The short answer
On the AMAW refrigerators the ice complaint splits cleanly in two — a fill problem or a harvest problem — and one look in the mould separates them. On these models a parked shut-off arm is the first thing this page would have you rule out. All but one of the causes below can be settled without a technician.
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.
- The mould is full of solid ice that is never ejected — The fill worked; the harvest did not.
- The cubes are hollow, small or half formed — A partial fill is a flow problem, not a maker problem.
- NEAR MISS — the freezer is not holding temperature — Fix the cooling first; a maker cannot harvest warm.
Causes, most likely first on this family
- Ice maker module stalled or the shut-off arm parked — A module that has stalled mid-harvest leaves the ejector fingers standing in the mould, which is visible without a tool. First, because it accounts for every observable above without needing a second fault. The builds in this family differ only in trim, so it holds across the line.
- Fill tube frozen at the mould — Thawing it is a temporary repair, because whatever made the overshoot will make another plug. It ranks second — the fault the first check leaves standing.
- Mould thermostat or thermistor not sensing — The sensor that reports the cubes are frozen is what starts the harvest; if it never reports, the cycle never begins. Third: a real cause on these cabinets, but a less frequent one.
- Harvest heater open circuit — A maker that grinds at the same point in every cycle is describing this fault out loud. Last, which is exactly why the checks above are worth spending first.
- Body: What moves here is installation, up: with only a couple of builds in the family the fleet ages together, so a fitting fault explains more of these calls than wear does.
Check in this order, and why
- Check the shut-off arm is down and that the ejector fingers are parked rather than standing mid-sweep. — First, because it settles the top of the ranking before anything else is touched.
- Look at the point where the fill tube enters the mould for a plug of ice. — Next, once the check above has come back clean.
- Look in the mould: solid ice that is never ejected points at the harvest side rather than the fill side. — Last, so that nothing further is spent until the cheaper checks are exhausted.
Cut the power before anything else
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel — a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. A loaded cabinet is heavy and top-heavy with the doors open, so empty it and get help before moving it. 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 AMAW family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| AMAW18S | amana:refrigerator:amaw |
| AMAW27S | amana:refrigerator:amaw |
| AMAW36S | amana:refrigerator:amaw |
When to call a technician
Call once water has been proved to reach the appliance and the maker still does nothing: the fault is then inside the maker, and a module is not a part to fit by guesswork.
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.
