FIXED KRSC503ESS01 Kitchenaid side by side - icing on refrigerator side evaporator coil

[Jake]

Looks like they fixed that broken wire issue, I've never seen them put that plastic clip to hold the wire harness there before. None of other refrigerators with the broken wires had that plastic clip.

So yours should be fine.

Jake

 

[plainv7]

I also thought that clip might be an attempt at a fix, then I took another look at Grandinetti's post showing a Kenmore Elite by Whirlpool. It looks identical to my KitchenAid:

FIXED - 106.51173310 Kenmore elite ice maker not working - no led light

I have a problem with the ice maker not making ice in my Kenmore elite which is out of warranty. I've tried to do some trouble shooting and repairs but to no avail. I'm hoping someone here might have some other suggestions. First of all, the ice maker has occasionally stopped making ice in...

www.applianceblog.com

 

[Jake]

Ok, then maybe not.

But I wouldn't worry about it unless the wires break.

Not all of these wires break in these models.

Jake

 

[PCT]

Sorry for the delay, we had house guests so I had to wait to do the fridge defrost/cleanout.

Pulled the thermistor that the tech previously installed and tested it. Was ok at room temperature but when placed in ice water the resistance did not change significantly. Had two other thermistors on hand as controls for the test. So I replaced it with a new one, hopefully will do the trick.

Did not have any ice available for the thermistor test so I improvised with some frozen lentil soup. Photo attached below, for your amusement. Good times!

Didn't manage to test the fan voltage.

Yeah, that wiring harness is a disaster too. At first it affected the auger motor. Now the ice maker has stopped making ice at all. Maybe time to splice those wires?

 

[Jake]

Pulled the thermistor that the tech previously installed and tested it. Was ok at room temperature but when placed in ice water the resistance did not change significantly. Had two other thermistors on hand as controls for the test. So I replaced it with a new one, hopefully will do the trick.

Yes, the new thermistor should fix it.

Yeah, that wiring harness is a disaster too. At first it affected the auger motor. Now the ice maker has stopped making ice at all. Maybe time to splice those wires?

Yes, time to start the solder iron.

Let us know how it goes.

Jake

 

[MattC19]

Jake:

We have a Kitchenaid KRSC503ESS01 DOM:201803 that also started to ice up on the refrigerator side coils last week. [1.5 years old]

I tested the thermistor as described through the wiring harness P8 and after being in a cup of ice water for 5.5 min. [10.2k ohms]. The fan is cycling seemingly as normal.

After defrosting the coils the ice will build up on the coils again in 2-3 days.
I noticed that the thermistor is clamped from the factory to the coil where Plainv7 also originally found his. Can you confirm that the thermistor position is incorrect and is potentially causing the icing problem? If so I will reposition the thermistor to the other side where Plainv7 also put his. Or should we replace them thermistor and install it at the same position as the factory did?

Thank you

 

[Jake]

Whirlpool mentions to relocate the thermistor.

Relocate it there and put the evaporator cover back in place and see how it does.

Jake

 

[MattC19]

Thank you for the confirmation. I will move the thermistor to the other side and monitor. Thank you

 

[Jake]

Sounds good Matt, let us know if that fixes it.

Jake

 

[plainv7]

Thank you for the confirmation. I will move the thermistor to the other side and monitor. Thank you

Carefully adjust the clip holding the thermistor to the coil to ensure that there is metal to metal contact between the thermistor and the coil. Warning: the thermistor is fragile, be very careful not to squeeze it when tightening the clip. I added a zip tie just to be sure.

 

[Slarmo]

Hi all, I am pretty sure I have a bad thermistor on my KRSC503ESS01 bought in Oct 2018. Funny thing is that this was already replaced once before while under warranty in 2019 due to a similar issue but the freezer was warm last time along with the ice build up.

This time the freezer was fine but I noticed the fridge being warmer than normal this week and pulled the drawers to find the ice build up.

I disassembled the back panel to get to the thermistor and put it in a cup of ice water for 5-10 min and it reads 3.5 on the multimeter. It reads about 2.5 at room temp. That is bad right?

It was also installed incorrectly on the evap coil so I will order a new on and install it on the copper part of the coil rather than the black part as shown in previous posts.

One last question I had was when I disassembled the back panel, the fan came out of the styrofoam and I’m not sure which way it goes back in. Does anyone have diagrams or a video of how to reassemble the styrofoam part in regards to the fan?

Also, has anyone else had black mold on their styrofoam? I had to soak the right piece that holds the evap coil in bleach cause it was caked with mold.

 

[Jake]

The thermistor W10316760 should read about 8,700(8.7 K) ohms at 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

One last question I had was when I disassembled the back panel, the fan came out of the styrofoam and I’m not sure which way it goes back in. Does anyone have diagrams or a video of how to reassemble the styrofoam part in regards to the fan?

Sorry I couldn't locate a video or service manual to show you how that fan goes in the styrofoam.

But if you type this number W11098695 in google and go to images, I'm sure you can locate a photo of how it goes in.

Let us know how it goes.

Jake

 

[Slarmo]

Thanks Jake. Did a quick search and should be able to figure it out with that. I’ll reply back once I get the new thermistor and everything back installed.

 

[Jake]

Ok, sounds good, yes keep us posted.

Jake

 

[Slarmo]

Hey Jake,
I figured I would test the thermistor again today and it tested at 4.2 at room temp (68-70 degrees) and 6.6 after sitting 5+ min in a cup of ice water. Is that still considered bad since it isn't in the 8+ range? Any ideas why the differences of yesterday vs today? User error, lol? I tested the same way as before. My multimeter only has probes, no clips so I was looping the bare thermistor wire around the probes. I figured I should still probably order a new one just in case but it will be a few days before I get it. Any other ideas what could cause all the ice build up if the thermistor isn't bad? I verified the fan is working. We were out of town for 2 weeks and came back to this. Again the freezer was fine, just the warmer temp in fridge due to the ice. In the past I would notice this due to the inconsistancies in ice production or softer than normal ice cream and that is when we had it repaired under warranty. Fortunately, we have another fridge in the basement that we moved all our food to so it isn't critical but would like to rule out other possibilities so it isn't weeks before I put it back together and turn it back on.

 

[Jake]

You need to get a normal multimeter to get a true reading on it.

Order this multimeter:

Multimeter - DM10T | Fast Shipping - Repair Clinic

Buy Multimeter, Part #DM10T with fast shipping! Our 365-day return policy guarantees you'll always get the right part!

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Or get that same type at Lowe's or Home Depot or ACE Hardware.

Jake