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Handyguy Paul Takes apart his Dishwasher to clean out the basin.
The Handyguys planned to tackle two issues in this episode. They began with Paul’s Dishwasher problems and hoped to talk about the Handyguy’s electrical toolkit. However, the dishwasher took up the entire episode and the electrical toolkit discussion got pushed back to another show (ok… we sometimes record these episodes out-of-order so the electrical toolkit discussion was published with episode #70).
So what is the problem with Paul’s dishwasher that is worth talking so long about? Well, no one likes an expensive dishwasher that has problems doing the one thing it is supposed to do. Cleaning Dishes! Handyguy Paul’s wife was not happy about this arrangement. Upon removing glasses from the dishwasher each morning, she was finding them covered in a cloudy white film. Typically this is due to hard water and can be taken care of with a rinse aid product. In this case, plenty of rinse aid was being used with no success.
To make matters worse, the dishes on the top rack were also not being cleaned very well. In fact, it appeared that the upper spray arm above the top rack was not spraying much of any water onto the dishes.
So what was the solution to the white haze (or is it etching?) on the glasses? And how do you fix these problems. You can find the answer by listening to our podcast or watching our little video. Or how about both? Check it out.
In addition, the Handyguys discuss other common dishwasher problems.
Handyguys Podcast Fix of a Kenmore Elite Dishwasher from Handyguys Podcast on Vimeo.
Thanks to erento for sponsoring this post – Whatever the magnitude or complexity of the project you wish to undertake, online tool hire will provide you necessary tools and equipment.
{ 41 comments… read them below or add one }
Great work guys! It’s amazing how clogged up it was after only three years. Maybe a design flaw? I have one quick question: You mentioned that not using the heated dry feature saved on your electric bill. Did you actually calc this or see a savings on your bill? If so, how much? Or were you just making a general statement? Thanks!
We didn’t actually calculate the savings of not running running the heat but we could have estimated it. We did a show where we talked about a mower cost monitor. You can check it out here Episode #42 – Monitoring Your Power Consumption
It appears that my Kenmore Elite is manufactured by Whirlpool which also makes KitchenAid appliances. My Kenmore Elite Dishwasher has nearly (or completely) identical guts as many KitchenAid models. See http://www.appliance411.com/purchase/make.shtml on who makes what.
I have a kenmore elite very similar to the one on your episode and it has always only been able to wash “clean dishes”. What i noticed to be different from yours mine is nearly dry in the base, not filled with water ?
Fritz,
Good point. Another listener made a similar point via email. The reason is due to the fact that my Dishwasher had one more issue that was discovered after the video shoot. I plan to create another video to explain. The water should be drained out. There may be a little left in the basin but not as much as I had.
Paul
Concerning the Kenmore Elite Dishwasher (episode 73), you wrote, “The reason is due to the fact that my Dishwasher had one more issue that was discovered after the video shoot. I plan to create another video to explain. The water should be drained out. ” Is that info available? I have a one-year-old Kenmore Elite that is now leaving clearly too much water after its wash cycle.
Ron,
I had to remove one more piece at the bottom of the basin. If I remember correctly, there is a single torx head screw holding the cover to the chopper (mascerator) assembly and the drain valve. In my case, the small drain with check valve (about the size of a dime) was covered with a piece of glass, thus preventing of dirty water containing food particles. Here are some pics of the mascerator and check valve:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zenzoidman/117417445/
Handyguy Paul
This video was great! Thanks- still can’t figure out how to put the end “caps” back on the slides so that the top rack can go in, though. Help please.
I responded to Jill via email but thought I would leave some information here about getting the end caps back on the upper rails. The design of these caps is a bit odd and takes me a minute to get them on every time no matter how many times I have done it (and it has been at least 8-10 times for each side). Just keep trying and it will work. When I update the video I will try to get a close-up of this as well. I guess I need to get working on that video.
sears dishwasher model 665 fills with water but drains when the wash cycle starts, washes ok until the water is gone. motor is running crrect way for washing and draining.
Hey Guys,
I just want to say thanks for the video. We were going to put in a service call, which would have easily been $100.00 or more. We live in a small town and someone would have had to come in from out of town. Anyways, thought I’d scan around the net for some tips first and found your video.
My dishwasher is the exact same and it was so easy to do but without the video I would never have tackled it. In fact, I had tried to take the top rack out once before and couldn’t even figure that out
I found some nut shells, glass, and a couple of bone pieces in there. After cleaning it out, the machine works like new again. My wife was really impressed 
Thanks for your note. We love hearing stories like this. It makes what we do worthwhile.
Great video. I was completely frustrated before you explained that the trick is taking out the upper drawer so you can detach the hoses. Thank you.
cool thanks!
You’ve saved us a few hundred dollars!!! THANK YOU. We’ve had Sears out to look at it 4 times and each time they say it’s our hot water heater, or our hard water, or this or that… We gave up on it and started hand washing dishes. After 2 months of hand washing I finally stumbled upon this blog and did as you instructed. It now washes beautifully.
Thanks Again!
Awesome! We love this kind of feedback. Thanks for checking us out. Make sure you subscribe and tell your friends!
THANKS GUYS. THE VIDEO DID A GREAT JOB OF SHOWING HOW TO GET TO THE CHOPPER SYSTEM. I HATE TO TUG AND PRY PLASTIC PARTS. THEY CAN BREAK PRETTY EASILY AND THEN YOU HAVE A BIGGER PROBLEM.
where can i get an end cap for the upper slide rail (Left)??
kenmore elite model 66517593201
Thank you
gary
Try http://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/index.action
After losing electricity my Kenmore Elite seemed to have no power. I held the heat/dry button down for 4 seconds and the lock light came on. Thrilled that I thought I had fixed the problem, after one wash cycle I seem to have the same problem – no power. Unfortunately, the same trick didn’t work this time. Are there any other tricks to this dishwasher?
Some simple things to try first:
1. Door is not latching properly.
2. Child lock is “ON”.
3. Wash Cycle not set properly.
4. Household fuse blown or circuit breaker tripped.
5. Dishwasher is not wired into a circuit with proper voltage.
I would check your breaker first.
Maybe I’m not too bright but I did not notice the first time I watched the video that the knob that holds the bottom spray arm is a left hand thread. I wondered why it was not loosening when I turned it to the left. I was about to take a pliers to it but watched the video again and saw I had to turn it to the right. Lucky I did or I might have stripped the thread.
Its a great video and I too was surprised by how much junk had accumulated
Hi and let me thank you for your public service,
My Kenmore d.w. is about 15 yrs. old. While it was still under warrenty my complaint was that the water wasn’t hot enough to sterile the dishes. The serviceman took the temp and declared that the 120 degrees was OK. Not in my book! Whenever I open it during the process there’s never any steam as in my previous d.w.
In fact, I consider that temp only tepid, I wash my hands in hotter water. So, for the past 15 years I just wash dishes by hand because I feed cats and want to make sure everything is really clean…plus, by washing by hand I can add a little bleach to the water. What’s your take on what the temperature should be? BTW, that was 120 with my water heater on high prior to both visits by Sears serviceman.
Alice – Your incoming water temperature is 120 degrees (from the water heater in high). If the rinse temp that the dishwasher is using is also 120deg then something is wrong with your dishwasher. The dishwasher should heat the water to about 135 -165 degrees. Maybe even higher if you have a “sanitize” setting. Every dishwasher may be different but that’s generally how they work. Commercial dishwashers will heat to 180 degrees to meet certain sanitation standards. I would suggest you try a different service company.
You may also want to check this article
http://searchwarp.com/swa8094.htm
My wife just opened the Kenmore Elite Dishwasher and foudn an orange rubber band piece. It seems like some sort of gasket for the dishwasher and it was laying on the top rack. When she picked it up it caught and broke. Did you encounter this piece when taking apart your dishwasher and where can I get a replacement? Thank you.
geoff – We haven’t seen a gasket like you describe. Could it be from something else that was washed? Do you notice any leaks, unusual noises or inadequate cleaning? Maybe its a gasket from something like a canning jar.
Great instructional video. It gave me the confidence to take my Kenmore Dishwasher apart. Thanks.
Unfortunately, taking it apart and cleaning it out didn’t solve my problem. Additionally, I discovered that the plastic around the center of the jet nozzle was broken and probably reducing the water flow to the spray arms, therefore reducing the cleaning effectiveness.
The broken part I can easily replace, although I think it will be an expensive part $100+.
However, do you have any suggestions for solving my original problem? Here it is: Glasses come out with tiny pieces of debris. I put a bowl (right side up) in the empty washer and ran the rinse cycle. Small debris (the size of finely ground pepper) collected in the bottom of the bowl. It’s the same stuff on my glasses.
I’ve tried an acid (CLR) rinse. Also, a chlorine bleach rinse. I’ve taken it apart and cleaned out all the gunk. Nothing works, I still get this tiny debris in the rinse water and then on my glasses.
I couldn’t open up the grinder section, so maybe it needs cleaning? How do I open it up? Your video didn’t go that far.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
- Simon
The particle issue is very similar to what I had going on but did not document this well in my video because I actually had multiple issues (and didn’t discovery the particle part until after filming the video). At the bottom of the basin is the plastic strainer which I clean out in my video. You can remove that with a single torx screw being removed. Under that is the grinder and a little valve. This valve consists of a small rubber flapper about the size of a quarter (but not round). This “flapper valve” is supposed to open at various times of the wash and allow the soiled water to escape while other water gets re-pumped to the top of the rack. If the valve is not working, you will get the debris you mention on you dishes.
This valve is hard to see because you only see the top edge of it. It can be removed with needle nose pliers. You just pull it out of its slot to inspect. You can also check with your finger to see if it moves in and out of the small outlet (this outlet is only about the size of a dime). My valve had a piece of glass lodged in front of the outlet which was preventing the soiled water from escaping. As a result, the dishwasher was re-circulating the dirty water… thus leaving particles all over the dishes.
I am planning a new HD video with closeups of all these parts.
Handyguy Paul
Handyguy
You sure reduced your client base but have helped so many. I would say that when you have a strainer smaller than anything you can access without a tool you are just asking for trouble. Design Flaw for sure. My Elite is under warranty and one tech wanted me to pay for the service call because there were foreign items in the strainer. Like Lemon seeds and a couple of pieces of food. That is not foreign in my book and once I watched (and saved) your video, I will never need that service again
Thanks Doug – Our client base is YOU. We are not appliance repair people. The Handyguys, Brian and Paul, are just a couple of average homeowners who happen to be handy. We produce the podcasts and videos as a free service. If you like what we are offering you can consider supporting our advertisers and sponsors or tell your friends to subscribe to the show. Any diggs, stumbles, tweets, etc are also appreciated.
Thanks everyone for the great feedback.
Last night I noticed that my Kenmore Elite dishwasher was having the same problems- it wasn’t washing the upper rack of glasses. I found your site on the Internet, watched the video, did exactly what Paul said, and fixed the problem. The pump was clogged with 4 years of debris- toothpicks, bay leaves, cellophane, glass. Fortunately I had a torx screwdriver that had been given as a christmas present. So I have to thank you guys- it all worked perfectly!
Gary, glad it worked out for you. We didn’t expect that this show would be one of our most popular shows. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
hi watched your video, really good, my elite is a little diff. model 655- but electronic..also… dont have any more info. as when i bough the house it was here… it recently hasnt pumped water up also… i took apart and went a little futher by removing another piece that looked like it was suppose to chop the food, it was completely plugged with food and looked like wet ground up paper… unfourtantly i already replaced the washer but want to repair this.. what do you think, you think i fixed it by cleaning the added part plus what you did? i havent been able to test it yet…..
thank you
Lynda – I would guess that after cleaning out the grinder things will work much better.
Thank you for the great tutorial! My husband and I just cleaned our Kenmore Elite and found what appeared to be cardboard jammed into the drain. So glad we didn’t have to pay to have it serviced!
Laura, glad we could help.
Thank you for the wonderful video. My dishwasher was here when we moved in 6 months ago and I have hated it since day one. My dishes are never clean, especially the cups on top – always gunked up. I just finished putting the dishwasher back together and have high hopes – I found several twisty ties, many fish bones, and toothpicks! I would never have attempted this without your video – thank you!
You’re welcome Amy! We are going to have some more videos in the future but also there is a lot of great information in the audio podcasts. Give them a listen.
Thank you!! This podcast was given to us as a link by the technician at JustAnswer.com. We had the same problem (dirty top rack dishes and film on glasses) on our 3 yrr old Kitchen Aid that looks exactly like your Kenmore with the exception or different configuration of racks. We’d already taken apart the water delivery arms and tubes to unclog hard water deposits to no avail. Tried your fix and announced that I found 3 toothpicks, piece of glass, unpopped popcorn kernels, a Lego sword and general schmootz. Our 9 yr. old replied, “Who is General Schmootz?” Our other problem is that the Rinse Aid is dispensed by the bushels even though the arrow is on 2. It empties in 4 days! Should I just replace it or is there another fix. You guys are GREAT!
I also noticed the cap on the bottom arm turned in the reverse direction from what I’m used to and unfortunately, I ended up breaking off the tabs of the cap. Any suggestions for what I can do to take off a tab-less cap in order to take the bottom arm off?
That’s a tough one. You need to try to find a way to hold down on that cap while you turn the spray arm. It should unscrew. It usually does not take a lot of force. But without the tabs, I could see this being quite difficult!