it's started making a loud grinding or rattling noise during the cycle, sounds awful.

— asked by Morgan

Quick answer: That's usually a foreign object—like a small piece of ice or mineral scale—caught in the evaporator plate or the auger (the spiral mechanism that moves the ice). It's not a motor failure yet, but you need to address it.

Diagnosis

That's usually a foreign object—like a small piece of ice or mineral scale—caught in the evaporator plate or the auger (the spiral mechanism that moves the ice). It's not a motor failure yet, but you need to address it.

How to Fix It

Turn the unit off and unplug it. Open the lid and look inside the ice basket area. Manually rotate the auger with your hand (it should turn freely). Feel for obstructions. Use plastic tongs or a chopstick (never metal) to carefully remove any visible ice chips or debris. Plug it back in and run a cleaning cycle with just vinegar to flush out any tiny particles.

If That Didn't Work

The noise might be from the fan hitting something. The fan is behind the lower rear grille. Unplug the unit, check for and remove any dust bunnies or packaging debris lodged in the fan blades with a soft brush.

Heads Up

If you let ice build up and overflow the basket, chunks can fall back into the works. Always empty the basket before it hits the 'max ice' line. Forcing the auger while the machine is powered can damage the gearbox.

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