... read about the water line freezing, but would not have thought that insulation was the problem. Could there be a crack or cold air leak in the plastic door part, causing the problem?
... Edit ... the water line is at the back, right. The problem would have to be cold air in that location, I guess.
... Edit again ... There is usually a defrost drain line (usually a tube) going from the back of the freezer to a pan at the bottom, near the compressor, where the water can evaporate. What can happen sometimes is that mold, dirt, or something can cause that drain line to get stopped up, with resulting problems. So, just take a look. on the back of the unit and see if there is a short length of tubing exposed on the back, maybe halfway up or so. That tube would be the drain line. There should be some way to check and see if that drain tube is clear from the freezer compartment to the drain pan at the bottom.

 

... read about the water line freezing, but would not have thought that insulation was the problem. Could there be a crack or cold air leak in the plastic door part, causing the problem?
... Edit ... the water line is at the back, right. The problem would have to be cold air in that location, I guess.
... Edit again ... There is usually a defrost drain line (usually a tube) going from the back of the freezer to a pan at the bottom, near the compressor, where the water can evaporate. What can happen sometimes is that mold, dirt, or something can cause that drain line to get stopped up, with resulting problems. So, just take a look. on the back of the unit and see if there is a short length of tubing exposed on the back, maybe halfway up or so. That tube would be the drain line. There should be some way to check and see if that drain tube is clear from the freezer compartment to the drain pan at the bottom.

Hey... thanks for the continued concern as I've just about accepted living without an ice maker.

No DRC, I don't think you're picturing how a side-by-side fridge is put together. All the water lines to the freezer and dispenser are imbedded in the freezer door itself. They emerge from the door near the bottom hinge and travel to the (2) water inlet valves underneath and in the back of the main fridge body. So... the only exposure they have to cold is when they're in the door, otherwise they are underneath in the very warm and breezy area right next to the evaporator pan you mention. (I just put the back panel back on yesterday and the pan was partly filled and the line was dripping well during a defrost cycle, so all seems perfectly clear there).

I've learned I can disconnect the 2 water lines at the base of the door, so it became very easy to test whether the lines were clear or frozen. When testing the ice maker I would disconnect the ice fill line and blow into it and find that lt wasn't clear. I would then warm/thaw the door
and try this again, and I could blow the residual water and air easily through the tube into the ice maker. I then reconnected the water line. This is when I discovered that (with the ice fill line definitely clear), if I "dispensed water" from the front of the door I also got a flow into the ice maker - that is a problem with the diode feedback (from the "water dispense" solenoid to the "ice fill" solenoid in a double water valve beneath the fridge) ... or so I was told from the Just Ask guys (makes sense if odd it happening at the same time as my other problems).

As for the integrity of the freezer door ... it is excellent - it look almost brand new (i.e. no cracks, separations, or the like). No one could have been more surprised at the possible problem than me when I read about moisture accumulating inside this type of door (GE also has this as a common problem it seems). I've thawed and tested multiple times now and the ice fill line freezes up in a matter of minutes (it's only 1/4" of water after all). Early on I tried raising the temp to the max and even taping shut some of the freezer door vents minimize the inner exposure to cold... but nothing prevented the freeze up. The biggest problem in addressing this is that there is virtually ZERO access to the ilnner part of the door... the inner panel is blued on and then the "guts" are filled with a spray foam insulation.

I've even given some extreme thoughts of cutting a neat, long, narrow "access panel" in the inner wall of the freezer door (as I have a good idea where the water lines run) and installing an "add-on" 12V heater foil/coil to the line - but that's a very ambitious project for another time.
PS - What I've also never mentioned here is that the ice auger motor also freezes up. When the door is warm it works fine, but after a couple of hours, it too will not run. I can't really understand what could freeze up in the motor (it's pretty powerful), but it has to be something "liquid". That was the other piece that finally convinced me that the freezing issue was my main problem. I may have other problems too, but if I can't resolve this the rest doesn't matter.

 

... ok ... thanks for the explanation ... just trying to eliminate anything that would be obviously repairable.

 

... ok ... thanks for the explanation ... just trying to eliminate anything that would be obviously repairable.

And don't think I don't appreciate it. You've provided me with more than just technical support in this ordeal. I'm sure I'll be back here sooner or later. Thanks again.