be a hassle. Finding a flat spot to lay it in your freezer while trying to balance the tray to avoid any water overflow can be a tricky task. The results usually end up with water on the floor or ice buildup on the bottom of your freezer due to the water not sitting straight in the tray. The best way to avoid those frustrating ice cube trays altogether is by purchasing a refrigerator with a built-in ice maker in the freezer. While these ice makers can also have their share of problems, they should inevitably take the hassle out of making ice.

You may need to take a look at your ice maker if you notice inconsistencies with the quality of ice that the maker is producing. If the ice is coming out cloudy, hollow or the wrong shape, then you may need to troubleshoot your ice maker and figure out what is causing the inconsistency in your ice. The Kenmore Use & Care Manual of your refrigerator is usually an excellent source of knowledge for help in troubleshooting simple issues without having to spend money on a handyman.

Once you have assessed the problem and potentially fixed it on your own, you may wonder if whatever work you did on your ice maker fixed the problem. The best way to determine this is to force the ice maker to cycle.

Whether your Kenmore ice bin is empty or your Whirlpool ice maker is not dumping ice, you will want to jump start the ice maker to see if your reparation work was fruitful. Trying to force your ice maker to cycle is relatively easy. Dave's Repair claims that regardless of the make or model of your refrigerator ice maker, they all tend to function the same way.

Before attempting to jump start the ice maker, you will need to remove the cover plate. This is usually done by removing a few screws with the appropriate screwdriver to see what kind of system you are dealing with. There are two different systems you may encounter, one that can be turned manually to jump start the cycle and one that will need help with a copper wire.

If the rotary gear presented underneath the cover plate does not have a warning written on it telling you not to rotate it, then simply grab the gear with your fingertips and rotate clockwise until you hear a click. If your gear has a small notch in it, then you may need a flat-head screwdriver. Use it to turn your gear counterclockwise until you hear the mentioned click. In both situations, the click that is heard will force the ice maker to cycle.

You may encounter a warning on the face of your rotary gear warning you not to manually play with the gear or turn it in any way. Please heed this warning because it is there for a reason. If you attempt to manually turn the gear, it will inevitably break rendering your ice maker useless. To manually jump start this type of gear, you need a small copper wire that is insulated. You should notice two tiny holes labeled "T" and "H," and this is where you should insert each end of your wire. After a few seconds of holding the wire in the designated holes (and only these holes), you should hear the desired click, which means you have successfully jump started your ice maker.