Replacing the Auger Motor in Your Whirlpool Side-By-Side Ice Maker

If you have pressed your lever on your ice dispenser only to find dead silence and no ice being dispensed, then there are several potential problems, one of which is that the auger motor has gone out. Typically when you don’t hear the auger even trying to dispense ice, then the motor is no longer working. However, this part is quite simple to replace in some regards, and a major pain to replace in others. These instructions are based on ice maker designs that are inside the freezer and not on the door.

Before you begin, you will need to disconnect the power to your side-by-side. As this deals with electrical components, you need to shut off the appliance and also make sure it does not have ice building up so you don’t risk melting ice dripping onto you while working.

Once this is done, you can now remove the old auger motor. Depending on how much space you need, you may need to remove some shelving in your freezer door. The auger motor is accessed completely upside down, which is what makes this repair difficult at times.

Underneath your ice bin assembly, you will find two hex screws that need to be removed. The cover will then come off and reveal the motor. You need to remove the wire harness first before removing the four quarter-inch screws that secure it to the assembly.

Once removed, you will want to reach in the pull-down the drive shaft. You don’t want to remove it completely, but more so want to bring it down enough so that you can line it up easier with the new auger motor. Once the new motor has the drive shaft inserted, push it up and into place. You may wish to recruit an extra pair of hands here to hold the new motor in the alcove while you replace the screws that will hold it in place since gravity is working against you.