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Ice production on the ATF line depends on three things in series: water arriving, the freezer being cold enough to freeze it on schedule, and the module cycling. The model matrix on this page lists sixteen model numbers under this family badge. Working them in that order is what stops an owner replacing a module that was never at fault.
What you observe at the dispenser and the bin
- Cubes fused into one solid block in the bin — Partial thawing and refreezing, usually from a freezer that is not holding temperature or a door that is not sealing.
- The shut-off arm or sensor is holding the cycle off — The bin reads as full when it is empty, because the arm is propped or the sensor window has frosted over.
- Water pooling under the bin or freezing in the fill tube — A plug of ice in the fill tube that grows a little with every cycle until nothing gets through at all.
- The module cycles and nothing is ejected — The rake turns on schedule but the tray is empty, which puts the fault upstream at the valve or the tube.
- NEAR MISS — the whole freezer is soft and the cabinet is warm — Ice production stops long before food thaws, so a warm cabinet makes the cooling fault primary.
Causes, most likely first on the ATF line
- Water supply: closed valve, kinked line or a spent filter — First here because this is a long-lived family, sixteen model numbers deep — a restricted supply is the single commonest reason an ice maker stops, and it is the only cause that can be settled without opening anything.
- Shut-off arm lifted or the bin sensor blocked — Second, and it is the cause that produces the most unnecessary part orders — nothing has failed, the module has simply been told to stop.
- Freezer not cold enough to complete a harvest — Third — it explains hollow cubes and a slow bin better than any mechanical fault does, and it points back at the cooling system.
- Fill valve, fill tube ice or the module itself — Last. A valve that no longer opens or a module that no longer cycles is a genuine repair, but it is the least likely of the four.
The check order on these models
- Press the door dispenser if the cabinet has one — Water there proves the supply, the shut-off valve and the filter are all passing, and no water ends the diagnosis outside the appliance.
- Lift the bin and look at the shut-off arm and the sensor window — A mechanism that has stopped itself looks exactly like one that has failed, and this costs nothing to rule out.
- Leave a thermometer in the freezer overnight — A freezer holds food safely at 0 °F (−18 °C) or below, and production stops well above that, so a warm freezer explains poor ice on its own.
- Look at the fill tube for ice and listen for the fill — Look at the fill tube and listen for the fill last, because both need the bin out and the module exposed.
Safety first
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before working on the ice maker; a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Do not chip ice out of the tray or the rake with a knife or a screwdriver — the tray cracks, and what is behind it is not repairable at home.
Models in the ATF family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| ATF1836ARB | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF1836ARQ | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF1836ARS | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF1836ARW | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF1838AEB | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF1838AEQ | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF1838AES | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF1838AEW | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF2136ARB | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF2136ARQ | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF2136ARS | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF2136ARW | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF2138AEB | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF2138AEQ | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF2138AES | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF2138AEW | amana:refrigerator:atf |
Where owner work stops
Call once supply, mechanism state and freezer temperature are all clean and the bin is still empty. On the ATF line the owner side ends at the filter, the shut-off arm and a thermometer; replacing an inlet valve, a fill tube or the module means the cabinet is opened and a water line is broken. Call sooner if you find water under the cabinet rather than only inside the freezer.
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