Dishwasher from the lower reaches of darkness: Kenmore Model 665.15752000 S/N FL2414415

[Wolfsbane]

Situation: I awoke from a long winter’s nap to find that my wonderful labor saving device that doubles as a dish storage unit had failed to drain from its last attempt at cleaning a week’s worth of grunge off of my favorite coffee cup. I immediately suggested to my wife that we throw it out (dirty dishes included as they obviously were possessed by evil spirits) and obtain a new one. She, on the other hand, felt that a repair attempt was in order.

 

As I was reaching for the phone to call a repairman she stopped me and reminded m of the stories I used to regale her with, as I was wooing her, of my life in Alaska eking out a miserly living as an appliance repairman. “Can you not fix it your self?” she asked in her best fix-it-or-no dinner-for you voice.

 

Grumbling I made my way to the nearest Home Depot and purchased an ohmmeter and proceeded to troubleshoot the issue. I found immediately the fried thermal fuse and, in a desperate attempt to verify that this was the only thing wrong, I bypassed it and was able to cancel the cycle and drain the dishwasher.

 

However on an attempt to run the evil thing through its paces it halted and started its maniacal flashing; this light then that light then all of those some bright some dim. AH HA!!! “A fried controller as well!”, I thought. So off to the internet I went and ordered a new fuse and a new controller from http://www.repairclinic.com. They came in and I installed them post haste and voile` it no freaking work. The blinking lights are still blinking and driving me mad, mad I say.

 

I get on the Repair Clinic web site and explain what is happening and after some troubleshooting they decide the new controller is no good and they ship me a new one. I install that one and, lo and behold, the benighted device functions. I was proud that my abilities had not dimmed over the years of inactivity. I was elated that I had vanquished the minions of darkness yet again.

 

Oh how naive I had become. Oh how hard the fall is when the possessed kitchen appliance has so carefully set you up. I started a wash cycle to verify I had place the detergent release lever correctly and upon closing, the door after opening it to verify it had tripped the detergent cup lid, the double cursed panel began its inane blinking yet again.

 

I have verified, yet again, that the motor windings are within tolerance as is everything else. What, oh helpers of the frustrated, could be doing this?

 

Lights that blink:  when the door is closed after being open for 15 minutes or so the wash light comes on steady for about a minute and then starts to flash. If you press almost any button the Washing light quits flashing and the Quick Rinse starts flashing. Then if you press the High Temp Scrub the Quick Rinse and the Washing lights flash together. Press any button except High Temp Scrub and the Wash light goes out. The flashing is a steady once a second flash.

[Keinokuorma]

I started a wash cycle to verify I had place the detergent release lever correctly and upon closing, the door after opening it to verify it had tripped the detergent cup lid, the double cursed panel began its inane blinking yet again.

Maybe some wires coming to the door are broken?

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

Did you ever replace the fried thermal cutoff or are you still jumpering it out?  Also, if you did replace it, did you use the new wiring and connection kit that came with it?

You'll need to locate the tech sheet (usually behind the kickplates) in a plastic sleeve so we can look at the wiring diagram.  May also have a diagnostic procedure there, too.  You can fax it to me at 775-416-4449.

[Wolfsbane]

So Sorry for leaving that out. Yes I replaced it and the harness. There is no diagnostic procedure per se. It tells me how to put it into diagnostic mode but it does not work.  

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

OK, lemme see if  have this straight.

• Lights go blinky-blink.
• You replace thermal cutoff and control panel.
• Lights still go blinky-blink.
• RepairClinic agrees that is sounds like a bad control board so you replace the control board a second time.
• D/W runs normally for at least one cycle and then panel lights go blinky-blink again.

If I've missed anything, please let me know.

My question at this point is this:  is it reasonable to suspect the control board again?  It may be.  Check with RC about getting a second replacement.  

Check the touchpad assembly, too.  If your tech sheet includes the matrix for the touch pad, you can ohm out the various button pads.  A common problem with these is that the membrane in the touchpad wears down and makes the control board think a button is being continuously pressed.  Control board doesn't know what to make of this and so starts blinking.

And clean off the ribbon connector for the touch pad where it connects to the control board.  Use a pink pencil eraser to make the contact pins shiny again.   

[Wolfsbane]

CONTACT!!!!!! Or better yet - CONTACTS!!!!! That was it (o so it seems. This dishwasher is possessed after all). Since the control board was new and the pins were very shiny I concentrated on the connector on the ribbon cable itself. With a jeweller's loop (after fifty the eyes start to fail..except in my case it was the fourth grade) I looked at all the little sockets and noticed a bit of corrosion. I adapted a small screwdriver (read filed down) and ran it in and out of the sockets. The dishwasher worked!!!!! Well for at least a couple of cycles. It stopped and the lights went out. I opened the door to see if it had finished and it had water in it. I shut the door and now it is back to blinking. Dag Nab it!!!!

 

[Wolfsbane]

Even more interesting. I tried a couple of things and it started running. One of the things I tried as to put the first replacement board in to verify that it was bad and it was. I reinstalled the second replacement board and the machine fired off and drained. I then started another cycle. This cycle ran to the same spot the fill cycle of the final rinse and then stopped and the Pots and Pan cycle light started to flash.

I popped the door open and pulled the ribbon connector off and then plugged it back in. The machine canceled the cycle and drained. I started it and it ran until the exact same spot. At this time I am guessing the thermistor is the culprit here. New one is on the way.

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

[user=18339]Wolfsbane[/user] wrote: 

At this time I am guessing the thermistor is the culprit here. New one is on the way.

Unlikely.  But let's review those thermistor resistance readings.  Could you post them here?

You didn't like my idea about checking the continuity of the touchpad matrix?

[Wolfsbane]

Whoops! My bad. I did check the resistance but without anything in the tech sheet I was just guessing as to what was right or wrong. I got on suspicious reading across  couple of contacts but again I did not know what was supposed to be what.

According to the Tech sheet the thermistor is supposed to be 47 - 53K ohms. Mine was registering 85K almost double. I was thinking with this higher resistance the board is thinking the thermistor is missing or broken.  

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

Thermistor is definitely out of spec but it seems unlikely that it's the cause of this particular problem.  Nevertheless, in keeping with the 8th Law of the Prophecy, you should go ahead and replace it.