Screw

My Kitchenaid side by side freezer has an ice dispenser on the door that would not dispense ice. The electronic door opened and the motor would come on with a repeated clicking noise. The Auger would turn with a few ice cubes in the bin, but not under load. After ruling out a clogged chute, I figured that the motor was stripped. The rod that turns the auger is a hexagon shaped piece, much like a screw driver you would use with your drill. After years of breaking down ice, it stripped the hexagon key in the motor, and would just spin under load. Now, PAY ATTENTION TO THIS PART. I looked online for a repair and saw a very similar motor repair that involved taking off the front panel and electronics. I did this, and ran into a solid piece of plastic with no way to get to the motor. I then looked at the inside of the freezer door more carefully. About 2/3 down I saw a small panel held in place by four 1/4 inch hex nuts. What was a 15 minute job, cost me over an hour removing and replacing the front of the freezer. Anyway, the replacement motor fixed the problem without a hitch, and now we have ice. Of note, this is the second repair of this ice maker system, after first having to replace the ice maker itself. And, this the second Kitchenaid built in refrigerator of this model as our first had ice maker issues and was returned as a recall. It is only 5 years old.