5 replies to this topic

[keyisthekey]

Back in 2007 and 2008, the Samurai and his minions were of great help in showing me how to repair this ancient dishwasher. It has worked just fine up until last week, and then...the groaning began. My wife and I were enjoying a beer and a tv show (Alaskan Summer for me, Alaskan IPA for her, White Collar on the tube) while the machine was supposed to be doing the dishes.

Suddenly, the noise level from the kitchen increased enough that "I arose from my bed the see what was the matter." The dishwasher sounded like...well...like it was in pain. The groaning accompanied the part of the cycle where water had been pumped into the machine and needed to start circulating around to scrub the dishes. It was LOUD.

I shut things down, went back to the TV, and the next day, I emptied the dishwasher, and washed by hand for about a week while I puzzled at what to do. Yesterday, the pile on the counter was getting out of hand, so I thought I'd load the dishwasher up and see how bad it really was. I did so, and, over the next two hours, it completed a cycle. It was as loud as before, but I toughed it out (loud music) and the dishes came clean, the machine completed the cycle, and everything seemed fine - except for the sound, something like a bad brake on a train car, but a little more bassy.

So, last night, I wormed my way into the chopper, cleaning along the way. Found a tiny piece of glass, some coffee beans, and some dreck kinda like Crisco, but nothing fouling the chopper screen or jamming up the chopper blade. The motor shaft turns nice and easy, and nothing looks out of whack. So, I put it all back together, removed the kickplate, and worked the pump motor out. It looks fine. When you turn the impeller blades, it feels like a pump, and doesn't seem to either be loose or bound up.

Thinking it could be the drain, I finally quit putting off the nasty job of opening up the p-trap under the sink, and I pushed my trusty Drain King into the wall drain. It went in about six feet with no real resistance, so I ran it for five minutes and wormed it back out. The drain is running better now, so I hooked the dishwasher back up and started a cycle. It filled nicely, and then, when the motor came on for its little burst right after the fill, the noise was still there. I pushed the Cancel/Drain button (it drains quite nicely).

I replaced the motor in this unit in 2008. Is it already worn out again?

What else should I check?

Thanks, Samurai, and thanks to all the great appliance fixers who hang out on this site!

KeyistheKey

[Budget Appliance Repair]

Not uncommon at all for seal leak to develop around the 4 to 6 year point on these machines and leak the water directly into the front motor bearing, (the area between the plastic volute and front of the motor contains the small amount of leakage so no or very little signs of leakage under machine, sometimes you can see a slight bet of corrosion on the motor).

The water will eventually penetrate past the nylon cover seal on the bearing and the lube washes out and the noise starts to gradually increase until it complete binds up the motor so it won't run at all or runs so slow as to not wash the dishes good any more and you have to do something about it.

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

New motor-pump assembly time ==> http://www.repaircli...ber=KUDM01TJWH1



And how to replace it...

[Scottthewolf]

I am glad I still own one of the regular tub Whirlpool dishwashers with the regular vertically mounted 1 piece pump and motor assembly, its a much stronger motor and if you take care of it these style dishwashers have been known to last almost 20 years.

[Budget Appliance Repair]

That was probably one of the last really good dishwashers you could get up to about couple of years ago, that's the only one I would recommend to anyone looking for a new dishwasher.

Scottthewolf, they have stopped making that style a couple of years ago didn't they?

[Scottthewolf]

Yes, they quit making them. You have to get the sidewinder model that looks like a GE dishwasher pump and motor to get a regular tub model, and that model is no frills with no electronic controls, mainly for apartment owners and builders.