Four year old GDT545PGJ0WW dishwasher has me stumped.

[AkshaySharma]

Hello and thanks for this wonderful forum.
The dishwasher makes all the right sounds as well as heats up but I do not think there is any spraying taking place. I have checked the following:

Inlet fill valve-Clean, it had some black plastic pieces, I cleaned it all out. Could have been one of the washers.
The filter was not dirty, but I cleaned it really well with a tooth brush.
The circulation pump-took it out, checked it, looks brand new, put it back in, still no spray.
Can I connect the pump to 110 volts and check if it is working?

My guess now is the control board, which on this Dishwasher is a really accessible, 30 minute job to replace it, but just wanted to check with the experienced DIYs on this forum before I ordered it.
 

[AkshaySharma]

I ran the dishwasher again just now and I can feel the pump , the inlet valve, everything seems to have the right vibrations, but doesn't clean at all.

[16345Ed]

Circulation test

 

Put empty coffee cup right side up on upper rack. Run dishwasher until circulation pump runs for a few minutes. Open door and see if cup is full of water. 

[AkshaySharma]

I did a similar test, put some turmeric in a plate to see if it will be dissolved and ran the washer for 30 minutes.

It fills up and then it drains. No circulation pump action except what I can't understand is why is the soap tablet burst open....may be because of the heat.
Can I check the pump by taking it off and then connecting it to 110 volts?

If I get a new pump assembly and a new control board, it's going to be close to 180.00. May be just get a new washer now......

[ECtoFix]

2 hours ago, AkshaySharma said:

My guess now is the control board, which on this Dishwasher is a really accessible, 30 minute job to replace it, but just wanted to check with the experienced DIYs on this forum before I ordered it.

 

1 hour ago, AkshaySharma said:

If I get a new pump assembly and a new control board, it's going to be close to 180.00. May be just get a new washer now......

Why are you talking about replacing parts when you don't know what the problem is?

 

2 hours ago, AkshaySharma said:

Can I connect the pump to 110 volts and check if it is working?

Did this machine work for you BEFORE?  In other words, is it YOURS and you've used it before, or is it one you've inherited? 

You said the pump LOOKS new.  IS IT?  If it's a NEW pump, it might not be the correct one.

[AkshaySharma]

It is my washer. Got it in Feb 2016. It has worked well since then except the last three days. What I meant by "pump looks new", is that when I took it out of the washer, it looked spotless, no debris, no stains or food particles. Looked clean and in new condition. I have not replaced anything, just trying to figure out what the issue might be.

Thanks

[AkshaySharma]

ANy help in fixing this situation will be greatly appreciated.

 

[AkshaySharma]

Hello again,

A quick update. I pulled the washer out and disconnected the power from it. Then I took a cut up extension cord and stuck the two ends into the connector and plugged the other side into a power socket. It started the motor and and I could hear it running. Did this for a number of times and then plugged everything back the way it is supposed to be. Turned the dishwasher on, and the sprayers in the washer are spraying water now. 
What did I do here? Did I reset the board, the motor or the whole thing? Does this mean that the control board is defective and I should replace that?

I feel pretty proud of doing what I have done so far, but I would really appreciate any advice the experienced members here on this forum might provide me.

Thanks,

A newbie.

 

[AkshaySharma]

Another update. It worked with few cycles of sprayers doing what they they do and then back to the same thing. Like I said in the title, I am stumped. I think it might be a small sensor or something, that is sending a wrong signal to the control board. One thing for sure, the washer, when I open the door, it is extremely hot, the steam hits your face, but that is the way it has always been. I think it might be the water inlet valve, which I have ordered and will be arriving in a day or two. I think erratic water supply will turn out to be the main issue here....

[Budget Appliance Repair]

The main wash motor maybe your problem - this isn't from personal experience, as I've never worked on this style of GE dishwasher yet.

Just ran across this in the main tech forum for a model# GDT720SSF4SS. It is a pretty common wash pump for these. Yours is very similar in build to this one.

From our GE expert @David Jero

Quote

 

 Posted 22 hours ago

Some quick advice if you go to change out a newer GE dishwasher wash pump. They come as a kit with a wire harness and clamps.

Make sure you order the outlet hose (kit). It comes with the same shitty clamps. But the outlet hose is heavy duty. It won't tear as easy and leak.

And trust me the one that comes with the motor sucks! It will tear.

The motors have brushes and wear in time. The motor will run , then not run. Light tap and away it goes. The biggest sign is the black dust from the worn brushes under it on the floor.

 

The last part, "The motors have brushes and wear in time.  The motor will run, then not run", sounds like what you have going on.

[David Jero]

1 hour ago, Budget Appliance Repair said:

From our GE expert @David Jero

I feel I am already falling behind on GE stuff and becoming a Samsung tech. For the past year I have seen very little GE and mostly Samsung.  There have already been some changes with GE stuff I haven't seen. Before we know it it will be a thing of the past LOL. 

[AkshaySharma]

Thanks a lot for your help.
I looked again, there is no black dust, the next thing is to check the control board, but I have no clue how to check that.

[AkshaySharma]

I saw this video on running service codes on my dishwasher, but all the blinking patterns seem to be fine. I think the dishwasher just does not like me at all.

 

[AkshaySharma]

I tried all of the procedures to diagnose the fault, but all of the tests came out normal. I thought I had reset the board and with high hopes, ran the dishwasher again. Same story, the cycles starts with filling the water in the tub, then nothing and then the drain pump comes on and I am left with dirty dishes. Does any of this make any sense?

[Terry Carmen]

> I tried all of the procedures to diagnose the fault

The board has all the technology of a $2 watch. All if can do is turn things on and off that it thinks are connected. It doesn't actually know much of anything. Determine what's bad is up to the technician.

You need to run the test for the wash pump and check the voltage at the board on Connector J703. Yellow & Black/Brown & Red wires.

* If you have 115 volts AC and the pump is not running, you have a bad pump or a blown inline fuse (some models) and a bad pump, or much less frequent, a bad or unplugged wiring harness at the pump.

* If you have 115 volts AC and the pump is running, but not washing, you have a bad pump or insufficient water or a clog.

* If you do not have 115 volts AC, you have a bad board.

 

Edited May 21, 2020 by Terry Carmen

[David Jero]

8 hours ago, Terry Carmen said:

The board has all the technology of a $2 watch

Love this quote.

[AkshaySharma]

Thanks a lot. I will try it again today.

[AkshaySharma]

Hello Terry,

How would I do this during the test? By sticking the multimeter probes at the J703?

"You need to run the test for the wash pump and check the voltage at the board on Connector J703. Yellow & Black/Brown & Red wires.

I am going to do this in the next hour or so and then post teh results here.

Thanks.

[Terry Carmen]

     Yes, you need to connect the meter probes to the connector.

 

Edited May 21, 2020 by Terry Carmen

[AkshaySharma]

Thanks a lot Terry.

I think it is the circulation pump. The multimeter showed 120  ish volts. This was the frst time I used a multimeter, so I was extra careful.

I checked it at the connector on the board as well as the connector at the pump.

Today, the pump came on once during the service cycle but then shut down and didn't come back on. I think it is the circulation pump, but still dont understand how it can die in less than four years when running the dishwasher once a day at the very most and in most cases, running it three to four times a week.

Thanks for all your help. If nothing else, I learnt how to sort of use the multimeter and also run the diagnostic codes on the machine. I will post an update again if replacing the pump fixes it or not. I seem to remember reading somewhere on this blog about a parts supplier with a 365 day return policy, even after you have tried the part out? Or may be I am dreaming.

[ECtoFix]

@AkshaySharma,

Your voltage test still may not be conclusive due to the intermittent nature of the problem. 

If there's a way to leave your voltmeter connected to the pump and then run the machine, watch to see

whether you still get voltage to it when the pump is NOT running at a time when you know that it should be.

That's my suggestion and is how I'd do it before ordering a new pump.

38 minutes ago, AkshaySharma said:

parts supplier with a 365 day return policy

I've NEVER heard of that, but I'm not a residential guy.  I only work on commercial stuff.  In THAT realm, there's only a 90 return policy, but generally is contingent on a certified tech installing it.

I don't know since there's not much DIY support in the commercial world as compared to residential - which seems to have a video on everything imaginable for the DIYer.

[AkshaySharma]

I also checked the water inlet valve for continuity and it gave me a reading of 40 ohms. That could be a culprit, correct?

[David Jero]

I am sorry to have not mentioned this earlier. Timing I guess...
Think about this..
A dishwasher does 3 basic things..Fills, washes, drains.

This unit is known for wash pumps failing after a short time. The brushes on the motor fail prematurely.  The best was way to verify this is simply looking for black dust under the pump. You can also start the dishwasher. Let it fill. It will immediately start to wash after it fills. If the wash motor does not start. Tap it a few times. It may start up.  That is as far as you need to go. You have a bad wash pump.  You can use a meter to verify power to the pump if you would like.  These dishwasher motor/pumps come with a new wire harness and some clamps. If you get the pump do yourself a favor and order the outlet hose. It is a small hose that has been modified . You will thank me later. 

If the dishwasher is not filling. The water flood switches go bad on these.  So, no water. No wash. 

[AkshaySharma]

Thanks David.
The circulation pump seems to be a unanimous choice and when I tool the fill valve out, it had some black broken plastic, very brittle pieces behind the screen. I will replace both the inlet valve as well as the circulation pump. We shall see if that will get me a functioning dishwasher. But like I said, I did not see any black dust undernethe the dishwasher. I will try and run it gaian and tap the motor to see if that changes it.

Thanks,

AKshay

[AkshaySharma]

I ran the machine in service mode again. The circulation pump did what it is supposed to do but I did find a a little bit of black dust under it.

Thanks for the tip again, I should have listened to the same advice in a previous comment.

Newbie here.