GE Profile French Door refrigerator - no water flow PFE28RSHESS

[swmonty]

Solved my water flow problem on my GE Profile French Door fridge.  It was not a frozen line or some of the other common items I read online.  It just needed a good cleaning.

So, my water and ice stopped dispensing.  I quickly discovered not a water flow issue because the auto fill water worked.

I was pretty surprised that I could not find a single video online on how to take apart the display area to troubleshoot.  No screws, just a few clips on the sides. 

After a few trials to pry it off, being careful not to break it, what worked was putting my hand in the ice funnel (fingers in the ice shoot, palm on top of the display with my wrist facing up) and I gave it a few gentle tugs and the clips popped loose. 

Next (after taking a few photos for reinstall) I unplugged the clips, all simple and easily came off. 

Next removed the ice funnel (just slides out). 

The "fill paddle" (the area you press to dispense water/ice) was a little tricky, trying not to break it.  You have to squeeze the top 2 black connectors/clips together and pull towards you.  I used a small flat head screwdriver wedged into one side, as I worked with another small flat head screwdriver on the other side and worked it loose.  

I cleaned everything up (hard water here in AZ, so I used a Q tip and vinegar).  There was a little buildup around the button on the fill paddle.

I also tested the voltage on various items:

1. Plug that goes into the main board (they are labeled on the board, but I tested without the board and just on the plug attached to the fridge).  I knew I was getting power as the lights were on, but checked to confirm.

2. Paddle switch.  Plugged the main board back in, plugged the paddle back in and and put volt meter into the plug and pressed the switch a few times to see if I get a change in reading.  Sure did, confirmed the switch was working.

After a good cleaning (it was pretty gross knowing my ice is going through all that before I consume it).  Reassembled and tested.

I was not expecting much, and figured at this point if it does not work I need a new control board.  At least I could do the repair myself if that is the case.

But, to my pleasant surprise it WORKED!

Not sure if it was the cleaning, or reinserting the plugs.

 

Thought I would put this out there since I spent a good 2 hours looking for help on this model and couldn't find much, if anything at all other than part diagrams.