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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 is prevented with a rinse aid product. In this situation, rinse aid was not addressing the problem.
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.
While you are here, check out the Handyguys recent trip to Husqvarna to test some chain saws and outdoor equipment:
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.
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{ 261 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
Wow, thanks to your great video, I was able to take apart, clean and reassemble my dishwasher in about 30 min.
Thanks
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.
Put the clip back in place and it will look like it is on but will still be very loose. Now slide a flathead screwdriver under the edge of the clip right in the middle. Gently pry it towards you. Now push the clip towards the center of the dishwasher as you remove the screwdriver. There is a little tab on that center part of the clip that will catch on the metal rail. No problem…
Thanks for adding that Chad!
To correctly install the end caps you need not tools. It is very easy and should take about 20 seconds or less. Here is how.
1. The “arrows” on the outside of the clips should always point outward or away from the center. So when facing the dishwasher rack unit as if you are placing as if you are going to place a dish in it, just simple make sure the END RAIL CAPS arrow points away from the center of the machine.
So when placing the dishwasher clips on the left hand side, the arrow should point
2. They simply slide into place and DO NOT PUSH ON FROM THE FRONT. However to lock them into place once there is one more step.
3. As Chad had mentioned above, which is not a bad thought, it is unnecessary, just simple push on the non pointy side of the arrow which and the pointy side or the clip raises up and just push it over to secure it over the metal lip of the end rail.
Cheers!
Eric
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.
I had the same problem except my rubber band was purple so it is a actual problem. Mine did’nt leak until after 3 washes and it only leaks out a small amount but enough to be annoying. Please help us. Thank you.
I have the same exact problem except my rubber band peice was purple. After three washes it did start to leak. It did’nt leak a large amount but I am afraid that it will continue to get worse. So Geoff I understand completely because at first I thought it was something my wife might had stuck in there. Thanks,
Forest
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
I had the same problem, here’s how to remove it.
After having taken the two screws out , you’ll notice that the left hole can be grabbed by a pair of needle nose pliers. Pull straight up and mine came right off.
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.
My dishwasher is having the same problem. Where can I get step by step instructions?
Watch the video
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!
That is not a cap. It is a plastic bolt that the spray arm screws onto.
I thought it was a cap and also broke off a tab (but fortunately not both).
I was able to hold onto the plastic bolt and rotate the spray arm off. In the video, it looks like a cap is taken off and then the spray arm.
It may be the specific model. I have a Elite 659
Correction, my model is Elite 665, not Elite 659
Good point. It is not the “cap†or Bolt that unscrews, but the spray arm itself. I plan to refilm this very soon in a higher definition so people can see it better). I’ll be sure to provide closeups of this removal!
When I removed the screen, the “basin” underneath had no water and it did not look like a basin to me. It looked like a plastic cover over the pump (I could see the impression of what looked like a pump underneath the plastic). When I look closely at the video, I think I see the plastic cover in the water. There was some broken glass on top of the cover.
My goal is to see if I can replace that pump, which I am told is bad, myself. There were two more screws in this pump cover but removing the screws did not allow me to remove the pump cover. I guess I have to get underneath the dishwasher to release this cover?
I had a repairman come in and he said after trying the machine that the pump needed replacement and quoted me 475 for the repair. So we left it that I would replace the dishwasher. Still if I can repair it myself for less it may be worth it.
To clarify my model it is Elite 665 . 15912001
Thanks!!!
This video has been helpful for a lot of people. If you have found this site via google or other search engine, please be sure to check out all of our podcasts. We are also working on many new videos in HD which will presented on this site. The new dishwasher video will be included.
Update: The new HD video of this dishwasher repair is recorded and in post production. Stay tuned.
The video was extremely easy to follow and I cleaned out 5 years worth of garbage trapped inside. I even replaced the Turbo Zone assembly because a hole from overheating/weak plastic had crumbled, leaving a quarter-sized gap. I thought this was causing low water pressure to the top rack. The bottom rack works fine. Anyway, I’m still getting debris on the bottom of coffee mugs, all glasses, etc. It’s incredibly frustrating because we paid a lot of money for this dishwasher 5 years ago. If you can help me figure out why it’s spraying dirty water to the top rack, I’m all ears! Thanks!
Thanks for the comment on the Handyguys Podcast.
Your problem sounds like my original problem. And I didn’t completely solve it in the video you saw. I had to take out one more cover that protects the chopper assembly and a small valve. In my case, I had a piece of glass covering this valve which was causing all of my glasses to have grit on them. The valve is supposed to allow soiled water to escape during the wash cycle. If something is blocking the hole to the valve, the dirty water can’t escape.
I almost always find stuff blocking this valve. So make sure you take off this cover. Unfortunately I did not show this in the video. However, we have a new video due to come out soon which shows this.
Thanks for listening to the podcast.
I followed your directions, but discovered there was no water in the bottom basin. Cleaned everything and put everything back together, but I realize the water is not being pumped throughout my dishwasher, although water does fill in the bottom of the dishwasher. I guess I’ll have to call Sears, but I have to say, this has been the most expensive dishwasher we’ve ever purchased and it’s never done its job.
Robin, Paul is out of town this week, he will respond if he has any thoughts. Maybe one of listeners has a suggestion for Robin?
how do I replace the gasket over the pump and under the wash arm. the big one at the bottom of the tub.
June, i’m not 100% sure. In general some gaskets are just force fit, sometimes they are held with screws. Paul or one of our other fans may have more info.
Your dishwasher podcast was great although I’m afraid it didn’t quite completely alleviate the problem. It was sounding like a washing machine prior to taking it apart and at least its now as quiet as when
it was new. My Kenmore model (665-16462300) has a small plastic
part at the back about halfway up that snaps onto the vertical water supply. It has two ports that receive the connecting pipe on the upper
rack (one for each of the two height positions. These ports have plastic ‘hinged’ covers so that one is forced open when engaged and the other presumably closes to allow water to continue to flow upwards. On my washer, these ports are worn and one in particular doesn’t close at all. Has anyone else commented on this? Could this be the cause of a loss of pressure? What seems odd is that the port covers on this part don’t look as if they ever could have sealed unless they’re designed to close under pressure. Please comment if you can. In the meantime, I’ll try taking the mascerator cover off and look at the check valve’s condition. Thanks again for your site! I’m looking forward to the follow-up video!
Tim – The approach I take when trying to repair things like this would be to replace broken parts as I encounter them. This applies to anything, not just appliances. I know the part you are referring to but I’m not 100% sure of its operation or exactly what its called. There are many good online sources of parts. One that I have used before is http://www.repairclinic.com . Paul may chime in if he has anything to add.
-Brian
WOW!!! I am simply amazed at how well you explained this technique! I had the holiday at my house, filled the dishwasher full and had all my dirty dishes on the top rack yet at the end of the cycle of my Kenmore Elite. Found your site, did as you explained and within minutes (literally!), I was back in action. Before starting the task, I too, checked to see if I had any water coming out of the top spray arm. It was a very weak stream, not even able to spray upright. Now that I’ve cleaned it out (unbelievable at what I found in there…a piece of hard plastic that had to be 1″ x 1.5″, numerous pieces of rubber from the dogs’ toys that were probably 1/2″ in diameter, 3 twist ties and a few bones!!), I have a pressure washer in there again! Thanks guys, you’ve really made my day!!
The only downfall I had was being able to clean out the macerator (model number 665). I was able to take out the hex screw, but other than that, I wasn’t able to remove anything else?
On a side note, do you recommend using the tablets or liquid/gel detergents? I had an awful lot of detergent caught up in there and was thinking maybe the tablets weren’t the best route to take?
In any case, I am certainly going to recommend this site to any and everyone that I hear having problems with their machines!
Patty, thanks for taking the time to write a comment! I don’t have a specific recommendation for detergent, I do notice that you don’t usually need to fill the hopper full when using liquids or powders. We buy whats on sale or inexpensive, Electrosol I think is what my wife gets. Try going half full and see if your dishes are clean enough.
hey, this video was very helpful and i did everything you did, but the dishes are still coming out dirty. They are a little cleaner but not much. so i did it again and went a little further in the dishwasher. i saw this picture in one of the comments here.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zenzoidman/117417445/
I took the cover off and found some stuff in there, but i also saw some stuff behind this and another grid, but i can’t find away to get to it. there is only a little hole on the top. i tried scraping it with a screw driver but that didn’t do much. it looks like some tissue paper is blocked in the grid. any ideas on how to get to it?
Thanks!
I am not sure if you can get any further then chopper assembly that you see in that photo. But be sure that the valve is working and that there is nothing clogging it. I am not sure what other grate you are referring to because there isn’t much behind the chopper other then a pathway for water do go back through the pump (I think). Our new video will be posted on this site very soon (within about 1 week).
did you find out how to clean the other grid? i have the same think and cant find out how to clean it back there
Great video! I not only was able to retrieve something from the trap that my daughter dropped in but was able to clean out lots of debris at the same time.
One comment… when putting the lower sprayarm feed, need to make sure the sprayarm seal in on top of the hub just below it…. I actually was completely finished and I found the seal on the floor wondering where the heck that came from… So I had to work backwards to determine where it belonged. Those seals or o-rings can make a world of difference in their performance.
Thanks for the good work and keep it up. I’m going to check out other Handy guy videos…
Thanks for posting this. I have a Kenmore 665-13729. It is similar, but has 2 philips head screws holding the “tubing” up on the back and top of the dishwasher. After opening the base, I found several twist ties, some broken glass, a piece of bone, some cherry pits, a needle with thread in it, and some other small pieces of plastic etc. (I sucked the base out with a shop vac.)
Thanks again!!!!
The dishwasher is running now, I just opened it and it looks like it is working as good as new.
Very cool. Yes, the shop-vac can come in handy for getting it clean.
Thank you so much. I was 30 minutes away from buying a new washer and was at Sears looking to buy another one when I found this post on my iPhone. This post saved me $700 and I am very thankful. If I can help you in any way please let me know.
Thank you.
Hey Rob, Thanks for taking the time to write. Glad you had success. We don’t ask anything. If you want to do something just tell your friends about our show, tweet about it, use the buttons below the post to stumble, digg or whatever. Any promotion that our fans do is greatly appreciated.
Top rack wasn’t getting any water and after researching online I found your video. My daughter and I followed your video and also removed the other screw and pulled up the cover on the chopper blade (which your video doesn’t show but found in your comments) and we found a piece of plastic, nuts, etc. Cleaned it all out and put everything back the way it was and YIPPEE the dishwasher has amazing pressure again with water covering the entire top rack. Thanks so much – you guys are awesome. We would have never tackled it without seeing your video. It was so quick and easy! Now we just have to figure out wats wrong with the fan on the microwave lol.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this very informative piece. The top rack of my dishwasher wasn’t getting wet and thus was not cleaning dishes. The bottom rack wasn’t getting very clean either. I was brave and decided to take the dishwasher apart myself – figuring it couldn’t get much worse – but missed the critical last step of cleaning around the flapper valve and chopper and was about to spend money I don’t have on a repairman when I stumbled upon your podcast. I was able to clean the flapper valve and chopper with your help. Right now the washer is running great! I’d also like to add that my top water spin arm was clogged. I had to take that part off (simple screw in the center) and use a toothpick and tweezers to get the junk out.
Thank you so much from a new subscriber!
You’re welcome and thanks for subscribing!
I opened my dishwasher after washing my dishes and found a green rubber band lying on the bottom of the dishwasher, my dishwasher is a little older I’m not sure what year but is a model 665.15625 and I have the installation manuel and user/care manuel and they don’t say anything about a green rubber band in them, I can’t find any troubleshooting manuals out there on the internet, trying to figure out where this rubber band goes back on, it is not broken or frayed and is flat with a raised lip on one side, someone please help!!
Interesting. What makes you so sure that the rubber band belongs in the dishwasher? I don’t recall seeing anything like that when I was opening mine. However, I wasn’t looking for it either. If I see something like that I will let you know.
Thank you so much for the instructions about fixing the dishwasher. The top spray arm has been broken for at least a month and has been driving me crazy. I have looked at different websites but today I found yours. I watched your podcast and this 50 year old woman fixed it. I couldn’t believe the stuff I found. Now what else can I fix:)
Thank you so much for the instructions they were fantastic.
Sue, Thanks for taking the time to write. 50 is the new 20!
is the sprayer arm on the bottom supposed to wiggle after it is tightened down?
Julie,
There is a lot of play in the sprayer arm. You should be able to wiggle it up and down. You can also manually spin it if I recall. It should spin easily.
Paul
i put it back together, but it is making a LOT of noise now. Did i put something together wrong
Yes, most likely something is out of place.
I love you guys!!! Stumbled upon your web site and video searching the Internet this morning, and am I ever glad I did. We were having issues with our dishwasher, not cleaning…first top rack, then recently bottom rack as well.
My husband followed your EXCELLENT video, and within an hour my dishwasher was up and running, like brand-new, cleaning everything! Our dishwasher is 5 years old, and I’m embarrassed to tell you what we found…pieces of chicken bones, glass, unidentifiable gook…This taugh me a lesson to be sure and rinse thoroughly everything before putting into dishwasher.
I’m a fan of you guys for life!!
Thank you, thank you , thank you!!
Robin, you are making us both blush!!! Thanks for the high praise!
Thanks for the simple instruction on how to fix this washer. Best father’s day present is to impress your wife.
THANK-YOU! You just saved me $160 to have the repair guy come clean out my trap. That’s what it cost last time anyway….
Thank you SO MUCH! Like so many of the other commenters, I had had problems with my dishwasher cleaning dishes. And like one other person, I had the S—-s repair guys out to fix it. Twice. First time it was the “hot water not hot enough” excuse and the next was to sell me some “dishwasher cleaner” off the truck. Of course this didn’t work either. Neither of them actually took anything apart in the dishwasher! So with my laptop nearby and my daughter holding the flashlight, I followed your absolutely excellent video and had my dishwasher apart and cleaned up, and put back together again in a half hour! The bottom parts had bits of paper, plastic, food chunks and unidentifiable shmootz all over! And now the dishwasher actually cleans dishes again, rather than leaving food particles and un-rinsed soap all over the dishes! Thank you thank you thank you!
Yay!!! You made me smile, congrats.
Hey! I had the same problem with white crud on the top rack and dishes on the top not getting clean… so i looked around and found your video and took her apart — lots of gunk down there that I cleaned out. When I first ran it again, though, still looked like there was crud… Am now running it a few times to see if it disappears. My husband is very amazed as I never took anything apart and tried to fix it before. One question — I took out the flapper valve and cleaned it but now I’m wondering if there is a special way it should go back in? Didn’t really think about that when I popped it back in. That is, can it be put in backwards so it wouldn’t drain the dirty water properly? Also, as someone else noted those end clamps on the top rack are really tough to figure out… They’re back on, but seem pretty loose and wiggly. Thanks for the great video, though — it was unbelievably helpful….
I don’t think it can be put in backwards but I am not positive. I always just put it in the same way I pulled it out.
Thank you guys for the podcast! I just disassembled and cleaned my washer and can’t believe the difference. For what it’s worth, mine was far dirtier than the one you showed – I took apart and scrubbed all of the internal parts as well as removed the food bits. It’s only been in operation for about two years – looks like this may become an annual event.
Just wanted to let you know, if it hasn’t been mentioned before somewhere in the comments – DO NOT clean out all the dirty water from the basin! The washer won’t restart if it doesn’t have something in there to drain first. I took everything apart again, verified that I had done everything correctly – but no water was going anywhere. Finally decided that the only thing I had done differently from the video was to completely empty the basin that has the flapper valve, so I added water back in and – voila! – it’s now working the way it should.
Good catch! Thanks for the tip.
wow, thank you so much. i just took apart my dishwasher by myself and cleaned it out. thank you for the great step by step video. this was my first time doing anything like this. thanks again, i really appreciate it.
Glad we could help
Thank you. My dishwasher clean light came on a month ago and it hasn’t run since. I called Sears and was told the service call would be $129.00. So you literally saved me.
Tip: some models have two phillips head screws holding that oblong plastic spray-arm pipe to the back and top of the dishwasher. After reassembling the strainer and before putting those screws back, throw a dishtowel over the strainer…so if the screws drop into the basin, they don’t skitter down the strainer and you don’t have to disassemble everything AGAIN! (I’m glad I did this…’cause I DID drop that very last screw–but the towel saved it).
Thank you so much for posting this video! I’d just had a service call (bum control panel) and didn’t want to spend the money to have them out again, just to fish out the bits of the glass that shattered into the strainer…as a single mom, I feel very empowered right now.
Barbara – Great tip! I do the same thing when working on a faucet, I put a towel in the sink (if I don’t have a stopper)
Aggravation high on Ultra Wash? Yes! The only place on the web that showed me ho to fix it? The HandyGuys! Cost to fix on my own? $1 for a T15 Torx head = Priceless, Happy, and Proud I didn’t have to pay someone to fix it! Thanks so much for the great videos!
Bob L.
Grandville, MI
Thanks Bob!
What a great, timely podcast. God bless you guys! I could never have figured this thing out without your detailed explanation and the video which I had to go back to once to be sure I didn’t break one of these plastic parts. Muchos gratias. Really and excellent service.
Thanks JAK
we followed your instructions and found to our great amazement that there was all kinds of junk in the bottom and that the bottom rack was getting very clean now. However, the top rack is not getting clean and it appears that the top arm is not spinning. What did we do wrong?
When I fixed mine, I accidentally put the top rack in backward. After turning it around (duh!) things were fine.
Glad you got it working.
I’m not sure if the problem I’m having with my KM Elite DW can be fixed w/o calling a professional, but thought I’d check just in case. The DW doesn’t seem to be filling with water, the detergent door opens, but the pod isn’t disolving and the dishes aren’t clean at all. We’ve disconnected the DW and checked the hoses to make sure they are clear, but still not filling up. Now the “Clean” indicator light keeps flashing and we cannot get the DW to turn on and cycle at all. Please help. I don’t want to pay a huge repair bill if this can be fixed at home.
Thanks guys. Paid $85 to have mine fixed and then it happened again. Turns out he didn’t clean the chopper stainer and valve. Thanks for the confidence to tackle this!
ok so i don’t listen well!!! i removed the grinder because it was full of gunk and now i cannot get it back on! Please help I feel so proud because i got this far and can’t wait to see if it worked.
Allison – First thing I would do is watch the video again. Make sure you follow all the steps and put everything back the way it came off.
Sometimes when I take something apart I lay all the parts on the floor in a line, in the order I took them off. That way I can just re-assemble in the reverse order of dis-assembly.
Good luck
Brian
Please check out our episode #129 . There is some new information about getting your Dishes clean that has been very helpful for me. It involves white vinegar. Also, I have discovered that dishwashers of other makes have similar problems. You need to dig down into that basin to get your dishwasher working again!
I have a Kenmore Elite model 665.16462300. Your video was great and very easy to follow. However, when I got down to the cover over the grinder, I removed the one screw on the left side but the cover would not budge. I went to a local repair place and showed them a picture of the cover. They said there was another screw underneath that has to be removed. I don’t see that in the pictures of the replacement part, but I can’t get the cover to come off.
If your model is the same as in the video, there is only 1 screw on that cover. It is tricky to remove it. You have to really work it. Try wiggling it left and right…back and forth to loosen it. In addition to it being hard to remove, sometimes hard water and other grit can make it difficult to budge. Every time I remove mine, it takes some work.
I’m having the same problem removing the chopper assembly cover. In my model (665.17599200) there is a separate slotted plate held down by a single screw covering the right side of the area where the check valve is located. This has to be removed before accessing the cover. Then there is the screw holding the cover in place. However this cover does not have the knob on top which you can grab on to making is possible to jiggle and loosen the cover and in my case the cover does not budge. I’m considering trying to tap it with a hammer to loosen it.
larry – usually a hammer isn’t required to fix an appliance. Altho, I have heard it said “If a hammer doesn’t work you need a bigger hammer!”. Handyguy Paul or another fan may have something more constructive to add.
Thank you so much! Saved me a lot of money with your very informative and easy to follow video.
Thanks a ton for the great video and information. As with many others who have commented you saved my a service call. I would like to hope that most appliance repair folks are a little tired, and perhaps embarassed to take these calls as the fix is simple.
Regards
Mike – thanks for taking the time to say thanks!
Great video and instructions, but–I’m still not getting clean dishes on the top rack. It isn’t the cloudy film problem you discuss in #129; my dishes and glasses come out sparkling and shiny, just with food or gritty debris still attached (which didn’t used to happen). I’ve cleaned the basin and chopper screen three times, cleaned and checked the flapper valve twice, rinsed out the spray arms and the feed tube, and checked that the water fill level is okay. Is there anything else I can try? The DW is a Kenmore Ultra 665.1373, but comes apart just like your video.
Mike – Great tips and thanks for them. I have a Kenmore Elite Model 665 17593200 and everything went well until I got to the chopper assembly access. There are two screws that seem to hold this down and after removing both of them I still could not gain access to the basin area. Any hints? Another question. Is there a way to clean out the area behind the Active vent in the door? There seems to be gunk and who knows what behind it. THANKS AGAIN!
Frank, I must have the same model as you do. I could not for the life of me access the chopper. There was no knob on top to jiggle, and it was not moving. I finally gave up and hoped that all the debris and gook I removed from the basin area was enough to help my problem. I did remove two screws and a slotted plate and continued to remove junk. I finally just put everything back together. The dishes are coming out beautifully now, but it still bugs me that I never did get to the chopper, and I’m wondering what is still left in there.
Guys I had the very same issue. I tried and tried to remove that final cover to no avail. I didn’t have a little knob on top of mine either. I was about to give up until I finally noticed there was a small raised notch at the top of the cover. I used a small kitchen knife to push it from the side, to the right, and *pop* it came off instantly with very little pressure. It will come off, you just have to hit it the right way.
Exceptional!! This video is the reason that the internet was invented. Thank you for helping out the little guys – or gals in this case!
I would like to sincerely thank you guys! You are so awesome! I was having trouble with my Kenmore Elite Dishwasher…and I hate cleaning so if my dishwasher doesn’t work, this is a BIG problem. I watched your webcast on youtube actually. I did what you did, and just ran my first load… Bravo! The little circle filter was completely clogged with apple stickers, a toothpick, and other food particles…. I am so thankful this fixed it! Brilliant… I can’t thank you enough! I will be keeping you in mind for any other problems I may have ! Thanks from a Very Grateful Housewife!
Thanks for this great video! My dishwasher is the same model above and it was leaving white specks all over the dishes. Upon disassemble like you video the area where you found some apple stems etc was completely clogged with white goo. The only thing I can think of was the dishwasher tabs I’m using since it really smelled of soap. Will be changing detergents and see how it goes. Thanks again!
Thanks so much – followed your instructions, pulled out all sorts of gunk and the machine is back to good as new. Saved me $125!
Great video! Thanks a lot. I was about to buy new dishwasher….you saved me money. Mine is 3 years old.
Inside I found piece of glass, plastic wrapper, labels, pieces of fat (!?), a stone, corn kernels. Definitely this is a bad design.
I also drained water from the bottom using turkey baster, I put some baking soda powder and some vinegar. After it stopped fizzling, I finished with hot water. I inserted turkey baster inside the plastic pipe on the bottom and pushed some air in, like you do with drain cleaning. I sucked the water again with turkey baster. I found a lot of black and yellow specs, as large as ¼ inch in the drained water, so I repeated the rinsing until the water was coming out clean. I just run a cycle. Dishes are clean like new.
Thanks again,
Iwona
Fantastic! Well explained and illustrated. I was able to save a lot of money following your suggestions and took me a total of 20 minutes.
Works like new!
Thanks you!
I thank you two immensely. To be able to find the same model dishwasher (a little newer with a few different features) on the internet with a video to show me how to disassemble and reassemble…fantastic. I can’t thank y’all enough for taking the time to enable me to do this. I found so much junk in the basin: q-tip, glass, wooden handle shard, bone, plastic chunk, food. I couldn’t believe it! I cleared it all out, and ran a cycle. I don’t think any water was even getting to the upper rack before. It’s working great.
One note: The suggestion to not take out the food chopper is a good one. I took it out and it took me a long time to get it back into the correct position.
Thanks again.
This definitely did the trick. Thanks Guys, I could have never accomplished this without your video!
Unfortunately, I had to take the chopper blade out as the perforated plate was completely blocked up. It took a while to put it back on, but then I realized that the filter plate goes in the front slot and not the back slot…
Oh my gosh – this post SAVED me! We’d tried for over an hour to get it to fit into the back slots…THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
Thank you so much for the teaching video! My dishwasher was so poor at washing the top rack that we stopped putting anything on it since we had to rewash everything if we did. I followed your video instructions and removed all sorts of items such as nut shells, pieces of glass, cherry seeds, etc. I’m so excited to be washing a full load of dishes right now!
Hi I just wanted to say thank you, I’m a professional wowan with no “fix it” experience at all, My diswasher wasn’t cleaning at all, I followed your video….you wouln’t believe what I found in there, glass, unpopped pop corn, bones etc etc…. It’s working great now thank for saving me a bunch of money
I’m sending a quick note to thank you for your great advice! Just before my wife and I were heading to buy a new dishwasher I Googled “Kenmore Elite dishwasher problems” and saw your site. Follownf your easyinstructions I found, amoung the regular food bits, pieces of plastic that had broken away from the bottom of the cutlery basket. The dishwasher now runs great. Thanks. You saved us a pile of money and a day of buying and installing a new dishwasher. I will keep your site in my favourites.
My Kenmore Elite has this identical “Ultra Wash” system— but does not have that dime-size drain and valve at all! It has the little grill filters— but they protect nothing— just solid plastic in the space where the valve is in your pictures.
I have to clean out mine so often that I only put it back together with one screw. Its still a pain, and even when it is is totally clear of debris, it still leaves residue and doesn’t even take all of the soap from the dispenser. The water drains just fine, so it isn’t clogged, and the water level is fine. The grinder turns fine as well. So I assume that it is just the design of the washer that is flawed.
Thanks for your site and information. I wish that we had not listened to Consumer Reports on this one. This washer should have a finer strainer on the top level to prevent debris from entering the “Ultra Wash” system.
The model number is 665-17263402
Thanks!
It seems the water conservation features in many of the newer models just don’t do a good enough job. Funny thing about consumers reports, they sometimes will rate something with more bells and whistles higher. The more features, the higher the rating. That doesn’t necessarily translate into a good wash in this case.
Agreed. I say a little silent curse to C.R. every time I open the washer. What a difference if this system just had small strainer holes on the top level instead of large holes that lets debris down to the inside— like a good European washer does. Just reach down to clean filter.
Thanks so much!
I opened up my Whirlpool Gold Quiet Partner III using your video. It’s slightly more complicated: the spray arm is held with square-headed screws (I ended up not removing it as it’s just flexible enough to turn side ways). The strainer is held together with 4 T20-headed screws while the chopper cover (and a cover next to it) is held with a T15 screw. In my case, the plastic tab holding the chopper blade broke, and food particles clogged the metal screen. I cleaned everything and ordered a replacement chopper assembly. The change in water pressure to the upper spray arm was very audible and the dishes came out sparkle clean. Thanks guys!
Many different models are fundamentally the same, glad you got it figured out.
How do I remove the front door panel from the Kenmore Elite Dishwasher Model 665 ? I want to repaint my door. Is it just a matter of removing the screws? I do not want to interfere with the electronics! Of course, the dishwasher is not wired.
Not positive – Usually its just a few screws. Just go slow as you take things apart so you remember how they go back together. You may even be able to find a replacement front, even one that matches your cabinets. Paul may be able to chime in with more info.
-Brian
Thanks….you saved the day as well as my wallet.
I just followed this video and it worked exactly as promised. The only difficulty I had was that one of the threads on the knob that holds the spray arm in place was pulled off slightly so I had to finesse it a bit. There was so much crud in my dishwasher it’s a wonder it worked at all! Plus there was lots and lots of soap scum. Maybe I should switch to liquid dishwashing soap.
Anyway I will try not to be annoyed by the fact that the energy saving appliances don’t actually work as well, nor do they give you advice about how to perform routine maintenance like this, but really, who designs these things? Or is it all just one big scam? I mean the common advice is to not pre-rinse your dishes (I think the manual even says this) but in real life, if you don’t, your dishwasher will, over time, not work properly. Huh?
That said, your video helped this 50+ year old woman who is not particularly handy save the cost of a service call from Sears. I was getting so frustrated I was ready to buy another dishwasher, but it might have been a Whirlpool or Kitchen Aid that would have had the same problem! Thanks again. You guys are great!
Hi guys,
Same problem with my Kenmore Elite. Just not getting stuff clean. Watched your great video, took my time taking apart. Removed all kinds of crap, little bits of plastic, glass (or chips from plates), other junk. Flapper partially blocked, too, just like yours. Dishwasher works perfectly now. THANKS most kindly.
By the way, my sliverware basket had gaps where the stuff would fall through. Checked web for fix: zip ties across the bottom. Worked like a charm.
Also, since I was in a dishwasher mode, made my own powdered detergent. Lots of recipes on the web. Basically borax, washing soda, kosher salt and citric acid (or unsweetened koolaid packets). Dirt cheap, works perfectly well. 1 Tsp per load.
Really appreciate this help. Looking forward to more from you guys.
Great tips! Maybe I can get some of those supplies bulk and have my wife mix up a batch!
I am the guy who has the model that has no rubber covered drain hole in the location you show in the video. There is one down in that plastic nozzle looking part that sticks up near the center. It is clear though. I am close to calling in a repair person, but I am afraid I will be wasting my money. There is nothing blocking the grinder or the screens, but the dishes are still covered in fine particles, with dirty water dried on the bottom of the upside down glasses. Its just not draining out the dirty water, yet drains fine at the end of the cycle. Any more ideas?
Thanks!!!
Hmm. I am not familiar with that model . Sorry I don’t have any more ideas.
OMG!! With your help I fixed my dishwasher. Thank you so very much for easy to follow, step by step directions. It works!!!
Hey, so I’ve read almost all the troubleshooting repairs that I can, but I still don’t have the solution to my problem. My Kenmore Elite dishwasher stopped working yesterday and I still haven’t been able to fix it. Basically, it seems like the unit doesn’t have any power, and there is lots of water inside it too. I’ve checked the breaker and that’s ok, other than that, I’ve looked inside and everything looks to be alright. What do you think I can do to fix it?
Sometimes dishwashers are plugged in versus hard wired. See if yours has a plug, if so, make sure its firmly seated. Also, check to see if its plugged into, or connected to, a GFCI protected circuit and that that circuit hasn’t tripped. The GFCI protecting the circuit (if it has one) could be anywhere, in the garage, bathroom or someplace else in the kitchen. Before calling for a pro repair I would check all your GFCIs.
Thank you guys….I have a Kenmore Elite 665 model and the top shelf dishes were not being cleaned with food particles throughout the dishwasher. Your podcast showed that the top cover of the macerator/chopper can be removed with one screw (pull up from side with screw after removing screw). The screen was covered with little particles of food blocking the water flow. There was a suggestion that the screen and chopper not be removed but mine accidently popped out when cleaning the screen without removing. The trick to putting it back in was aligning the cut edges of the screen to the sides that fit into the slots that hold it in place. Also you have to hold the spring back and let go when in place. I wrapped wire around the stem to hold the spring back then unravelled it when in place. It working wonderfully..thanks again.
The video is fantastic and you guys are great for providing it. However, I can not get the chopper cover off for the life of me. It’s as if it’s corroded on. I’ve walloped it with a mallet and tried pulling and prying from all angles with no luck. Any ideas??
Also, in pulling from underneath with a hook tool, I’ve seen the main bottom seal break from the tub. Do you think I will now have leaking issues??
Thanks
I have heard from comments above that some models have more then one screw holding the chopper assembly. Look for that.
OK, for anyone who has read down this far and is having the same issue: it took a LOT of force to break the chopper cover free in my Kenmore Elite. I did not break it though and it appears that my main tub seal is not leaking although I saw small air bubbles coming from it after filling with water. I had to use a large screw driver, inserted in a vertical slot on the RIGHT side of the chopper and leverage down on the side of the bowl. There was a lot of lime/soap residue inside and around the cover and I assume that was what was making it so difficult. After cleaning everything out, a la video above, it does sound as if there is more water spraying around inside, however, when I open the door quickly, I have never seen the sprayer arms still moving and it appears that they do move but very slowly. (maybe this is normal?) Perhaps, it’s just old (7 years) and just doesn’t have the oomph it once had.(kind of like me, ha ha)
Again, thanks again to the Handyguys.
Thanks for the update. I do not think the spray arms move very fast.
thank you for this video. my husband and i got ours cleaned out now and should help clean better then it was. i have always liked pre-rinsing and now it has helped to reiterate my point. thank you again.
You guys are the best! Like everyone else, the top of our dishwasher was not getting clean, found tons of junk in there (did cut my fingers on glass, should have been more careful).
Seems like I am not the only one who has had pieces break off of the silverware basket (this was one of the things I found). I had tried the zip ties but eventually they get brittle and break. What I found that works better is to put a piece of plastic embroidery screen down in the bottom to cover the holes (the plastic stuff people do cross stitch on). Its stiff enough to stay in place if you cut it just a bit big and shove it down in. Have to replace a couple times a year, but the sheet cost 49 cents and has enough for at least 10 replacements.
Thank you very much guys!! You saved us $$$ in a service call with this video. We were able to take it apart and clean it out without any problems and it now cleans much better!!! It is nice to find some useful information on the internet.
Thanks for this video! My husband & I took apart our kenmore elite and found a small baby bottle brush, popcorn kernels, a broken piece of dish and of all things a piece of what appears to be shoe lace. We’re hoping this clears up the “gook” problem we have on our glasses. One quick question-it used to be VERY quiet (it’s only 1 1/2 years old) but now it seems to be pretty noisy. Any thoughts? Thanks!!!!
Cheryl – Perhaps something isn’t back together quite right, is loose and rattling.
You guys are awsome!!!! I paid for an unsuccessful repair on my Kenmore ultra quiet dishwasher. It started to fail about 10 months into service. I opened it up to find that there was no chopper blade assembly! It just wasn’t there. There was a lot of debris blocking the rubber flapper valve. And I have asked Sears to provide the part free of charge. We’ll see how that works. But at least I now know I can do it myself!
With Gratitude
Claire
WOW, perhaps the service guy forgot to put it back in. Let us know if they give you the part you paid for or if they are going to charge you.
This really worked and took so little effort. These guys are awesome.
Your excellent video saved me an expensive service call. My Kenmore Elite DW has four red “turbo wash” jets mounted at the bottom of the rear vertical pipe- to remove this, grasp the whole four-jet assembly and pull it away from the pipe- it will come off easily- to reassemble, just push the assembly back on the pipe until it snaps in place. Also, after first removing the black rubber flapper, I used a wet-or-dry vacuum to remove debris- safer when handling broken glass and spoiled food. Also, for anyone who has broken the plastic piece for the bottom spray arm, try putting a 3M “Command Small Cord Clip” on top of the broken piece to provide something to grasp. It is self- adhesive, and can be removed when finished. A pack of eight costs less than $5.00 at Office Depot.
You video saved me buying a new dishwasher because I didn’t want to spend money on fixing a dishwasher when it is 9 years old. Fridgidare gold series, the top spray arms quit delivering any water. Followed your instructions and it now works perfectly. I can’t believe that little effort fixes a problem that big. I would have swore there was a much bigger problem. Also had a problem of the screen an chopper falling out when I took the cover off but I did like another fella said earlier, I lined up the screen while holding the blade back with the spring loaded. It now cleans like it was brand new.
Thank you! great video. Like everyone else found a bunch of stuff trapped in there, mostly glass, some pits, pieces of plastic etc. Works great again. My wife and I were shopping online for a new DW when I decided to search for a fix and found your video. 30 minutes later we were done. I bet the DW manufacturers and repair services hate this video
My husband has been away on business for 3 weeks and my dishwasher was not working. I have NEVER used a screwdriver or attempted to fix an appliance. After watching your video, I took my dishwasher apart and cleaned it thoroughly. As a 47 year old woman who has relied on others to do this kind of thing for her, I am so thrilled and proud of myself (as silly as that sounds). Thanks for giving me the confidence.
Catherine, We are proud of you too. Its not silly at all. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
I got stuck when I wanted to remove the flat hose to get at the back tork screw off , it didn’t just lift off like the video. Should I use a screwdriver and some gentle pressure? Also now I might think it is the pump how can I be sure? ( When i opened the DW the spray arm was in the same place, i ran it again and there was a slight difference.)
Mine didn’t come off like their video either, but mine isn’t exactly the same model as the video, the trick was there is a small lever on the front left of the stack (center) that you can gently twist that will come off (lift up) and release the two pipe tubes without any real effort. Not sure if you’re is the same, but that’s how mine worked.
I have a Kenmore 655.15595792 and it recently started having problems washing the dishes. I noticed that the water drains out of the tub almost as quickly as it is filling up so by the time the fill cycle has finished and the pump starts there is not enough water in the tub to wash the dishes. I have taken it apart a few times to see if there is anything blocking the valves but it is pretty clean. I installed a new drain and impeller kit but it didn’t fix anything. Is there any way to fix this problem?
Hmm, nothing comes to mind off hand. Perhaps one of our show fans can comment?
Thanks you guys! My 3 year old Whirlpool was not washing the top rack and I was ready to lose my mind! My husband and I were able to dismantle everything and get it all cleaned out and it was gross, but worth it. It is cleaning like new again. We are very grateful.
Guys,
Simple complete video. I could not believe how much junk was inside the chopper cover. Our Kenmore was 5 years old, the mess was, well, a mess. Thanks for this video.
JCDuffy
Hey guys,
I had the exact same problem with my 2 year old Kenmore Elite dishwasher… nothing on the top rack was getting clean at all. It also didnt sound right. I couldn’t hear that whooshing sound when the water is being sprayed properly.
I watched your video and couldn’t believe how easy it was to do this repair!
I found cellophane, chicken bones, broken glass, even string.
After cleaning it all out and reassembly, our dishwasher runs like new.
Thank you both SO MUCH!! It made me a hero on Father’s Day!
This is an awesome and really helpful video for specifically the Kenmore and Kenmore brands and models! I was researching why my dishwasher might not be cleaning dishes properly and came across this link that says there six specific areas to investigate if your dishwasher is not completely cleaning your dishes. Water Inlet Valve, Upper or Lower Spray Arm, Heating Element, Filter/Drain Grate, Detergent or Detergent Cup, and the Cycle Selector Switch. Seems like a great resource, though I would pass it along for anyone who might be having dishwasher issues
http://www.partselect.com/dishwasher+dishes-not-clean+repair.htm
This is a great video!!! I have a 5 year old Kenmore UltraWash that I was ready to give up on since it wasnt spinning top rack anymore. After removing about cup worth of debris I have a like “new” washer again. I didnt realize it was this simple getting it cleaned you guys saved me $400, GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!!!
WOW !!! I followed your steps and my dishwasher almost works like new. Almost no water was getting circulated. Thanks for this great video.
AG
I believe I have a 655, not the same unit you show in the video, but it was close enough for me to disassemble the main parts that spray water – I found years worth of gunk, nasty, foul, smelly build-up behind the riser spray tubes, under all the water spray/flow lines, etc… I could not find the grinder as my unit doesn’t have the same pan area as yours, mine is gray and doesn’t appear to have a cover that can be removed. My reason for looking for repair notes was the two problems I have: Foul Smell all the time, and white film on all plastics. I’ve read that the white film is caused by a formula change that was imposed by the EPA, and my dishes seem to come out without any grit, just the white haze film, and only on plastics, not on glass, metal or ceramic items. Thanks for the video, it was very helpful. What amazes me is that we paid a LOT of money for a dishwasher that can’t keep itself clean (meaning all the slime that built-up under/behind all the plumbing inside the unit.
Oh, I have one other issue – I have a very small leak that seems to come out the front, bottom, right side, right about the electrical connection box, but I can’t seem to find the part number for the door/frame gasket – any ideas?
Not sure about the pat # – We don’t have parts lists. Sorry.
I can’t thank you enough for this. We’ve been having dirty glasses in the top shelf for years. I had opened and cleared the debris in the basin. Although this helped, it didn’t solve the problem, until I opened the chopper assembly and cleaned it. Now it’s as good ad new again. Thank you so much.
We have 2 Kitchenaid Superba dishwashers which are about 10 years old. (The guts are nearly identical to the one in the video.) Neither has been doing a great job–wine glasses, especially, end up with specks of food on them that require soaking to get off even though I don’t use heated drying. I was thinking that it might be time to think about “new.” Figured I had nothing to lose by trying your solution. I was not able to open up the macerator but I did clean everything else out. A side benefit of pulling the guts out is that I could clean out all the spray arms which seem to have accumulated food particles like bits of onion just big enough to block the holes the water is supposed to shoot from. All of this has to improve the performance. Thanks!
Wow. The machine works like new. We had all the same poor cleaning issues. You have solved them. Didn’t find the macerator but dug out lots of the usual gook. You guys rock. You’re at the top of my list
We took apart the dishwasher (thanks to all the help in this forum) but when we removed the flapper valve, it was stuck and then broke
Also, a white rubber band (gasket) came out and it also tore. So, is it worth replacing these two parts, and where do you think the gasket goes? It was in the area with the chopper and came off when we got the chopper cover off. If you know what these parts are called, then I can look around the web to try to replace them. Our model is Kenmore Elite 665 series.
By the way, the chopper was absolutely filthy and I’m sure that was the culprit.
Great video – I wish I had watched it before I did this job… One thing you may want to add – cover the nearby filter mesh with a towel or something thick before you use the T15 on the screws. An unsteady hand can result in filter punctures. Also, a small handheld shop vac works great sucking out all the guck.
All dishes come clean now…
It sounds like we have the same issue. We tried to pull it apart for the first time but ran into problems with the plastic nut that holds the lower washer arm onto the unit. It was on incredibly tight so we tried to loosen it. The plastic started stripping and now it won’t come off unless we cut if off. We called Sears and they only sell the entire spray arm assembly not just the one piece. Any ideas??
@Lori I used a toe nail clipper to hold on to the nut while I turn the lowere water thing. Maybe that will help.
I watch your video today 8/14/2011 and fixed my dishwasher and had to fire my son (the human dishwasher) for the last 8 months. Thanks guys this has really saved me alot of money. I was about to call sears.
Thanks for this video – it’s saved my dishwasher twice now. About 18 months ago, I used your instructions to take the thing apart and remove a ton of guk that was clogging up the filters.
Today, I took it apart again, expecting to find the same problem, but there was very little guk in there. So, after reading the comments here, I went one step further and took the cover off the chopper assembly (I’d never managed to figure out how to remove it before), only to find that the chopper itself is completely mangled. It’s on a plastic spindle, and the plastic is all worn away, with the chopper sitting in the bottom of the space, with a metal spring and several washers. Given how mangled the plastic parts are, I was thinking I’d never manage to repair it, but luckily I’ve discovered the sell the entire chopper assembly as one unit at partselect.ca, so I’ve just ordered one at $40 incl shipping.
Looking forward to getting clean dishes again!
PS the Dishwasher is about 7 years old – it seems like it’s a good idea to clean out the filters every couple of years.
I never post but this is the exception.
this video was great!
thanks!
Thanks guys, i was about to buy a new dishwasher and found this video. 20 minutes later it is washing like new !!!
Just like all the other posts, we saved a pocketful of money by following the video….ever seen a laptop inside a dishwasher? Anyway, we found the chopperblade lying in the bottom of the sump basin….the shaft it is attached to has broken, probably on the piece of bone we found down there. the question is can that shaft be replaced? We can order the chopper blade assembly but nothing I can find indicates whether or not the shaft is included and how it might be removed for replacing. The plastic shaft has a spring mechanism of some sort attached to it and sticks out through the screen and that is where the shaft sheared. Any help is very welcome.
We would love to see a picture of a laptop/iPad/iPhone/Droid in a dishwasher! Rick, you may need to search for the parts locally or through some online suppliers.
Worked like a charm! This video was so thorough it was like a I knew what I was doing – and I’m far from handy. I live in a house that’s about ten years old and things seem to be breaking all the time and I can’t do anything about it without calling someone. It was nice to be able to do it myself for once and save that money! Thanks so much.
Hi Guys,
We bought that dishwasher 5 to 6 years ago. Since maybe 2 or 3 years we are not very satisfy with his job (washing dishes). I went on Youtube few days ago and saw your video. I did it and now the dishes is cleaner, it’s not perfect, but much better (I found in the basin a lot of debris).
We found that this dishwasher is more noisy then when it was new, any comments or suggestions on that ?
Thank you Very Much,
Best regards,
Marc-André from Québec city, Canada
great video – followed it exactly, found gunk to clean out, now works great! repairman had quoted us about $350 to replace pump, which we declined, then I found your video. Thanks very much and great work!
please i seen to have a difrent model with no back tube going up i cant find a model number on it and yes its not cleaning very well.
Please assist
Thanks for generating the effort to make clear the terminlogy to the newbies!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! You saved me so much money with your video! I am a 61 year old woman with arthritis and I was able to follow your clear video with no problems. My dishwasher washes like new or maybe better. I just put a crusty pan in and hit the turbo jet button and the pan came out looking like new. You’ve given me great confidence. Bless you!
Mary, Thanks for making me smile.
Hello ,after reading a lot of these comments and watching the vid I decided to try this myself while hubby is at work.
I have a kenmore ultra wash 3384415A, not elite.
Well I got the other stuff off but I cant get the thingy with the filterpaper /fabric or whatever it’s called off. Is this the strainer?
I see debris on the underside of the fabric filter, like caked on DW Detergent.
There is a big hex nut that is plastic,almost 1” or so, with a little hex screw,metal ,in the center.
This is all on top of a 3 or 4 ” platic disc in the center of the filter thingy.
I tried to hold the big one with pliers and turning the hex screw but I’m afraid to give it too much force as I read something about one not coming off lefty loosy!
I tried both ways and it won’t budge. I see more of the torx 15 screws under it but I can’t get to them w/o this thingy off.
I really wanted to get this done b/f he gets home and hopefully have it all working….HELP,Please!
I’m not familiar with that model. Perhaps someone else on the site can respond with some information…
Sorry it’s a 665, got the long no. off the front of the use &care guide
Sorry ,me again ,I read off the 665 off the plate inside but my receipt says 665.16639, which I just found on the sears site for parts, so it’s the impeller that I can’t get off and the stupid thing is almost $40!
ok, so Hubby came home and took it off but left me to do the rest.
Got the strainer assembly off and cleaned out some stuff, small plastic spoon, chicken bone and remains of a label, but the strainer had all kinds of soap residue or something ,so much it looked all clogged.
Well it did not want to come apart so I pryed it apart and cleaned it.
I thought maybe some of the screws would hold it together once in place, but NO ,assembled everything but the top part float when I try to run the DW.
Hubby said it wasn’t made to take apart but I say how are you supposed to clean it then?
Or does Sears do that on purpose so you have to either call for service and get a new strainer or buy a new one?
I thought super glue but he says it won’t work inside the DW so he said to drill a few small holes and put some screws around the edge , but it might have to be sealed better for the water pressure.
Any ideas?
Hello,is this still active?
We screwed the filter assembly back together and ran it and it still does not work the top……
I would need to see some pictures. It should all go back together. NOt sure what “float” part you are referring to. Did the parts look like our video? IF so, they should all go together… no super glue needed.
No, it’s different then the one in your video.
Had to get the hex screw out of the impeller to get to the filter assembly ,that’s what i was talking about ‘floating’ in the water.
Then we put scews(our screws) in to hold it back together and it does not float up (the top part where the filter paper is) but it still does not work right.
There are pics on the sears site if you put in the model no, it shows you all the parts.(665.16639)The filter ass. is part no 9.
Hubby says that part I pryed apart was not made to come apart but how else do you clean the filter then?
It looks kinda like a UFO ,filter part on top , bottom like a bowl, with a plastic insert inside.
Guy at work told me it has 2 pumps ,could be the one that pumps water in?
So I said I should just buy a new one then?
He said that new DW only last a couple of years if you’re lucky .
This guy repairs appliances, but he does not give out too much info, I guess he wants to come and make some money.
Thanks for any help,real nice of you!
Chris
I had tried cleaning out the insides of my dishwasher before, but it didn’t fix the problem. I listened to the podcast, and thought I’d done everything like you had. Then I watched the video and realized I hadn’t gotten into the grinder. I thought that the cover didn’t come off. It didn’t come off quite as easy as yours did, had to pry it loose with a knife, but when I finally got into it, it was covered in food and all sorts of gunk. I tried to clean it in the DW, but the grinder pice ended up popping off. As it turned out, I was able to completely clean it in the sink and put it back in easily. DW now works great! Thank you! Saved myself the $850 my wife was going to spend on a new one! She’s a little disappointed cause she wanted the new one, but I’m not disappointed at all!!
I watched the video, took the dishwasher apart as described, cleaned it out, reassembled it, and voila! Fixed!
You guys rock!
I love your video on cleaning out the dishwasher. I was very helpful since my 3 year old put something down in one of the holes while he was helping unload the dishwasher. However, I’m having trouble getting the bottom washer arm back on. Seems like if the nut is tight, then the nut you screw it onto isn’t tall enough to twist the washer arm on. If I get the arm twisted on, then I the nuts is loose and everything is wobbly. Any suggestions or tips?
Thanks! I followed the video, found 4 toothpicks and the dishwasher now works great!!!!!
Thanks for the great video. Had trouble with removing the grinder housing until I rewatched the video (“You may have to push this housing to the right”) and it came right off.
I would add that you should remove the fine filter from the large round piece under the bottom wash arms by prising it off with a screwdriver and cleaning out the collected soap scum. Easy to do and didn’t seem to break anything.
This was simply awesome – in 40 minutes I was easily able to fix what would have cost me $100 for a visit from Sears. Thank You.
Thank you for such an informative video. I have the Kenmore Elite 665, so it was a breeze to clean out the system as shown. I always put fairly clean dishes in and didn’t find much gunk to clean out and still have a problem. I think there is a filter at the point where the water comes into the DW. I had a problem once before and called a service company to fix it. They charged $125 to clean out something that was underneath the unit – not in the tub. I am considering replacing this DW with another, but want to know if it is possible to bypass any filtering system on this machine. Any ideas on this? Thanks so much for your help on all our problems out here! You guys are great!
Thanks a bunch
Was about to throw ours away and get a new one
It was full of crap in there now it’s running like new.
Blu
Hy, I just don,t know to cancel the locked light on kemore elite dish washwer Thank you
Blu – how hard was it to get to and clean out that filter? The service guys said (of course – duh) that it takes special tools and I wouldn’t be able to do it. I did find the schematic on this washer and, sure enough it talks about a filter. So, I am now looking at buying a water filter/softener to keep this from continuing. Should help with the ice makers and faucet strainers, too. Would appreciate your comments on difficulty factor in your success. Thanks.
Blu – maybe you were commenting on the video & not my quest. about the filter……
Thank you for the video. I was able to clean out the dishwasher areas you recommended and it fixed the problems I encountered.
What size screwdriver head to remove the screws? Is it a Torx head screwdriver?
Yes, a t15 Torx like this one
Thank you guys… this was a great video. When I got my dishwasher apart…ugh…the gunk I found was overwhelming. Got most of it cleaned out. Will now do this as an annual cleaning.
This website/video has been very helpful. However, we are NOT able to remove the plastice chopper cover! We’ve tried prying (as someone suggested!), but it won’t budge. I do remember the repairman (who I called last yr for this problem) telling me that he wasn’t going to remove it because it was ‘a lot of trouble’. SO, he just cleaned out the bottom, with out taking off the chopper cover. (probably why it’s already back to NOT working!)
ANY more suggestions on how to remove the cover? Or, if, in fact, it DOES come off? We have the 665.1746 model.
We did clean out everything else that we could & am currently waiting to see if it helped.
Thank you again for this site!
Joi
It appears from all the comments we have received that there are various version of the chopper assembly cover. Some have 2 screws, some 1. I would read down through the comments here and see if you can determine how your assembly may open. Typically, you don’t need to remove the cover anyway, but your results may vary.
Ok, so we FINALLY got the cover off of the macerator screen – it had to be pried off! NOW, do you have any suggestions on how to get the screen back into place? We’ve been trying for over an hour…hate to get this far & not be able to put the screen back on…
I went back through all the answers & found that we were trying to put the filter in the wrong slots!! It’s working like a charm now!
Thank you thank you thank you to the HandyGuys & everyone who’s posted suggestions here!
Holy cannoli!! We can’t thank you enough for this podcast — a quick 30 minutes of work (and a lot of laughter when my husband and I saw the amount of gunk that had accumulated over 7 years!!) and our dishwasher runs better than it has in years! In hindsight, we realize that the dishwasher started disappointing us right about the time the kids started loading it as part of their chores…oh, this will be a fun conversation when they get off the bus…….thanks again, guys!!
great video, Thanks
Thanks so much guys. My dishwasher (exact same model) was doing the same thing. Was about to call repair guy. My old machines, you could easily take apart and clean, but was not sure about this model. Did not want to break anything. But I did it and wow, there was a lot of stuff including chicken bones and plastic straw covers etc. I am anxious to run my next load. I am sure it will come out clean. Also the money I saved will pay for dinner, when my hubby takes me out tonight.
Thanks again. Andrea
how do I find this video to repair my dishwasher (maytag). I have slimy buildup in the bottom where the door closes. Have tried vinegar and even let it soak. I want to try to take it apart per video. I love this !!!!
We don’t have a video on that. Try bleach/water to clean the slime. If that doesn’t work try a product called CLR, it may get that clean.
I need help. After watching this great video and reading every comment since it was poste,d I am stuck at trying to get the spray washer off. I am holding the plastic nut and turning counter clockwise but have been doing it forever. Maybe 40 times around? Paul did it much quicker. about two threads are showing but more threads are not emerging so I suspect something is wrong. Like its staying in place. It also is not very easy to turn so hard to hang on to while I rotated the spray arm. Perhaps stripped or something? Thanks so much. Can’t wait to watch your other videos. What a find you guys are!
Polly
OH MY GOSH!!!! your podcast saved me from buying another dishwasher and/or paying a huge maintenance bill. It all started with my clean light blinking 7 times and it not running. After doing a panel board reset it still wasn’t running properly. I was getting minimal water but was not hearing the spray of water and it was not cleaning anything. After watching your video and seeing how easy it was I took mine apart. OH MY GOSH the amount of food and debris I found. It was so thick that it clogged the holes to the food shredder and was not able to recycle the water in or out well. After doing a full scale cleaning I have no started my dishwasher and it sounds like and looks like it is running normally and is cleaning the dishes. Again thank you so much for this and I will definitely be visiting your website again. Keep up the great work and service you are providing. Tina
Just desire to say your article is as astonishing. The clearness on your publish is just excellent and that i can suppose you’re an expert in this subject. Fine along with your permission let me to grasp your RSS feed to keep updated with impending post. Thanks one million and please keep up the gratifying work.
Wow…thanks for the simple to follow to the point directions on how to fix
a Kenmore dishwasher. You were bang on with your advise. My husband found it clear and concise and following your instructions did the repair.
Now our dishes are clean again. Wish all repairs were made that simple!
Keep it up.
Pat
45 minutes and 1 screw driver ( I had to Google what the Torx head screwdriver was before I could start; lucky me hubby had one!!) and I fixed my dishwasher!!!!! I can’t thank you enough for the video. I could not have done it with out you. Thanks so much!
Your video was one of the most helpful I have ever viewed. I have previously cleaned the dishwasher but was still having problems with cloudy dishes – your video showing the removal of the cover on the garbage disposal unit in the dishwasher was the ticket – would have never done this if I did not see this on the video.
Thanks.
Guys,
Thanks for the video. It was very helpful in taking the unit apart for cleaning. I found a rusted screw loose in the bottom and couldn’t find a place it came from. Also, there was not a little rubber flap valve but I think this is because the unit does not have a chopper. The unit came with the house so who knows!
I took your advice once step further and used my shop vac to suck out the junk.
Thanks again!!
Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!!!
The top spray arm on my Kenmore Elite dishwasher had stopped spinning leaving the dishes very dirty (although dishes on the bottom were OK). I found your podcast, and even though I am far from handy with tools, I was able to clean out two pieces of broken glass, a twist-tie, several popcorn kernels, and the real culprit – a label off of some jar that was blocking most of the water flow. Once cleaned out, the top arm is spinning again and the dishes are clean. Without your help, I would have been off buying a new dishwasher. Thanks so much for your podcasts, you guys are awesome.
Soooooo useful! Thanks much for this.
I found your website last night as I was trying to find a fix for my dishwasher. It was filling but not washing and I could feel the motor trying to run. After watching your podcast (#462-fixing a kenmore elite dishwasher) I took the machine down as far as you did, cleaned out the broken glass, half melted straw, dime and assorted shards and clods of soapy residue and had the machine back up and running in less than a half hour. No service call. No parts. No labor.
And I found a great new website to peruse.
I will mention you guys to my family, friends and coworkers.
Thank you and keep up the good work.
Great weblog right here! Also your website a lot up very fast! What host are you using? Can I am getting your associate hyperlink for your host? I desire my website loaded up as fast as yours lol
We use wordpress for content management hosted on a DV server at Media Temple. Feel free to link to us, its appreciated.
Thanks for the Kenmore Elite dishwasher fix. Worked exactly as you instructed. I had trouble getting the chopper cover off but I know it eventually would get free, thanks to the video.
AWESOME!! You guys made it clear and straightforward for our Kenmore Ultra Wash 665. Amazing what collects in there. Used a baster, too, to clear things out. Great video!
First I would like to thank you so much for posting this video and saving me a bundle of money. My family has been complaining about how our dishwasher was not doing a great job at cleaning the dishes. My husband and I started talking about buying a new dishwasher. I decided to search the internet to see if other people complained about the same model dishwasher and that is how I found your website. I watched the video than asked my husband “Do we have that tool?” I was waiting for him to say no, but he said yes and it is in the tool box. I thought he was going to tell me not to touch the dishwasher because I would miss it up even more, but he said go for it. So the next morning I followed your video. All I can say when I took it apart is eeewwww!!!! I could not believe what was in there once everything was apart. I almost got sick cleaning it out. I could not believe that mold was in the dishwasher even after the dishes were so called clean. I also found a big piece of glass blocking the water recycling supply. After putting it back together and running the dishwasher with bleach the dishes are clean all the time. I now know that I have to check for blockage if the dishes are not getting clean. Again THANK YOU!!!!
Thanks Lads. This was extremely helpful! My Knmore works like a champ now.
Thanks guys!!
Thank you so much guys! As two very non-handy types, we followed your instructions to the letter and saved ourselves $200 in a repair bill – your directions were perfect and this morning we woke up to clean dishes – yippeee!!!!!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!!!
Excellent video. I already figured that the grinder/etc was full of junk (and it was!), but your vid helped me breeze through disassembly/reassembly. Home run!
WOW! This video saved us buying a new dishwasher! We had cleaned out the basin before – but never removed that last piece to get down by the valve and grinder. Voila! Our dishwasher had been filling up with smelly green gunk because I think it was never fully draining, and was spraying really ucky water back on the dishes. Now it’s working perfectly! And we know how to maintain it for the future.
thanks guys. you saved me some serious $$$.
Thanks so much for the video. We were amazed at how much stuff was stuck in the drain. Your video made it so much easier to dis-mantle. I think we would have ended up calling in a professional if not for your insights!
Outstanding job!
This was exactly what I was looking for.
THANKS! I am a mom and have never repaired anything on my own before. Myself and my 8 yr old son watched your video and did it together. My dishwasher now works…. you guys rock!!
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