dishwasher repair help needed - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

sunedog · #1 04-04-2013, 03:28 PM

Paging lorainfurniture (or anyone else who knows more about dishwashers than I)

Have a 24 year old Whirlpool DU9000XR-5 dishwasher that worked fine up until a week ago. Then the cleaning performance rapidly degraded over a couple of wash cycles until it won't wash anything now. I've done some web searches and tried some things, but I still can't figure it out. Here's what I've done or know about the condition:

- The unit powers up normally, sounds normal and goes through different cycles.

- Both upper and lower spray arms turn freely. There are no clogs in any of the holes.

- Water does enter the cabinet and it is pumped up to the top rack. (I ran it for a few minutes and yanked the door open and see water dripping from the top rack.)

- I don't know how vigorously the water is pumped. I suspect it is not vigorous enough. I aligned both spray arms, ran it for a few minutes and then yanked the door open. The arms had moved a couple of inches, but they were not spinning when I opened the door. I think they just moved very slowly.

- I suspected the water inlet valve might have been malfunctioning so I manually added two quarts of water to see if that made a difference. Ran it for a complete cycle with soap and only a handful of mildly dirty dishes and it didn't clean them at all.

- The heating element works. Proof is the first degree burn on my wrist. (I leaned on it without realizing it heats up after just a few moments of cycle. Luckily my ninja reflexes prevented a more serious burn.)

- I removed the lower spray arm and the parts beneath it to inspect the inlet impeller. Looks like it is new. No clogs of the filter screen in the bottom.

- The motor turns the impeller. With the lower spray arm removed, I ran it for a couple of moments and then opened the door. The gray plastic cap over the impeller was rapidly spinning.

I know this thing has lived much longer than usual. But it did a good job up until a week ago and I can't seem to find a new dishwasher that everyone loves. Reviews are all over the place. I have no problem spending $800 or so for a decent dishwasher when I have to. Just want to make sure this one can't be fixed cheaply. I will not put $150 into the old one, but would probably invest $50 in parts to fix it.

Thanks.

greazzer · #2 04-04-2013, 03:37 PM

My parents' dishwasher broke last year. It turned out to be the pump looking part right in back of the kick panel. It cost around $75.00 bucks and was very easy to get to. I opted to just buy them a new one at Sears for around $300.00. All I know is that once a "newer" appliance breaks, it is a long and nasty trail of nickle and dime repairs. The broken dishwasher was only 6 years old if that.

Because your appliance is somewhat "old", it might be worth fixing. Did you try YouTube ? That is where I got my info and it was spot on!

sunedog · #3 04-04-2013, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greazzer

Did you try YouTube ? That is where I got my info and it was spot on!

Yes. Looked at several vids but still can't dignose my problem. Thanks, Neighbor.

rog-o · #4 04-04-2013, 03:55 PM

Check the cap, item 39 in the attachment, and see if the black rubber seal is cracked letting water leak out.

sunedog · #5 04-04-2013, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rog-o

Check the cap, item 39 in the attachment, and see if the black rubber seal is cracked letting water leak out.

Plausible. I will as soon as I get home in a few hours. Thanks!

sunedog · #6 04-04-2013, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rog-o

Check the cap, item 39 in the attachment, and see if the black rubber seal is cracked letting water leak out.

Nope. No cracks, tears or deformities. I was really hoping that was the culprit.

Stretch · #7 04-05-2013, 03:25 AM

I don't know anything about the model you have but it sounds to me like you either have a clogged part or a weak pump.

Is there any way of reaching the pump and forcing compressed air (carefully at first!) through the pipe work to make sure everything is unblocked?

Dishwashers tend to suffer from a slow build up of gunk that eventually kills most things - always buy the expensive tablets that are oh so un-eco friendly!

t walgamuth · #8 04-05-2013, 06:25 AM

Glad to hear that your Ninja reflexes are intact!

kerry · #9 04-05-2013, 09:21 AM

Pull the line downstream of the water solenoid and see if it is release a full stream of water when it turns on.

raymr · #10 04-05-2013, 11:42 AM

Please replace. The new Whirlpool / Kenmore machines clean much better, are quieter, and the deep tub models hold an amazing amount of stuff.

sunedog · #11 04-05-2013, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raymr

Please replace. The new Whirlpool / Kenmore machines clean much better, are quieter, and the deep tub models hold an amazing amount of stuff.

I'll keep that in mind IF I end up replacing. Thanks.

P.C. · #12 04-05-2013, 02:57 PM

The headache with investing into a repair with a 24-year-old appliance is that there will still be plenty of 24-year-old parts remaining once the repair is completed. Might be time to throw up the white flag.

sunedog · #13 04-05-2013, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerry

Pull the line downstream of the water solenoid and see if it is release a full stream of water when it turns on.

Thanks for the suggestion. I looked at it and it would not be easy to pull this while it is installed since the hose leaving the water inlet valve / solenoid is not accessible from under the front of the machine. And since adding about 2 quarts of water directly to the cabinet did not change a thing, I've pretty much ruled out water inlet issues. My best guess at this point is a circulation pump weakness issue (after the water enters the cabinet.)

I'm going to punt. This DW has served me well for 24 years, but we'll be heading to Sears and Lowes in the morning to look at new ones. I'm leaning towards another Whirlpool/Kenmore/Electrolux in the $600 to $800 range.

raymr · #14 04-06-2013, 11:46 AM

Go with Nylon coated racks, they last longer.

barry12345 · #15 04-06-2013, 03:59 PM

The maytag dishwasher developed a motor issue after ten years service and they no longer supply the part. One of our daughters said she had a new surplus cheap dishwasher in the carton still if we wanted it.

My wife found it quieter and washed the dishes better than the maytag ever did. So the illusion of you get what you pay for in dishwashers was broken. I am thinking it has been in service for 3-4 years now and is doing well. When it conks I will buy a cheap one of the same brand.

I see the same model with different names on it all over the place now. This one is fridgidaire. I do not use consumers reports but because of our experience it may be worth having a look at their dishwasher ratings.