Refrigerator Ice Maker NOT DROPPING ICE CUBES From Mold Tray

My fridge/freezer ice maker isn’t dropping ice cubes. The ice maker is turned on. The water is turned on. The wire on/off arm is down. Freezer is at proper temperature. I can see the frozen ice cubes in the tray. How do I make the ice eject from the ice mold tray?

Ice Maker Won’t Eject Ice Cubes From Mold Tray

Simple reasons why your ice maker will not drop or eject ice

These are ways to fix the ice maker without having to take anything apart or test any parts…

1. The ice maker needs to be reset as an error has occurred. Press reset button
2. Ice cubes may have piled up in the bin and cause the ice maker to turn off. Level the ice
3. An ice cube may be jammed in the ice mold tray. Unjam the ice tray
4. The freezer is not cold enough for complete ice cube production. Check temp of freezer
(HINT – For optimum ice cube production, the freezer temperature should be between 0-5 degrees for best performance)

Remove power to the refrigerator to reset the ice maker

If the ice maker does not drop ice into the storage bin, unplug the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes to attempt to reset the ice maker control board/main control board. Removing power to the refrigerator can reset the ice maker if an unknown error has occurred.

Which ice maker parts can be at fault?

If the ice maker still does not eject ice and the freezer is at the proper temp, the ice is not jammed, the ice is not piled up in storage bin, and the refrigerator has been reset, you need to check the ice maker parts to confirm which part is at fault.

Check the Ice Maker Mold Thermostat, Ice Maker Mold Heater, and the Ice Maker Module. (If any of these parts are found to be faulty, it may be best to purchase a new ice maker as this may be more cost effective.)

The Ice Maker Module includes a motor that ejects the ice out of the ice maker mold tray. If this motor is faulty the ice will not drop/eject.

Ice Maker Module Control

The Ice Maker Mold Thermostat checks the temp of the ice maker mold tray. If the Ice Maker Mold Thermostat is faulty the ice maker will not drop ice cubes.

Ice Maker Mold Thermostat Unit

The Ice Maker Mold Heater heats up the mold which allows the ice cubes to easily drop. If the Ice Maker Mold Heater fails, the ice will not eject into the storage bin.

Ice Maker Mold Heater

NOTE: As certain parts may cost as much or more than a new ice maker, always determine what the most cost effective approach is when replacing certain parts. Here are new ice makers that can replace all parts and save you time.

Refrigerator Parts Available on Amazon – Ice Makers

Check the ice maker parts with a multimeter

Use a multimeter and check the Ice Maker Mold Thermostat, Ice Maker Mold Heater, and the Ice Maker Module for faults to see if this is causing the ice cubes to not drop. Check all of these parts for continuity. If any of these parts are found to be faulty, replace as needed.

How does the ice maker function work?

Have more questions? Here is how a typical refrigerator ice maker functions…
1. The ice cube eject motor cycles and spins the tongs to eject the ice cubes.
2. The water solenoid valve will then run for 20 seconds.
3. Water then enters the ice mold tray and begins freezing.
4. 120 to 180 minutes later the internal timer in the ice maker will start.
5. The internal timer energizes the mold heater for about 120 seconds.
6. The ice cube eject motor cycles and spins the tongs to eject the ice cubes.

This process of how a refrigerator ice maker creates ice may show you where the fault may be. There are other parts that may be faulty when the ice maker does not make ice. This article shows an ice maker not ejecting the ice with the assumtion that other parts are in working order.

How To Test Appliance/Ice Maker Parts?

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How To Replace Refrigerator Ice Maker

Need help or have suggestions for how to fix an ice maker that does not harvest or eject ice cubes? Please leave your question or suggestion below.

Written by Keith Schneerer

Certified Appliance Tech · Founder, RemoveAndReplace.com

Keith has spent 30+ years repairing machines, starting as a military mechanic and later maintaining food processing equipment before moving into appliance repair. He founded RemoveAndReplace.com to share field-tested repair advice.

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