The short answer
On the Amana 61w3i40 refrigerator family, an ice maker that has stopped filling the bucket points at the module, because the one pattern that genuinely points there — a mould that fills and never ejects — is the pattern owners of these models describe most. The brand-generic article leads the same way, but the places behind it are not the same here, and that is where a visit is won or lost.
What you observe on these models
- The mould is full of water and nothing ejects — Fill is fine and the harvest is not, which is the one pattern that does point at the module.
- Cubes come out thin, hollow or half formed — A short fill rather than a failed harvest, which points at water rather than at the module.
- A sheet of ice under the bucket rather than cubes in it — Fill water is missing the mould, usually because the tube is partly frozen.
- NEAR MISS — water leaking at the same time — A fill that overshoots is a leak page as much as an ice page.
Causes, most likely first on this family
- Ice maker module, ejector or its thermostat — The first thing to rule in. When the harvest never starts, the mould stays full and the cycle stops there. It is a real failure mode, and it empties a bucket in exactly the way several cheaper causes do.
- Low water pressure at the valve, or a clogged filter — Second, and close behind the first. The maker fills on a timed valve opening rather than to a level, so anything that slows the water gives a short fill. The result is thin crescents and a bucket that never fills.
- Fill tube frozen shut — Third. One overshooting fill leaves a plug of ice in the tube, and every fill after that misses the mould entirely. Nothing has failed electrically, which is why the module often gets replaced for nothing.
- Freezer not cold enough to finish a harvest — Last on this list. The maker waits for the mould to reach its harvest temperature. A freezer sitting a few degrees warm never gets there, so the ice stops without a single ice-maker part being faulty.
Check in this order, and why
- Watch a full cycle if the maker will start one — Start here. A mould that fills and never ejects is the module; a mould that never fills is not.
- Fill a cup at the dispenser if the cabinet has one, or watch a fill — Then this. A slow or hesitant flow is a supply problem, and it explains thin ice without any part being faulty.
- Look at the fill tube where it enters the mould — Third. A plug of ice there explains everything downstream and is cleared rather than replaced.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel; a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off.
Models covered by the 61w3i40 family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| 61W3i40 | amana:refrigerator:61w3i40 |
When to call a technician
Call once the supply, the shutoff arm, the bucket and the freezer temperature are all proven good, because what is left is the module or the valve. Call before cutting into any water line. A saddle valve on a supply pipe is the single commonest cause of a repair that turns into a plumbing job.
The other faults covered for this family
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