Testing Ice Maker Solenoid Coils

The solenid for an ice maker receives signals from the sensor when ice in the bin falls to a certain level. The solenoid then opens the water valve connected to the ice maker at the back of the refrigerator. Water flows into the unit to start a fresh cycle. If the ice maker has problems receiving water, testing the solenoid coils will determine if this part is defective and preventing the valve from opening when it should. Use a multimeter to check continuity in the solenoid circuit.

Nut driver
Adjustable pipe wrench
Multimeter

Instructions

- 1
  Unplug the appliance's power cord from the outlet and pull the appliance far enough from the wall that you can reach the bottom panel where the water line connects.
- 2
  Twist the knob to the right on the copper pipe to stop water from flowing to the ice maker.
- 3
  Use a nut driver to remove the bolts on the back panel where the water line connects to the rear of the ice maker or refrigerator. Take off the panel.
- 4
  Use a pipe wrench to unscrew the brass fitting from the water line where it attaches to the valve inside the appliance. A small amout of dripping water is normal.
- 5
  Take out the bolt in the bracket holding the valve and the solenoid on top of it to the frame of the appliance.
- 6
  Pull off the two wires and clips where they attach to the blade posts at the top of the solenoid.
- 7
  Set the multimeter to test for ohms. Place the probes on the multimeter on the two conductor blades on the solenoid. A normal coil reading falls between 200 and 500 ohms. If there is no reading or the multimeter displays outside the normal range, the solenoid is defective.

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