Hey everyone I have a dishwasher repair question. I have an old Kenmore dishwasher that is not cleaning the top rack dishes real well. I have cleaned out the entire inside of the dishwasher, made sure there is nothing plugging up the spray arms, taken apart the dishwasher all the way down to the pump and cleaned every piece/part until it was spotless. No go. So I ran a cycle of 1 gallon vinegar in there then vinegar/baking soda and still no go. I've tried adding tsp to the washes and still nothing. What it looks like is that it is not filling up with enough water. The reason I say this is the float switch is not moving up enough to even cut off the water flow. Now I have metered the float switch and the contacts are good there as it shows resistance when the switch completes the circuit and no resistance when the switch is off. Now I have taken apart the water valve and cleaned every piece on there, but, it is still doing the same thing, low water. One thing I did want to point out is that I metered the water valve solenoid and saw resistance there and was wondering if there was supposed to be any resistance when this was disconnected/unplugged from the dishwasher and if not should I look at replacing the water valve?
Dishwasher Repair
- Thread starter Rtstrider
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Disclaimer: I'm not an appliance repair man, but I fix my own appliances because they're usually pretty straightforward and I learned a bunch from my fil who was in the business years ago. I also don't use the proper terminology.
The water inlet valve only opens or closes based on what the float switch is telling it to do. You should hear the water filling when you first turn the dishwasher on, and opening the door will verify this. Once it reaches the prescribed level, the float switch will tell the inlet valve to close.
Could it be the float switch needs adjustment or replacement (not sure if they're adjustable) and is not allowing enough water to fill for the pump to function properly? Maybe you could rig it for a manual fill and see if it works properly with more water?
Quote:
The reason I say this is the float switch is not moving up enough to even cut off the water flow.
This statement is confusing if you're saying it's not getting enough water though.
The water inlet valve only opens or closes based on what the float switch is telling it to do. You should hear the water filling when you first turn the dishwasher on, and opening the door will verify this. Once it reaches the prescribed level, the float switch will tell the inlet valve to close.
Could it be the float switch needs adjustment or replacement (not sure if they're adjustable) and is not allowing enough water to fill for the pump to function properly? Maybe you could rig it for a manual fill and see if it works properly with more water?
Quote:
The reason I say this is the float switch is not moving up enough to even cut off the water flow.
This statement is confusing if you're saying it's not getting enough water though.
Let me make sure I understand...your DW starts, water valve opens, but water flow shuts off before there is enough water in the bottom to float the shut-off float valve? So something else is telling the water valve to shut-off besides the float valve?
Our Kenmore is real fussy,if you turn the timer a hair too far it will not fill all the way. It will shut the water off before it hits the float. Sometimes I have to open the door and hold the soap dispenser. Then reset the timer and it will fill up all the way.
On some of these I think the fill is timed, so if you turn the start knob too far, you will get less water.
Actually the float is the safety for the timer.
Actually I was looking the other night and it is taking 5+ hours to do dishes on the Normal load cycle. Is this normal? The quick rinse cycle with the timer set to the normal position takes about an hour to an hour and a half. Is this normal?
Few wash cycles take longer than an hour. If the heater is out; maybe but sounds like it's time for a new one.
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