36 replies to this topic

[Chiseldog]

I just don't understand.  I've read and re-read your story quite a few times and am at a loss to figure out how you can show voltage when one of the legs of the circuit is disconncted.  Just now, I went out to my breaker box and disconnected the neutral (white) wire from the panel.  Back at the dishwasher, when I connect the meter between the black and white wires, I show nothing.  When I connect the black wire with a ground, yes, I see voltage.  But when I just use the two wires from the box there is no sign of voltage.  When I reconnect the white wire at the box, just as I thought, I show a complete circuit.  What am I missing? 

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

Maybe someone else will jump in here.  We're just not connecting and I don't know how much clearer I can be.

[Chiseldog]

"Remove your kickplate and open the junction box.  Cut the circuit breaker and undo the connections at the box.  Tie in a light bulb or some other easy-to-install appliance and turn the breaker on to make sure you have current flow."  This was one of your posts.  And this is exactly what I have been doing and trying to describe this morning only that I am putting the light farther down the line this time rather than at the junction box. and I am getting the same results. It seems like I have current flow.  And if I do in fact have current flow, what's the next step?  Should I just go out and get a circuit board?

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

So, you tied in a light bulb at the junction box and the light bulb lit up?

[Chiseldog]

Yes, at the junction box and at various points into the wire path down the line.  I get light everywhere.  The only thing that doesn't light is the dishwasher. 

[Ron]

Chiseldog,  you are absolutely sure that the TCO is not open,  located on the board itself.  There was a service flash on this in May, 2003.  Condition:  TCO opens and cuts power to the electronic control,   Correction:  install thermal cut out Kit,  Part # 8193762.   Since you have power everywhere you checked,  I would go a head and replace the board.  Part # is 8269127,   You can get your parts here and can return them if that is not the problem...Ron

[Chiseldog]

Well, I get real good continunity through the TCO.  Black wire in, Black/white stripe out.  All my tests work the same no matter which side of the TCO i use.

[kdog]

also,take a good look at the 2 microswitches that are in the door latch- one switches the hot line,and the other the neutral.  see if the flag terminals on the switches show signs of overheating as there was an issue with them as well,the replacements come with new lead wires and a small terminal block,this can created the same scenario- voltage is present,but current cannot flow. it's like a partially twisted garden hose; the water pressure is there,but you get no volume of water flowing.

[Chiseldog]

This model only has a single door switch that interrupts the hot wire.  I've tested it a few times.  That's where I started.  It seems to work fine.  And It looks good too.  No sign of being overheated.

[Chiseldog]

All right.  I got a new electronic control and still I get abloutely nothing showing on the panel. I have tried to unock the controls by holding in the key pad for the prescribed amount of time.  I have checked continunity on the overfill switch and soil sensor.  I have tried to make it work using jumpers on both the thermal fuse and the door switch so these can't come into play.  For those of you who doubt that I am getting  adequate power, current, dropped neutral, or any other such thing, I can run an electric drill motor if I plug it into the black and white wires that feed the panel.  That would indicate to me that I am getting enough power up to that point.  So why is this thing still dead?

[Kiwi-nadian]

Have you checked the wiring loom for split wires and all PCB's for dry solder joints?

[Chiseldog]

What is a PCB?

[Kiwi-nadian]

Printed circuit board. ;)

Which is the electronic circuit board "brain" which distributes the power to all the components.  It will switch the live or the neutral.

[Chiseldog]

Are you suggeisting that my brand new circuit board might have bad solder joints?

[Kiwi-nadian]

"The only thing that doesn't light is the dishwasher.""

 Have you checked the interface board?  If you are getting voltage at all other points, there could be a bad connection or the interface could be faulty ( not lighting up ).

[Chiseldog]

How do I check the interface board?  What tests can I perform on it?

[kdog]

the only test you can do on a dead interface is to "replace it with a known good one"