Part
Icemaker Switch (Includes Emitter)
Product Rating
Customer
Peter from MA
Problem
Ice maker wasn't working.
Tools
T40 Torx driver, 1/4" hex head driver, rachet crescent wrenches.
Repair & Advice
This story describes using this part in an attempt to repair the ice maker in a Jenn-Air built-in 36"-wide bottom-freezer refrigerator, model JB36SEFXRB00. The icemaker had stopped working a few months prior—it would only make a small batch of ice cubes, once every several days. This part is the plastic piece to the left of the ice drawer, to which the left ice drawer rails are mounted, and which also contains the IR emitter, drawer detection flap, and ON/OFF switch.
With the freezer open and ice drawer removed, the LED on the receiver-side part (plastic panel to the right of the drawer) would flash twice every couple of seconds, and it would keep doing so even if the flap on the left was pressed (thus not blocking the emitter). We understood that flashing twice indicates that no IR signal is received, and it should be lit continuously when the IR signal is received. Because we weren't seeing that with the flap pressed, we tried replacing this emitter part first. After doing so, the LED remained as before, but the ice maker starting working well anyway. Seems that we've misunderstood how to interpret the LED, but in any case either:
A) The emitter part was indeed to blame for the ice maker not working, so replacing it fixed the problem, or
B) Having the freezer powered off for an hour or so somehow got the ice maker working again.
Here are the steps we used:
1. Remove food from bottom freezer (store in cooler with ice or frozen ice packs).
2. Turn off circuit breaker for fridge.
3. Pull out freezer drawer.
4. Place towels on floor to protect freezer door when detached.
5. Remove the two T40 Torx-head bolts on each side of freezer drawer near the door to remove door.
6. Remove four hex-head screws holding switch/emitter part and left rails for ice drawer.
7. Detach electrical connector from existing part.
8. Connect electrical connector to new part.
9. Replace four screws to hold new part and left rails for ice drawer, tightening each incrementally, and testing that ice drawer slides smoothly.
10. With two people and/or with assistance from books/magazines/etc. to help hold freezer drawer at necessary height, mount freezer door to freezer drawer rails, using dowels through empty holes to help with alignment, and replace the four bolts on each side, tightening incrementally. When tight, test that freezer drawer closes smoothly, level, and airtight.
11. Turn on circuit breaker for fridge.
12. After freezer is returned to target temperature, replace food.
Story submitted on June 2, 2020