12 replies to this topic

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

[user=0]Steve....[/user] wrote:

We called a repairman out and he shrugged his shoulders and couldnt find anything wrong with it.

You didn't actually pay this doofus, did you? 

You have shards of the broken wine glass stuck down in the mascerator, item 3 in picture below.  You'll need to remove the lower spray arm and several other pieces to get down to it, piece pie.  Clean out the shards of glass in the mascerator sump and, if you're lucky, you haven't damaged the wash motor.   

[magpie]

Nah, we didn't pay him. He was actually out on another call to replace an ignitor in our KitchenAid Gas stove!
As per your suggestion I took my diswasher apart this evening with very little trouble. Once I removed the plastic cover over the masticator the problem was evident. The little blade that goes around had popped off! I cleaned the screen, reseated the blade and pushed that lock nut on as hard as I could with my Linemans pliars.
Closed her up and did a test run -- nice and quiet again.

One question; What do you think the chances are of that little nut popping off again? Is there some better way to secure the blade to its shaft?
All best,
Steve...

...and thanks again!

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

Hey, nice goin'!

I think that mascerator area is a weak point in the design of that motor assembly. I the nut probably popped off from a shard of glass hitting it at just the right angle, a flukey kindofa thang. You're lucky the glass didn't actually jam the mascerator and burn out the motor-- this is the more common scenario.

[magpie]

One more question...

Before I put the whole thing back together, I cleaned the metal screen in front of the masticator blade as best I could (I couldn't get the screen out w/o removing the motor)and there still was some gunk in the screen. Now although it's quiet it is still leaving bits of crud all over the glasses/dishes.
Is there any easier way to clean that screen out besides taking the whole thing apart?
Can I put Drano in my diswasher?

All best
Steve...

[Pegi]

Draino into a dishwasher.....:poison:......Would not want to eat off of those dishes!!!  Might not be too much left of the dishwasher either.  Check to see if you are getting enough water into the dishwasher to properly turn the spray arms with enough force/water pressure.  The glass might also have damaged the pump/motor and will need to be replaced.

[magpie]

I'm currently running it empty and I've opened it quick like (got a face full of steam) and confirmed that all the spray arms are indeed rotating...

what next?
Steve...

[magpie]

CORRECTION!!!
Only the bottom spray arm is moving -- and it seems rather slowly. The other 2 arms are not rotating.
Is this now the pump that has gone bad? and how hard is it to replace?

Steve...

[Pegi]

Is there enough water in the dishwasher to move the spray arms???  you might have a fill valve going bad, not allowing enough water to enter for enough pressure to clean..  Pour enough water into the dishwasher to allow all spray arms to move like they should to see if the not enough water might be the problem...do not put so much water into the tub using a pitcher or something that it over flows tho.

[magpie]

I believe that there is enough water inside the dishwasher. Take a look at the attached image. The water level is just below the top of the heating element. Is this where it should be?

Steve....

btw - it "sounds" like it is working properly, I marked the middle and upper spray arms before running the unit and sure enough they are not rotating...

Attached Files

•  kitchenaid_diswasher_water_level2.jpg   86.01K   92 downloads

[Budget Appliance Repair]

Water level looks ok, so that shouldn't be the problem.

I haven't had to work on the pump/motor system on one of these yet so don't know if possibly some broken shards of glass have gotten through to the wash impeller and possibly damaged it.

Also if first screen behind maseator blade was all plugged up, (from maseator blade being loose and not chopping up the big food particles), then possibly the other screen is plugged also not letting the water through to the wash impeller fast enough.

[magpie]

I'm assuming that the 2nd screen behind the masticator is #5 on the diagram.
What do I have to do in order to get to that screen and clean it out? I was also unable to remove the first screen, #3 (and give it a really good cleaning).

Steve...

[Budget Appliance Repair]

Hopefully someone else can answer that for you, as like I said, "I've never had to work on the pump/motor of one of these yet".

Here's the best I can do for ya....

First your model# is incomplete, give the number# from the model/serial# tag on the dishwasher -- I will use: KUDP01ILBS0 for what I looked up, (Note: you're missing the last # which can be 0-6).

It appears as the screen behind the chopper blade should come out after chopper blade is removed. The only way to get to the second screen, (Yes, ref#5), is to remove the motor from the dishwasher. This will also let you see the wash impeller.

Here's the link to parts breakdown for the KUDP01ILBS0 model: CLICK HERE

Look at pump and motor parts to see how it all comes apart.