My Frigidaire Ice Maker Lever Is Broken

Safety

• Whenever you perform repairs to your refrigerator, the first step is to disconnect the appliance's power source. The refrigerator is plugged into a standard 120v, 15 amp outlet, often located behind the refrigerator. Because this particular repair does not require you to access the rear of the refrigerator, disconnect the power by turning off the breaker in your home's service panel.

Components

• The actuator lever is installed in the ice dispenser housing, which is located on the outside of the freezer door. The actuator lever is made of heavy plastic, which may break or crack after regular use. A spring is used by the actuator lever to give it movement, allowing it to return to its normal position after it is engaged. The lever and spring are physically attached to the dispenser housing with standard Phillips screws.

Accessing the Lever

• To access the actuator lever, you must first disassemble the ice dispenser. The drip tray, which pulls straight out of the dispenser housing, covers two to four screws, which secure the front panel of the dispenser to the housing. With these screws removed, slide the front panel up, disconnect the wire connector, and move it away from the door. Remove the screws securing the dispenser assembly to the housing, and pull the assembly away from the housing. The actuator lever is located on the rear of the dispenser assembly and is now accessible.

Replacing the Lever

• The actuator lever is secured by two screws at the top. Once removed, determine whether the lever is broken or if the spring is damaged. When installing the new lever, ensure that the spring is securely installed in the notch on the arm on the top of the lever; otherwise, the lever will not move properly.