WC201 Maytag Dishwasher - Instructions

The repair was fairly simple. The hardest part was figuring out if this was the part I needed or not. After studying the inerds of the dishwasher door and the detergent cup mechanism, it seemed like this part would do the trick.

Here's how the mechanism works . . . the plastic stopper at the end of the bi-metallic strip latches the detergent cup in place. If these strips are bent away from the spring mechanism / plastic cam enough, the stopper will not latch on the cam (as was the case with mine). So, I needed to replace the bi-metallic strip. This part comes along with a new cam and spring.

The actual replacement of the parts is simple. The parts come with pretty good installation instructions.

Good luck . . .

Remove bottom cover.
Put the belt on the large pulley and stretch it about 5 times to make it larger. Remove the belt from the large pulley and put it on the small pulley at the motor. Stretch it to left side of the large pulley and make sure the belt is on partial of the pulley's groove then rotate the large pulley forward. The pulley will pull the belt into the groove by itself.

Put spring in plastic bushing, snapped into door arm and hooked opposite end of spring in first hole. Repeated process on opposite side of door. Did the above without moving the dishwasher from installed position.

On my maytag portable dishwasher I had to remove three side screws on right lower panel,and two lower screws to free up panel. I had to pry the panel away from the body to get axes to the springs. Replaced springs as instructed reinstalled all hardware, finished.

After nearly 20 years of use (and no service) my Maytag dishwasher stopped getting dishes clean. I called Maytag and they made me an appointment with a nearby service center. The Maytag person also suggested I do a run with an open container in the dishwasher filled with a couple of cups of white vinegar – since that dissolves the white scale buildup from hard water. That helped a lot. Yay Maytag!

I had 5 days to wait for service, so I started Googling. I found very negative reviews of my local service center, but I also learned that I could buy a replacement detergent dispenser online and I found excellent simple instructions for installing it. It arrived in two days and I installed it. The hardest part was removing the front panel of the dishwasher to get access and supporting it while taking out the last couple of screws – then holding it in place afterwards while putting the screws back in. I recommend having a second pair of hands!

I also realized that the two rotating spray arms (at the bottom and at the top) weren’t rotating! They’re easy to remove (just unscrew the center component), and I found that many of the holes were clogged – including all the ones pointing sideways that make them spin. I had to force water inwards through the holes to dislodge the debris, then I filled the arms with water through the center hole and sloshed it around to clear things out. That worked. I put it back together – and the dishwasher is now as good as new!

For good measure I took the cover off the strainer in the bottom to clean it, but surprisingly the strainer was almost completely clean.

I cancelled the service appointment, of course. I’m sure I saved a lot of $$$.

I had read that recently mandated reformulation of dishwasher detergent with lower phosphate content makes it less effective – but I’m not seeing that: a little simple maintenance and my dishes are 100% squeaky clean again!

Belt seemed too small at first to fit, but turning the power module pulley while holding the belt enabled it to slip in properly. Didn't help that there's not much space to work.

Took old one off , installed new one!!

I only really needed the lip seal that fits in the faucet adapter. After much research I discovered that the seal was simply not available. I tried to substitute a standard O-ring of the correct size, but it was too thick and did not allow the adapter to snap on to the faucet.

I purchased the complete hose assembly from Partselect.com, and received it quickly. I used a small screwdriver to remove the seal from the new hose assembly, and installed it in my existing hose assembly. The seal was a perfect match with the old one, it fit perfectly, and no more leaks.

Be careful not to damage the new seal when you are removing it. Also, be advised that if you choose to replace the entire hose assembly that you may need to replace the areator on your faucet, in this case the new hose would not fit on the existing areator, but fortunately the seal was a perfect match.

I have a new faucet so I remove the screen then I used an extender ring put on your adapter an got the washer to run.

The Retaining Nut of my Upper Spray Arm fell off and was stripped. I was thinking I was going to have to get a new dishwasher because mine is pretty old. I found Partselect.com and plugged in my model number and it gave me all the parts. It cost me less than $10 with shipping and it saved me about $450.

First I was amazed that the belt was available for my ancient dishwasher. Then I was amazed again when it came overnight. The instructions said to stretch it over the two pulleys but my hands weren't strong enough. In a sudden flash of brilliance I decided to use a screwdriver as a lever to force it onto the second pulley. Done deal - happy home handyman.

I removed four screws and thus the front plate at the bottom of the dishwasher. I then removed the old spring, using a long nose pliers and, still using the pliers, replaced it with the new one. The enclosed instructions were helpful as was the previous letter written by someone with the same problem. I then replaced the bottom plate and the door worked as it should. Thanks for once again having the part I needed.

Unscrewed the diswasher from the counter, pulled it out to access the right main door spring and took out the old spring.I installed the plastic washer then slipped the spring throught it and pulled the spring donw with the needle nose vicegrips and inserted the bottom of the spring into the lower hole. I pushed the dishwasher back andrefastened it to the counter.

Remove the lower panel by taking out the 2 screws on top and 2 at the bottom of the panel. To diagnose the problem, verify that there is water supplied from the valve under the sink to the water supply valve under the DW. This can be done by turning off the valve under the sink, disconnecting the copper supply line under the DW then turning on the valve under the sink to see if water passes through the line.

The float switch is located on the left front (as you face the DW). This is activated by the float in the tub. Check to be certain that the float is not restricted. The contact point on the switch is a spring loaded plunger. It should depress as the float rises and pop back out as the float returns to its low point.

Turn off the circuit breaker for the DW. To remove the switch, pull off the two electric leads from the switch. Mark the top lead with a piece of tape. Then remove the one philips screw. Replace the switch by reversing the procedure. Note that you have aligned the float contact point with the float.

Removed covers on the bottom of dishwasher so I could get access to area. Measured no voltage on water inlet pump. removed to wires from foat switch, one screw to remove float switch. When I pressed the float switch button to activate the switch would not move. Ordered and replaced the switch. 30 minutes tops