The short answer
An ice maker on the 61W341 refrigerators stops for one of two reasons: water is not arriving, or the harvest is never triggered. On these models a restricted water filter is the first thing this page would have you rule out. Most of the causes below are owner checks; the last of them is not.
What you observe on these models
- The bin is empty and the maker looks untouched — Nothing has been attempted, which points at the trigger rather than the mechanism.
- There is ice on the shelf under the maker rather than in the bin — Water is going where it should not before it freezes.
- The maker buzzes at intervals and nothing follows — The valve is being asked for water and none is arriving.
- NEAR MISS — the water dispenser has stopped as well — Then the fault is on the supply side of both, not inside the maker.
Causes, most likely first on this family
- Water filter restricted or not seated — A filter that has done its work restricts flow gradually, so the cubes get smaller for weeks before they stop. It leads because it is the likeliest of the set on these cabinets. This family is a single build, so it holds across the line.
- Mould thermostat or thermistor not sensing — The complaint is a mould full of solid ice that is never ejected, which looks nothing like a fill fault. Second: common enough on these models to come before anything below it.
- Harvest heater open circuit — Left alone it strips the module gears, so the noise is worth acting on rather than living with. Third on the list, where the likelihoods start to fall away.
- Household supply pressure below what the valve needs — These valves need a working pressure to open properly, and a house on a pump or a long shared run can sit under it at peak times. Last of the set listed here, and the least likely of them on this family.
- Body: Against the brand-wide order, installation and loading causes move up here and wear causes move down: one build means a narrow spread of ages in service, so how the cabinet was put in matters more than how long it has run.
Check in this order, and why
- Watch the cube size over a few harvests: shrinking cubes point at flow, absent cubes at the valve or the harvest side. — It comes first because it matches the cause ranked first above.
- Look in the mould: solid ice that is never ejected points at the harvest side rather than the fill side. — Next in order, following the ranking rather than convenience.
- Listen for a grind or a stall at the same point in every harvest. — Last of the set, and only worth doing once the others are clean.
Before you take a panel off
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel — a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Leave the door switch wired as it is: it cuts power to the evaporator fan for a reason. Shut the water supply off before disturbing the valve or the fill line, and never thaw a fill tube with a flame or a heat gun.
Models in the 61W341 family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| 61W341 | amana:refrigerator:61w341 |
When to call a technician
The arm, the bin, the filter, the shut-off and the line are yours. The module, the harvest heater and the mould sensor are where an owner stops on most designs. Call sooner if the maker is grinding, because that strips gears.
The other faults covered for this family
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
