Cuisinart ice cream maker bottom cover, what's with the U-shaped screw?

Thomas Martinez

Thomas Martinez

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May 5, 2026
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Found a tidbit on the internet about the Cuisinart ice cream makers. Thought it was worthy of discussion here since I've yet to see it discussed much. To remove the bottom cover on these machines, you can remove three of the four screw with a regular screwdriver. One screw, however, requires a U-shaped screwdriver to remove. Classic move to secure a device and prevent user from opening it up.
Once one gets past the bottom plate, there's access to the electrical components of the machine. So, troubleshooting the motor or the switch that control the motor would be possible. The U-shaped screw is one of those tamper-resistant security screws that are available in sets of cheap security bits.
Has anyone opened one of these up? Does anyone know the size of the U-driver bit needed? I would imagine that the companies put these screws in when the maker intended for these machines to be opened up, but once opened, the screw was ground down into a flathead screw so it could be turned easily with a regular screwdriver. I've seen this done with many other products. Is the size of the U-driver bits the same for all Cuisinart ice cream makers?


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Spanner bit, that's the name your looking for. Two little posts sticking up, fits in the two holes. Any harbor freight security bit set has it for like 8 bucks.
 
opened up an ICE-21 last year. Yeah it was a spanner, not anything exotic. Mine took the #6 from a generic 33pc security set off amazon
 
Just grind a slot in it with a dremel, takes 30 seconds and you never have to think about it again. I do this with every weird fastener I come across.
 
wait so is the U shape the same as a spanner bit? i always thought spanner was the two pin one and the U was something different
 
Gorgeous Gerbil said:
wait so is the U shape the same as a spanner bit? i always thought spanner was the two pin one and the U was something different
Click to expand...

Same thing. U-shaped driver, spanner driver, snake-eye bit, pig nose, all names for the same fastener. The two prongs sit in two holes.
 
My ICE-30 had the same setup. Three philips and one spanner on the bottom plate. Once you get into the motor, the motor sit in a cradle and the switch is right there. The hardest part was getting the rubber feet on correctly though.
 
Has anyone had to repair the motor on these? Or do they just fail and then get tossed? I imagine the brushes on these motors would be replaceable?
 
Proud Peccary said:
Has anyone had to repair the motor on these? Or do they just fail and then get tossed? I imagine the brushes on these motors would be replaceable?
Click to expand...

Brushes are not usually serviceable on these type of appliances. If the motor dies, it's time to replace the motor or just toss the machine.
 
Proud Peccary said:
Has anyone had to repair the motor on these? Or do they just fail and then get tossed? I imagine the brushes on these motors would be replaceable?
Click to expand...

the switch goes way more often than the motor in my experience. Cheap microswitch, like 2 bucks to replace if youre handy with a soldering iron
 
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