11 replies to this topic

[ktsenya2]

To my esteemed fellow master appliantologists:

It's seldom when I find myself at a loss to solve a problem. (Last time I was asking about the braking assy on a post 95 GE Washer)
But this time I am dealing with a Maytag Dishwasher. This nasty little nasty has been a nemesis for many a year.
The lady called me out for a door leak. I replaced the door seal PN 902894. Popped it in place, leaked checked it, collected my pay and tripped along on my merrie way.
Next day she calls and says its still leaking "a bit".
So, putting a little backing tape behind the seal along the lower edge, the leak stops. Huzzah. Two days later guess what guys? Yep. Its still leaking.
I open the inner liner. No water tracks eminating from anywhere near the dispenser assy and that latch grommet. And the glass insulation is dry. Ok, its coming from somewhere along the bottom.
The foam seal Pn 903233, was creased so I changed it. And to be absolutly sure, I also changed the lower spray arm PN 90001788. GUESS WHAT? NOPE, it STILL leaks! Appears to be coming from the edges.
The door hinges seem to be not worn, and the panel cover is holding the foam seal fairly snugly against the wash basin.
In the years I've been doing this, Ive still not felt confident about addressing Maytag DW leaks.
I actually get knots in my stomach when I hear its a Maytag with a door leak. I seldom have the luxury of walking away from one of these without coming back again. And again.Worst of all I chose to honorably refund her money and suggest she find another who thinks he can nail this one. THAT, my friends, really hurts.


What are you guys doing that solves this damned problem?
Grrrrr...........
Bob

[Ron]

Hey Bob,  had a problem once like this but I'm  not sure if it was a Maytag.  It turned out to be the vent getting clogged up with crap and retaining moisture. This would eventually would leak down the inside door and onto the floor...Have you ever checked for a clogged vent?...Ron

[ktsenya2]

Hi. The vent looked ok but didnt notice closely. There was NO evidence of water on the inner liner. Everything behind it was dry and so I tend to rule out the dispenser or vent assembiles.
I did notice that the water valve was letting in more water than it should (the heating element was under water) and so I drained out some till it was about where it should be. Ran again. Leaks again.
Just sent her back her money. She was understanding. I don't mind the hundred bucks so much as the damaged pride of accomplishment. And she will probably call someone else next time. THAT HURTS

Bob

[Budget Appliance Repair]

Bob, I would'nt worry about rather she will call you back next time or not, because I'm sure she will.

Honesty in this business counts for lots more than some realize. I can garantee when you take care of the customer the way you did, even though the problem isn't fixed, you will be first one they call back next time.

And, regarding your problem, did you check if the door latch stike on that unit is adjustable, some of the older ones, (if I remember correctly), were. On a portable Maytag quite a few years ago replaced a door gasket and it still leaked, found the stick plate that sticks out from top of dishwasher was adjustable. Adjusted it a little tighter and it solved the problem.

[ktsenya2]

Thanks Willie. The door strike doesnt adjust. The leak is almost certainly eminating form the lower regions of the unit. I wish there was a tried and true method to nailing this problem each and every time. This isnt the first maytag DW leak issue to frustrate me and I suspect it wont be the last either. Anyway, thanks for all the advice. I'll store it all for reference another time.

Bob
Coastal Appliance Heating & Air
North County San Diego

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

Samurai's 13th Law of Appliance Repair states that, "All leaks are visual."  One thing I do on tricky leakers is to remove the kickplates and spread newspaper underneath and in front of the dishwasher.  Then I have the customer put in the usually amount of detergent and start the machine in her usually cycle. 

On more than one occasion, the problem turned out to be that she was using too much detergent-- was ok for a while but as the dishwasher aged, it was less able to withstand the extra sudsing. 

In your case, I suspect an aging door gasket is no longer sealing well.

[ktsenya2]

Thanks Scott. The Door gasket was the initial item installed. You know how the seal takes a set after time and no longer seals effectively. Upon call back the was a very small drip, drip coming from the wiring bundle. OK so I open the liner and hey its dry inside there but the foam strip is wet along the lower edge but it is not saturated. Also It had taken a set too so change that out as well. Then to be sure replace the rotor. And still it leaks. In the past Ive done a lot of unusual things to get it to stop leaking including sucessive layers of duct tape to seal off the corners. I believe this is the weak spot in this design. Looking at them, I cant even imagine how they are holding back the flow.

Bob

[ktsenya2]

Oh, forgot to mention that as I ran the machine for leaks, there was no soap to suds up.

[fixitmyself]

Our machine is the same model and had a leak at the door on the left side. I changed the door seal. It still leaked. Checked everything or so I thought and still no fix the leak. Then she noticed the dishes were not as clean as they should be. I investigated that. Found that after the fill and the pump started everything sounded normal. After a few minutes I noticed the pump sound was getting quieter. After a number of beers and fogged glasses (read opening the door) I found the water level was dropping during the pumping cycle. Da#n if I did not find a pin hole leak in the rubber connector of the upper spray hose. Fixed that and got a two for one. The dishes are clean again and no leak at the door. Don't know if you have the same thing, but may be worth a look.

Got to go I hear Bud calling.....

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

Hey, just had an interesting caht on AIM with oombalumba.  He had a very unique fix for this problem.  Here's the chat:

oombalumba BACK="#ffffff": you there Samurai?
Zenzoidman: maybe, depends on whether you're with the gubmint or not.
oombalumba: uh, no way jose
Zenzoidman: ok, well, then i can't talk to you. bye.
Zenzoidman: just kidding!
Zenzoidman: what's up?
oombalumba: Master Samurai, I have answered the ancient riddle of the Leaking Maytag Door
oombalumba: :-D
Zenzoidman: whatchoo be sayin', bosco?
oombalumba: I'm referring to many posts to your appliance site. Long story short just purchased a house with a 2002 Maytag with leaks at the bottom door hinges
oombalumba: After searching the web I discovered many upset people (including a few repair people) who had the same problem.
Zenzoidman: and the bulder had installed cheesy dryer vents?
oombalumba: HA
Zenzoidman: sadly, a too common story!
oombalumba: I think Maytag's door gasket is a smidgen too thin (maybe it shrinks over time). On a hunch I pulled mine out, put about 1/16" spacer behind it, and reinstalled it backward actually as it looked a bit deformed on the face
Zenzoidman: and that fixed it?
oombalumba: before the machine spat a few teaspoons worth of water every 10-30 seconds, and since my fix it's been totally dry for the last half hour with no dishes in the machine
Zenzoidman: cool! lemme know how it does on the long-term test
oombalumba: Maytag wanted $150 to even look at it
Zenzoidman: but the power of the purse over-ruled that
oombalumba: One guy in one of your forums about this was actually distraught over Maytag doors. Remember, he gave back his customer his fee when he couldn't fix it? I tried looking him up online to let him know of the apparent fix but I couldn't find him...
oombalumba: http://applianceguru.com/view_topic.php?id=756&forum _id=1&highlight=maytag+leak#
Zenzoidman[color=#ff0000 BACK="#ffffff"]:[color=#000000] hang on, lemm check that[/color]
[color=#ff0000]Zenzoidman:[/color][color=#000000] you should post this clever fix in that thread-- he'll read it.[/color]
[color=#0000ff]oombalumba:[/color][color=#000000] Anyway, I'll let you know about the long term results but it's humming away know with no H2O on the floor. I'd advise pulling out the door seal and reinstalling it so it seats a bit farther out than before. I had to adjust the latch a tad to accomodate the new seal position...[/color]
[color=#0000ff]oombalumba:[/color][color=#000000] Have to go...nice website. Sayonara[/color]
[color=#ff0000]Zenzoidman:[/color][color=#000000] thanks! have a good night[/color]
[color=#0000ff]oombalumba:[/color][color=#000000] you too
[/color][color=#0000ff]oombalumba signed off at 8:29:29 PM.[/color][color=#000000]
[/color]

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

Whoa! Great tip!

Thanks, Tryin' :coolblast: