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4.5
An elderly friend complained that his icemaker wasn't working. He had paid a repairman $200 for a housecall that determined a part was needed and that the $200 could be used toward the actual repair once the part came in. After taking a look at the icemaker bin and the parts I thought, what the heck, I'll give this a try. After disassembling the bin (6 screws) and taking the actuator rod and spring off (1-screw) and removing the 2 screws in the bin, the auger/grinder easily came out. It was clear that the drum was broken (the vanes had broken from the center) but what wasn't clear was that the drum was a separate piece from the auger. It appeared to be one piece and I was convinced I was looking for a one-piece auger/drum. I thought this separate drum was not the correct part. I went on Youtube and found a repair video (very helpful!!) for this particular piece only then clearly saw that there was a cir-clip, washer, and nylon nut that held every together and that the drum comes off separately from the auger shaft. I didn't actually take the old drum center off until the replacement came in but rather put it all back together so I wouldn't lose anything. Once the part came in it took about 15 minutes to replace since I'd done it all before. The auger didn't turn/spin as easily as I thought it should (it feels just a bit too snug), but it dispenses cubes and crushed ice just fine. And as a previous reviewer stated, this part seems much more robust that the one it replaces.This part is better quality and a more dense plastic than the original ice maker part. The original part broke into several small, hard, sharp pieces which were dispensed among the crushed ice. Unknowingly, my wife drank the sharp shards. Thankfully, they stuck in her throat and she was able to cough them out before any severe damage was done. It was a close call and we were not sure if we wanted to trust crushed ice again. However, this replacement part was of much better quality than the original; a thicker, slightly flexible and dense plastic. We installed the part and it works great and makes less noise than the original; when dispensing ice. We are grateful to once again trust our ice maker.This is the perfect part that I would have needed for my refrigerator ice dispenser problem--if this had been the problem. When my ice dispenser stopped working, I was so overwhelmed by all the possible issues reported online with ice dispensers that I at first just sort of started throwing parts at the problem instead of carefully testing and trying out ways to diagnose my broken dispenser. I finally found that all I needed was the small left handed coupler that threads onto the auger motor shaft that turns the auger and pushes the ice from the ice bucket to dispense it. It was an easy fix after that--leaving me with some nice parts that I don't need at this time, but thoroughly educated about refrigerator ice dispensers:) :) :).For me it was an easy installation, however I had to completely take the ice storage box completely apart.Caution! The removal and assembly of this part is tedious, but it is the correct part and my ice is again coming through the door. Pay very close attention when taking the unit apart. I suggest taking pictures at each step. Note which spacer goes where in the blade assembly as it will save you a lot of time. My blades were marked A, B and C which helped. The nylon nut that holds everything together is reverse-thread, meaning turn left to tighten, right to loosen. Finaly, the retaining clip preventing the nylon nut from moving into the assembly can be removed with a straight tip pliers. Yes, the instructions are in reverse because disassembly is the easy part.be sure to watch you tube video before installing. not all that difficult. also helpful if you take pictures as you take it apart so you know how each piece reassembles as blades can be a bit tricky if you don't put them back in correct order.Easy repair 30 minutes, flat head screwdriver (preferably a long shaft and tight fitting) and 9/16 wrench. A crescent wrench or pliers (not recommended) will work the "left hand threaded" plastic nut on the end of the shaft is not particularly tight. Neither is the ring lock holding the shaft onto the ice tray, it slides away easily with force from the tip of the screwdriver. Pay attention to the direction of the shaft spacers and crusher blades, be consistent the way you lay them down and reverse the procedure to reassemble.The "left handed thread" means the nut is removed clockwise rotation.The original Whirlpool ice maker came with incredibly cheap plastic parts, actually the ice maker is found on several refrigerator brands. The new parts were shipped timely and were much, much heavier. Installation is a bit tricky and I would recommend going to YouTube. Don't be surprised if replacing the old parts takes more than an hour.
