kitchenaide Dishwasher KDTE104ESS3 fault code 7 flashes pause 1 flash

[soccermom]

Good Morning,

My Dishwasher is having issues it is just 3 years old.... but it is very high use!!

1. soap dispenser Opens but soap does not dissolve or at times partially dissolves.   Prior to today water was being circulated, dishes were wet. as of today no water being circulated

2. dishes are not clean. 

3. The spray arms are not spinning.

I ran the diagnostic and it was 7 blinking lights PAUSE then 1 blinking light.  Tech sheet says "control programmed to disable heater, but continue running cycles if it is detects a water heating problem."

When I place the machine in NORMAL WASH, POWERWASH and  TOUGH WASH I let it run in the cycle for approx 20-25 minutes.  I hear the pump activate and it checks for water to drain out before starting cycle. I can hear pump making clicking noises and I can hear noises like it is "running" .  When I open the machine it is warm inside!  Warm water is sitting at the bottom of the machine the heating element is not hot (I cautiously touched it!!! )  The sprayer arms have not moved and nothing is wet. When I cancel the cycle I can hear the water being pumped out and NO water is left in the machine.

Before I run a load of dishes I always make sure I have hot water at the sink.  I have cleaned the grate and round filter at bottom of dishwasher, I have cleaned out all 3 sprayers (top, middle and bottom) found a sunflower seed in bottom sprayer.  I hear the pump pumping (I think it is the pump) draining water out (I can hear the gurgles in the sink).   I also marked the 3 sprayers  to see if they were moving during the wash cycle....they are not moving.  I have placed a small dish in the top and bottom rack to see if they caught any water,  no water!  At times I know water was being "sprayed around" since my dishes were wet but dirty!

I am in need of advise and parts to purchase.  I am handy and I have replaced parts on my previous machine....pump, chopper blade, etc. However I am confused why I have the error code for NO heat. I can hear the pump working, water is being pumped in an out of the machine, but my sprayer arms are not spinning and now it appears no water is being sprayed around..  Does the heating element and pump rely on each other.  Any help would be appreciated

Thank you

Chris

[Budget Appliance Repair]

Sounds to me like your main wash circulation pump motor isn't running - the water doesn't heat the water directly by being submerged in it - the water as it sprays and falls back down over the heater is heated.

From the description of arms not moving, detergent not dissolved, no water in upturned dish - all point to main wash motor never coming on.   The drain pump is a separate pump - it sounds like that is working OK.

These motors and the motor connectors seem to be a problem point - you need to check if you are getting 120 Vac to the circulation pump motor after it has filled up - remove motor wire connector and with a needle carefully spread all the contacts on each side closer to the middle and re-seat connector back onto motor.   This might be all you need.

If you are getting 120 Vac to the motor and it isn't running and you have tried making the connector tighter then your going to need to replace the pump motor or better to replace the complete sump/motor/deverter motor as a complete assembly.

You will need to clear the error codes in the diagnostic procedure to reset the heater system but it will just go disabled again if you don't fix the no water circulation problem.

Edited June 2, 2020 by Budget Appliance Repair

[soccermom]

 Thank you!

I have one more question.  I placed my dishwasher in diagnostic mode again....then I decided to try and run a load of dishes. 

It ran perfectly, soap door opened, soap was dissolved, water was sprayed through out the tub, upturned cups on top and bottom rack were filled with water, and all the dishes were clean and dried at the end of the cycle!! I then tried to run a second load and back to the previous issues.  Then I ran a ANOTHER diagnostic mode....ran a load of dishes and everything was perfect.

Why would a load of dishes ran after a diagnostic mode be fine? What is the correlation between a diagnostic mode and a perfectly ran cycle?

Thank you so very much

Chris 

 

[Budget Appliance Repair]

Intermittent main wash circulation motor - either bad/loose wire connector or motor itself, this dishwashers are known for this problem.

Have you pulled the dishwasher out and tightened the motor wire connection as I said in the above post?

[soccermom]

I am home early today so it will be the first thing I do when I get home!  I will keep you updated!

Thank you very much!