Comments on: Fixing a Kenmore Elite Dishwasher that is not Cleaning Dishes

By: Larry

Larry — Sat, 12 May 2012 21:58:11 +0000

It’s amazing what a piece of glass can do. My wife dropped a wine glass on the tile kitchen floor and a piece of the exploding glass wound up in the dishwasher without our knowledge. Eventually it jammed the chopper blade against the screen and base of the assembly thereby “siezing up” the dishwasher. Initially I figured the pump/motor had failed and only saw $$$$ signs … yet the dishwasher would drain? I figured Iwould clean out everything as a start and found the piece of glass. Thanks for the awesome video and a promise from my wife for a six pack of Shiner Bock!

By: Lisa R.

Lisa R. — Sat, 12 May 2012 19:46:49 +0000

OK, so I put your podcast to the test today. My wonderful husband is not the mechanically-minded one in our duo, so he shot me a grateful glance as he headed out the door to mow the lawn, leaving me to my T15, a dishwasher and destiny.

It took me about 2.5 hours from start to finish, as I had to remove some water that would not drain. I cleaned each component carefully as I removed it as well as the entire interior. One chicken bone, three toothpicks, four button-sized plastic objects and about four years worth of icky glop later, success was mine!

I was even emboldened to dissasemble and clear out the top sprayer and it was about 50% clogged with white, congealed goo. I can really hear it spraying now — it must have been trickling out before!

My findings are leading me to believe that 1) we need to get a whole-house water softener, 2) I will cease using the dishwashing pods and go back to the gel/liquid, and 3) this process is one that I will complete annually as part of my Spring cleaning repertoire.

So, thanks again, you household hotties! Now my husband thinks I’m one Foxy Fixit Lady. He’s a secure guy, so I have his blessing to watch the rest of your podcasts and have at it with the rest of the house. Hooray, and go Phillies!!!

By: The Handyguys

The Handyguys — Wed, 09 May 2012 23:49:03 +0000

By: Lisa R.

Lisa R. — Wed, 09 May 2012 21:03:57 +0000

Paul & Brian — could you guys be any hotter? Seriously — men who know how to fix things and can patiently and clearly explain how it’s done! Wow! You are a Godsend. Keep up the terrific work!

By: Lisa R.

Lisa R. — Wed, 09 May 2012 20:46:41 +0000

I realize this is a little late, but I believe you hold down the “Heated Dry” button for a few seconds.

By: Doug Knight

Doug Knight — Thu, 03 May 2012 01:21:22 +0000

Great instructional video. I’ve followed take the dishwasher apart a few times as my chopper finally broke out of age. Now I have replaced the chopper, cleaned everything, checked the rubber valve you show and the entrance to it, but dishes still have a very fine pepper sized grit on them and don’t know why or what to do next. Any thoughts? Also, could you explain the water flow is the Kenmore Elite DW. The position of the screens etc don’t make any sense to me but it must be right as it works (most of the time). Tks

By: The Handyguys

The Handyguys — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:14:41 +0000

Dan – The video is in this post. If you have trouble you can view it directly on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRCCrEwrst8

By: Karen

Karen — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 21:44:54 +0000

I had this EXACT problem with my dishwasher and was able to make the repair snip snap. Thank you, Handy Guys!

By: Dan

Dan — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 08:14:15 +0000

I can’t find the video that you are talking about …any help with that would be great……cleaning the upper and lower screens did not cure are problem, with dirty dishs on the upper rack….

By: The Handyguys

The Handyguys — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 20:14:03 +0000

Sorry, no video on the chopper.

By: Wendy

Wendy — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 15:46:40 +0000

Thank you so much! Used two allen wrenches. Operates like a brand new dishwasher! But I have to do this at least every two weeks because the screen to the chopper assembly keeps getting extremely covered with food. I’m thinking the chopper assembly is not working (the blades not rotating. ??) Do you have a video showing how to check this out and fix this somehow? You said not to tackle the chopper assembly unless you know what you’re doing. I probably don’t, but I’d like to try.
Still I’m happy for two weeks at a time because we use it like crazy.
Thanks again.

By: Cezar

Cezar — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 02:14:27 +0000

I have a question for one of you. How do I remove the top door plastic cover of my Kenmore Elite dishwasher? It has a grille through which dirt falls, and I want to remove it and clean inside the door a little, but I am not sure how to open it, as I see no obvious screws there and I am afraid to try to force open it.

Any suggestion much appreciated, than you.

By: David

David — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 04:50:46 +0000

Guys, fantastic video. Saved me at least a $100. Followed you step by step. I did use a shop vac to suck out the water that was in the basin. I cleaned out so much junk. I knew before I even put it back together that it was going to have to work better, TOUCHDOWN!!

By: The Handyguys

The Handyguys — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 13:41:43 +0000

I am not sure. It sounds like the spray tube going to the top rack may not be working or that something is still blocking the dirty water valve in the basin. Also make sure that the screen covering the macerator is clear and everything put back together correctly.

By: Rob

Rob — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:00:33 +0000

I thought this was going to work great and had cleaned out a ton of glass and other debris. But now my situation is worse, the top rack is dirtier than before (seems like whatever was on any of the dishes is getting swished around and stuck on the glasses) – any thoughts or suggestions? Could I have put it back together incorrectly?

By: Odine

Odine — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 11:59:03 +0000

OMG! Watched the video and had the dishwasher working in under 30 minutes! My only suggestion is to use a cloth when dipping into the well … indeed there was a piece of glass as you suggested there might be. I used a cloth and did not cut myself on the sharp glass.

My husband was thrilled: 1) because I saved him $200+ in service fees and 2) because I did it instead of him!

Will tell all my friends about this site.
THANK YOU!!!!!

By: rob

rob — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 19:31:54 +0000

Thanks so much. I just followed these directions and took care of this in less than 45 minutes. Found a bunch of glass stuck in there. Would not have tried it without this video.

By: meredith and jay sobers

meredith and jay sobers — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 20:50:13 +0000

Great instructional video!!! thanks for the help! Saved us some money on a repair man:)

By: Suz

Suz — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 01:21:18 +0000

Thanks again! I am glad I read this reply, as I was told by the repairman the Feeder Tube must be replaced because the flap isn’t closing and the pressure is being lost….. Whew! Glad I didn’t buy it yet..

By: The Handyguys

The Handyguys — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 23:16:17 +0000

The approach in the video will help with the top rack. In fact that is what the video is for! Your top rack is not getting clean because the pump can’t get enough water to send up to the top. The basin gets clogged with food, grit and other foreign substances. Give it a cleaning and see what happens.
The flappy valve on the upper back water track is normal.

By: Suz

Suz — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 20:57:30 +0000

Great Video! Thanks!
But, I have a Problem..- it is my TOP rack that isn’t getting clean, and there is food left in the dishwasher actually…I’ve tried every setting possible and do rinse my dishes.

The Spray arm in the back; there are 2 difference holes with flaps that gently close shut when the top rack engages either one, depending on the setting (High or Low). The setting we use is HIGH. One of those “Flaps” remains open even after the rack is removed. It is the Top “Flap”, which is where we have always had our setting of the top rack. It goes right into that hole when the rack is moved into place before shutting the dishwasher, and the other remains closed. Not sure of the purpose, but simple deduction is that it provides water to the top sprayer?

Could this be the problem possibly? Will that effect anything at all? I have cleaned out the top sprayer; ran water and blew air through it for good measure. – all is good.

I will still follow the much appreciated video in the meantime – Thank You for helping all of us!

By: Rob

Rob — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 17:57:31 +0000

Awesome! That should fix our problem and save us a bunch of money.. Too funny.

By: Nancy Palmer

Nancy Palmer — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 12:20:18 +0000

Good so far…but I have a Whirlpool Gold (purchased in 2004) and can’t remove the chopper assembly as directed in the video. I removed two screws but the chopper assembly cover doesn’t appear to be separate from the whole basin. Nothing is wiggling free. Do you have a suggestion (besides calling a repair guy). I’m pretty mechanical and think I can do it if I have a bit of advice.

By: Luke Reimer

Luke Reimer — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 04:56:35 +0000

Thank You !!!! My Kenmore Elite is identical or almost identical and was inherited when we bought the house 6 months ago … it cleaned ok but never as well as the Kenmore at my old house that was similar but not an Elite model … after 6 months the top rack was cleaning so poorly I was about to buy a new dishwasher …. I found a TON of gummy and hardened detergent when I removed everything, along with some bits of plastic and seeds. The first load post-cleaning was practically spotless!!! Great video and thanks again!!!!!

By: DIY Dishwasher Fix | My Blog

DIY Dishwasher Fix | My Blog — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 21:21:53 +0000

[...] Handy Guys Podcast video called “Fixing a Kenmore Elite Dishwasher that is Not Cleaning Dishes” used my [...]

By: ed

ed — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 21:24:24 +0000

were you able to fix this?

mine does same

By: Curt Gandy

Curt Gandy — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 13:55:36 +0000

This video was SO CLEAR and easy to follow! I took my Kenmore Elite apart, step by step, and found lots of toothpicks clogging my water return valve, exactly as Paul suggested might be causing the problem. I had a little trouble figuring those top tray end clips (really only about 2 min until I watched the video closer to see that they rotate to the side after you depress the center clip) but other than that, you get high marks for making a fine, easy to follow video. You saved me a service call. Thanks, guys!!

By: David

David — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 01:02:15 +0000

Worked like a charm. Definite design flaw. The shaft that drives the chopper assembly is plastic and had worn down. Blade just fell off. I adjusted the piece that holds the blade in place and hope is stays on. Otherwise the fix will be a significant piece of work. Wife was very happy with the sparkling dishes.
Thanks. Just saved me a ton of money.

By: Larry

Larry — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 19:18:24 +0000

Wow!!! Thank you so much for posting this video. If not for the vid, I would have called someone to repair and who knows what that would have cost. Thanks again!!!!

By: Karen

Karen — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 18:35:53 +0000

I have model 665 15632. I have everything unscrewed that I can see and still can’t get the screen off. It looks like there is stuff under the screen. I last unscrewed 8 torx screws. There is another hole where it looks like there used to be a screw at the 5 o’clock spot on the circle. Could it be there is something I have to unscrew beneath? I looked under there but couldn’t make sense of much!