any dishwasher mechanics out there?

[Soundguy]

Was headed to work this am, and loaded up our GE dishwasher ( circe 2000 model )... has run fine .. no problems. Put soap powder in it, shut / locked door, made the pot/pans / hot wash selection, then turned knob to start.. and heard a hum.. but no water.. opened up and did ti a few more times.. finally a lil water dribbled in a tthe bottom wher ethe telescoping spray bar is.. and i heard water running, perhaps at the sink drain. I tricke dthe door sensor with an ink pen so i could lock the door and make it think it was closed.. turned back on.. and that was what i observed.. sounded like some pump running, and a lil water bubbling in the bottom.. but that's it... felt like the heat coils came on too. Didn't have time to mess with it.. and figured if it had a problem i didn't want to leave it running, so i shut it off and went to work.

Water pressure at the sink is good.. and breakers were good...

Anybody got any pointers for me to check when i get off work?

soundguy

[dmccarty]

This has happened on both of our Maytag dishwashers. One bought in 1998ish and the other in the new house. Both failed on the very first load or one there after.

Both required new controllers. Thankfully they were under warranty. Took about a week to get the parts.

Two Maytag washers. Two warranty repairs.
One Maytag fridge. One warranty repair.
The Maytag stove and microwave have been fine....

Is there a pattern? The dishwashers have run fine after the defective controllers were replaced.

Later,
Dan

[WTA]

Are you on well water?
If so you may have clogged the screens on the water inlet with sand or something. If it doesn't have screens it could have trashed the solenoid valves that let the water in. It happened to the washer and dishwasher here before I got smart enough to put a filter out in the well house.

If your wife is like mine, just buy a new one. I fixed ours and it works perfect but she hasn't used it once since then. Over a year. I even replaced the door gasket on it and cleaned out all the built up hard water junk in it. She just wants a new one. I'd rather have a bunch of more important things so it just sits there.

[Charlesaf3]

Often cheaper to install a new one than repair an old one - they are fairly painless installs, especially if the current and hookups are already there.

[Bedlam]

My daughter 'had; to replace her GE el-cheapo Lowe's one (working condition).With a new 'better' model with electronic controls. It worked or three months and as just out of warranty it stopped ,sounds similar to sound guys, We replaced the inlet solenoid and it was all clear, but still didn't work.
I think ill end up just replacing with a el cheapo dependo one from Lowe's. Not much to play with the controller of these.

[vic4news]

I haven't had to work on our dishwasher yet, but I've fixed a few washing machines.

The post about checking if the water line/screen is clogged is a good idea.
Next, I'd check to see that the solenoid that opens to let the water in is
getting power.

The washers I've worked on had a mechanical controller with lot of metal
"fingers" that ran over plastic cams. Sometimes, one of the "fingers" isn't closing the circuit when it should.

Vic

[kenmac]

Repaired a few. Like WTA said. Check inlet screen at the solenoid valve .Or bad solenoid valve . That's where I would start. Just had to rewire my kitchenaid. lower Door seal leaked. water got in the wiring to the motor.What a A pain

[Soundguy]

Ok, thnaks guys.. sounds like when i get home i need to pull the unit out from the cabinet.. I "assume" it will have a flexible water line running back to the copper line I see coming out from under the sink cabinet and running over into the cavity the washer is installed in?

Are these things standard sizes? Am I going to have trouble matching a size up for the cabinet enclosure?

In any case.. I'll pull the line off and check for water there, and look at the timer in the door to see if any fingers / rollers are borke, if it is that style. Not sure what a diswhasher costs.. but if they are under 200$.. and it ain't a simple fix at home with tools problem.. I may opt for a new one vs repairing this one..

( On the flip side.. if it can be jurry rigged to run..I may repalce it and keep it out in the shop to wash tractor parts... Hmmm..... )

Soundguy

[RobJ]

Originally Posted by Soundguy

Ok, thnaks guys.. sounds like when i get home i need to pull the unit out from the cabinet.. I "assume" it will have a flexible water line running back to the copper line I see coming out from under the sink cabinet and running over into the cavity the washer is installed in?

All the friends, family, self DW I worked on the copper went all the way to the valve, got to disconnect first before removal. Sometimes enought slack in the drain and power to get it out some.

DW go from a couple hundred, to 6-8 hundred. I think they all basically work the same, mix some soap, spray some water, clean dishes. After a prewash in the sink fo course. Never tried putting a cake in mine like on TV.

[orezok]

Originally Posted by Soundguy

Ok, thnaks guys.. sounds like when i get home i need to pull the unit out from the cabinet.. I "assume" it will have a flexible water line running back to the copper line I see coming out from under the sink cabinet and running over into the cavity the washer is installed in?

Are these things standard sizes? Am I going to have trouble matching a size up for the cabinet enclosure?

In any case.. I'll pull the line off and check for water there, and look at the timer in the door to see if any fingers / rollers are borke, if it is that style. Not sure what a diswhasher costs.. but if they are under 200$.. and it ain't a simple fix at home with tools problem.. I may opt for a new one vs repairing this one..

( On the flip side.. if it can be jurry rigged to run..I may repalce it and keep it out in the shop to wash tractor parts... Hmmm..... )

Soundguy

Yes 99% are a standard size. There is a special shorter model (fits under 32" cabinets) that is used for handicapped installations.

Remove the front bottom panel. Usually a couple of screws. The water line and electrical connections are at the front after you remove panel. Suggest that you turn both off first or it gets much more exciting!

Good luck on finding any dishwasher under $200.