Introduction: Fixed Whirlpool Fridge Ice Crusher Motor W10822606, W10822606, W11117909, W10271506, and W10215646

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The fridge ice crusher motor was making a hum and wasn't moving when activated. This is from a Whirlpool french door bottom freezer fridge with the ice dispenser in the door. The motor part numbers could be any of these according to amazon W10822606, W10822606, W11117909, W10271506, and W10215646.

Supplies

I used a utility knife, philips and a small (or a small punch) and medium screwdriver, 1/4" hex socket or driver, soldering iron, solder, solder sucker of some sort, and some JBweld. As well as some mineral spirits and emery cloth to clean the parts, some new grease and oil to lubricate it all, some rtv silicone, electrical contact cleaner or such, and some shrink tube for the wires.

Hex wrench, small hammer, and a dremel style tool with cut off disc were needed as well

Step 1: Remove Motor

Take the bin out shut off the icemaker. Mine had a little switch to rotate on the left side of the hole where the bin sat. Use a philips and remove the screws holding the chute in, you might need to wiggle it to get it out. Then use a 1/4" hex socket and remove the screws holding the motor. Lift the motor and gently unplug it.

Step 2: Open Motor Housing

I clamped this in a vise with some protective pads over the jaws. Take your utility knife (not one with the snap off blades as they are not as strong) and carefully cut along the seam around the main body. I ran over them a few times to work through the melted plastic seam. Then I took a flat screwdriver that I had sharpened to gently tap in the seam to separate the top from the bottom. Work your way along the seam breaking the last bit until the top pops off.

Then mark where the wires are and then unsolder them from the motor. I unsoldered from the board that the fridge wires plug into and that added more difficulty and extra steps.

Step 3: Disassemble

Pull the top part off and likely the gear will come with it and it'll probably be rusted/stuck in place like mine was. You might need to use the screwdriver to wiggle the next part that has the motor and pry on it to get it to come out.

Remove the gears and guts once the motor is out.

Step 4: Remove the Top Gear

This is the gear that was in the top half of the unit. I had to clamp that in the vise and use a large hex wrench (same size as the adapter that was on the top of the motor) and gently rotate until you can get the gear to move. I ended up tapping on the hex wrench with a hammer while twisting to get the gear out of the plastic housing.

I then clamped the gear and used some emery cloth to clean all the rust off the shaft. It looks like this is the main reason the motor wouldn't move, the gear rusted and expanded in the bore and wouldn't move.

Step 5: Disassemble the Electric Motor

If the motor doesn't spin then likely there is rust in there binding on the magnets. If it binds then keep going, if it moves freely then skip ahead to cleaning.


Pry the white plastic gear off the motor (the shaft has a flat side) and unscrew the two screws holding it to the plastic housing.

Clamp the motor and gently cut along side both sides of both the tabs that hold the plastic end cap on the motor. Take a small screwdriver or punch and gently bend the tabs outward enough to clear the end cap.

I had to tap on the motor shaft to get the end cap to come off. Go gently so you don't bend the shaft or mushroom it. Also there are to washers on each end of the motor shaft so get those and keep track of which end they were for.

There are brushes in the cap and the curved slots will be used to hold the brushes back when reinstalling the cap. I used two small punches for that but anything that fits in the slots will work, a bobby pin even!

I removed the magnets, first scratch a mark so you know which end is which and where they go. I didn't and had to switch the wires around as the motor turned the wrong direction for cube and crush. To remove the magnets, use a flat screwdriver and get it under the spring clip and pry one side out. The magnets can be removed and the rust inside the housing can be cleaned off. Also make sure to clean any rust off the rotating part of the motor. Mine had rust behind the magnets as well as some on the rotor which made the clearance disappear and the motor stick.


Once cleaned of rust, reinstall the magnets and take the spring clip and slide it between the magnets from the end and then use the flat screwdriver in the crook of the spring and push it the rest of the way in. Take the oil and put some in the holes that the shaft rotates in. Put the washers onto both ends of the shaft and push the shaft through the hole in the metal housing with the magnets. Then take the two 1/16" punches or bobby pins or whatever and go through the curved slots and move the brushes back, carefully slide the end cap back onto the motor and bend the tabs back in.

Step 6: Clean Everything

Clean all the rusty grease off!

I used a clean oil drain pan with some mineral spirits and cleaned all the gunk out of the plastic and off the gears. A wire brush might be useful but watch for grease/gunk getting splattered off the bristles and onto the walls or yourself!!!

Remount the motor with the two philips screws and install the gear and resolder the wires.

After that, clean the hole where the wires go through with some electrical contact cleaner (I use CRC) and blow dry and then use the flat screwdriver and smush some rtv silicone around the wires and into the hole to seal it up.

Let dry a few hours.


Step 7: Put It All Together Again

I greased the shaft that I cleaned with emery cloth as well as the other gears teeth and sockets and reinstalled them in the correct spots. I then added some grease to the housing for good measure. Once the gears are in then add a little grease to the top of the shaft that resides in the lid and reinstall the lid to the base.

Put the two halves together and plug it into the fridge and see if the motor is turning the right way for crush and cube, if it's opposite then you'll have to unsolder the wires and swap them.

Take the halves back apart.

Clean the edges of both halves with electrical contact cleaner and mix up a decent dollop of jbweld with the flat screwdriver (I keep a 3" square of lexan in the bag that holds my jbweld, works great for a mixing table, just use and wipe off when done) and apply to the old seam. Stick the top to the bottom and gently clamp in a vise and/or tape them together and let dry for 24 hours or so. I like regular jbweld better but there's a quick set version if you like.

Step 8: Install

Plug in and test.


If all is working well then put the screws into the holes in the motor and install that and then put in the short hex shaft and then the chute part and tighten. Turn on the ice maker and install the bin and wait for new ice to drop.

Note, when installing previously removed screws into wood or plastic I ALWAYS gently unscrew them and feel for when they drop and then screw into the originally cut threads. That way I maintain the integrity of the plastic. The chute part has double fluted screws with two different heights of threads so if you feel the drop and the screw doesn't easily turn in, back out and feel for the threads that are 180 degrees from where you started.