FIXED KitchenAid Under Cabinet Ice Maker KUIX305EBL1 woes, diminishing ice production, now only running water.

[Ryans Rebel]

Model Number

KUIX305EBL1

Brand

KitchenAid

Age

1-5 years

Hello everyone. New to the forum but not new to DIY repairs. I have a KitchenAid KUIX305EBL1 under cabinet ice maker. Several years old and never had a problem until now. I’ve read several threads but no one seems to have the exact symptoms.

Every since the last cleaning cycle, the ice making has been diminishing. At first the ice seemed just a little thinner than normal. Over a couple of months, production diminished to the point where there was hardly any ice in the bin. So, I turned it off for several days and then turned it back on again. Now, once turned on the inlet valve opens and stays open, meaning the pan fills with water and then continuously overflows for several minutes to the point where I just turn the machine off again. The recirculating pump never kicks on. I’m not exactly sure of how all the systems work together as I’ve never had any problems. But it seems to me whatever senses the water level in the pan is not working, so the inlet valve does not close and the recirc pump never kicks on. I see you can run a diagnostics on the Whirlpool version, but I haven’t seen a post or video showing diagnostic on the type of machine. Any guidance would be appreciated.

Ryan

 

[Jake]

Hi Ryan,

Read what I mentioned here:

KitchenAid free standing KUIX505EBS0 makes a couple batches of ice and stops

Hello.. I have an ice maker that just stopped making ice. I did a clean, replaced the filter and restarted. It will make a couple batches of ice then stops production. There is still water flowing across the plate and the water is cold but no ice production on the plate. Any ideas? Thank...

www.applianceblog.com

Its does sounds like possibly a water level sensor issue, the water level sensor on this model seems to be integrated in the pump assembly:

Whirlpool W11542867 Pump (AP7019075) - AppliancePartsPros.com

Pump W11542867 / AP7019075 made by Whirlpool

click.linksynergy.com

This video should give you the general idea of how to access it:

Check the electrical connectors on it and see if they are corroded causing this problem.

 

[Ryans Rebel]

Thanks for the reply. I will check the connections this weekend and if the problem persists, i will replace the recirc pump.

 

[Jake]

Ok, sounds good.

Jake

 

[Ryans Rebel]

An update..... As usual life sometimes get in the way and I was not able to look further at the machine right away. I did not order the pump as I wanted to investigate further as the symptoms were inconsistent. Well, yesterday I took the cover off the machine and found the technicians bulletin with the diagnostics sequence. I ran the diagnostics and everything works up until step 8. Never did I see frost, nor did the light blink, indicating the temp never got to 4.5 degrees. This makes more sense to me as the reduced production of ice over time could likely be due to a freon leak?

I should mention that after the diagnostics I turned the machine on and everything worked as it should (including the water level sensor that was initially thought to be the problem) up to the ice making. Water recirculated for at least 10 min but the temp of the water in the reservoir was still lukewarm. So I turned it off.

Now, What is the problem exactly and how do I go about fixing it? I'll assume that the unit is low on freon? Or is there other issues that I might have that would cause this?

I have attached the diagnostic sheet.

 

[Jake]

Never did I see frost, nor did the light blink, indicating the temp never got to 4.5 degrees. This makes more sense to me as the reduced production of ice over time could likely be due to a freon leak?

Sealed system problem.

You'd need a refrigerant tech to come out and see if it is a refrigerant leak or compressor problem, or a restriction.

Jake

 

[Ryans Rebel]

Another update. My unit was still under the 5 year sealed system warranty (parts covered but not labor). So, I brought it in to where I purchased it (locally owned appliance store). They checked it out and said it needed a new evaporator. Trouble is they can't find one anywhere. They have a call into Whirlpool to see what they can find.

 

[Jake]

Ok, thanks for the update, let us what happens.

Jake

 

[Ryans Rebel]

I'm happy to report they found the part and replaced it (under warranty = $0 cost). It stayed at the appliance store for over a week making ice. Apparently they monitor these machines for an extended period of time after repair. I picked it up today and should be re-installing it tomorrow.

Thanks for all the help guys!!

 

[Jake]

Excellent, glad to hear that.

Thanks for the update!

Jake