Maytag WC202 dishwasher: Awful noises!

[slantsixdan]

Maytag dishwasher model WC202, serial 645309 RA.

In 12/05, after consulting with the experts here, I bought a complete new pump assembly 901459 and a new clear silicone drive belt. All genuine parts. Everything went back together OK (installing the belt was lots of fun; I did lube it with the included silicone grease) and the dishwasher worked fine, but made very noticeable bearing noise in both the wash and drain modes. I reported this to the parts vendor here in Canada. The individual I spoke with said that sometimes new pump bearings have to seat

in, and to see if the pump would get quieter with some use, but if I kept having trouble, call back.

The pump did seem to quiet down a little (still not as quiet as it should have been), but the dishwasher has now begun making crunchy noises during drain, and a hair-raising grinding noise in wash mode. Oddly enough, turning the dishwasher off and then back on (sometimes several times) will make the grinding noise go away, and the dishwasher runs normally for the rest of that portion of the cycle. When it changes to drain mode and then back to wash mode, the grinding noise comes back.

I did check the motor when I was replacing the pump -- powered it up without the belt attached, and it ran smoothly and quietly. I am guessing I got a defective pump assembly. Any comments?

Thanks in advance

[slantsixdan]

Nemmine. I did some exploratory surgery and found that the top plate had come unglued from the impeller vanes, shifted off to the side and jammed between the impeller and the pump housing, causing the grinding and crunching noises.

The plateless impeller was extremely difficult to remove from the shaft; I wound up having to crunch it up and remove it piece by piece. I installed a good used impeller, reassembled the pump and everything's working properly and quietly.

Stand down red alert!

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

Was this one of the newly-installed parts? Wondering if this might be a parts warranty issue.

[slantsixdan]

It was indeed the impeller in the brand-new pump assembly installed in late December. I'm quite sure it was defective from the start, for the dishwasher is considerably quieter now than it ever was with the new pump's original impeller.

Here's the thing: I can't find the invoice for the new pump, I wouldn't be able to supply any evidence except for the detached top plate and a small handful of grey bakelite fragments, and new replacement impeller kits are less costly than my time to find that invoice and argue with the vendor, n'est-ce pas?

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

Couldn't you just replace the broken impeller at much lower cost?

[slantsixdan]

That, sir, is precisely what I did!