Circulation Pump and Motor

Rather than remove the pump assembly - as an earlier post had done - I pulled the entire dishwasher out and laid it down on the floor. This allowed easy, direct access to the motor (that was the hard, messy part). From this point it was easy. Unplug the wiring, remove the retaining bolt, rotate the motor off the mounting brackets and pull it out. Then put the new one in. That was the easy part (about 15 minutes). The entire job took 2-and-a-half hours, most of which was taken in disconnecting, cleaning up and reconnecting the dishwasher. It's much quieter now.

I went on the internet and found a pdf file with the Kitchenaid dishwasher repair manual for my model. One of the hardest parts of the job was convincing myself that I could do the job. When you're young, you just go out and buy a new dishwasher and tell yourself, "it's only money, we'll make more." When you're over 50, you tell yourself, "I can fix this. It will mean I get to retire a week sooner if I don't spend another $700 for a new dishwasher."

In hindsight, I could have done this job (replace the motor) in about 30 minutes. 1) Turn off electrical breaker in basement. 2) slide out dishwasher. 3) disconnect water supply. 4) use old towels to soak up any water still in the tub. 5) turn dishwasher on it's side. 6) unhook the wire harness plug from the motor, squeeze with fingers to unhook. 7) unbolt motor, 1 bolt. 8) turn motor counterclockwise, 1/4 turn. 9) pull motor out from sump, requires some force. 10) install new motor, but use some rinse aid to lubricate the rubber seal on it. Instead I did things the hard way and took the whole darn machine apart!!! See my story below.

I was surprised at how simple the design was and how few parts there really were inside the dishwasher. I found the pdf repair manual very useful, and I also found some repair videos on line. One thing they may or may not tell you - clean the parts well and lubricate the gaskets with some 'rinse aid' liquid when you put the machine back together. Also, it might help you to take a few pictures with a digital camera before you take things apart - that might help you remember how things go back together. Take close up pictures and use a treble light to illuminate the area when you're taking a picture.

The new motor was the ticket to fixing the loud noise. I was worried because the part cost $150. Before I ordered a new motor, I hooked up the old motor to electricity on my work bench and was able to recreate the really loud noise - so I was pretty sure that the new motor would eliminate the problem. It was very easy to install the new motor, only one bolt holds it in place. I did need to disassemble several parts to get to it though. Have no fear. One thing I did was mark the electric leads that went to the small pump with red and black sharpie markers so I could easily see which terminals to plug them back onto.

After reassembling the whole dishwasher with a new motor and testing the dishwasher for leaks by pouring a couple pitchers of water into it - I put the beast back under the counter (hooking it back up to the water supply line, the drain pipe to the garbage disposal and finally the electric supply). Then I ran it and water gushed out the bottom.

This whole job should have been easy, but things never go easy for me. Maybe if I would have lubricated the old sump gasket with rinse aid it would have sealed properly when I reinstalled it. Maybe if I would have cleaned the old sump gasket and the bottom of the tub really thoroughly things would have sealed right. But I didn't - so it leaked. I went ahead and bought a new sump gasket ($30 and had a few more days of waiting and self-doubt and having the dishwasher broken down). One the gasket came, I went through the entire uninstall, disassembly, reassembly and reinstall process AGAIN!!! This time with the new clean sump gasket and thoroughly cleaned surfaces. I also lubricated the gasket with rinse aid before installation. NO LEAKS! Job finished. Lessons learned. Doing it the first time was pretty tough though. Good luck! Get a helper for moral support and picture taking!

I first thought I may have a defective water feed tube that runs from the bottom of the dishwasher tub aolng the back to the top. This is what the top rack sprayer plugs into to get water.

This was easily replaced by uncliping the feed tube by the two clips, one on the top of the tub and one in the back. You then give the feed tube a twist clockwise about 45 degree (relative to the bottom of the dishwasher). This will remove the feed tube and bottom sprayer.

However, this didn't fix the issue.

I then replaced the pump/motor. This is done by uninstalling the dishwasher and flipping it onto it's back so you can look at the bottom of the dishwasher. There is an electrial connector on the right side that needs to be disconnected. The motor is help on by one bolt in the back and a socket wrench with extender will be needed to get to it. Once the bolt is removed, and motor needs to be twisted about 45 degress so it feels "loose". Then you need to pull straight down and the motor will come off.

Just reverse all the steps to install the new motor.

But that didn't fix the issue either.

Come to find out, the problem I was having was the grinder screen was so gummed up with paper, the grinder broke and water was not getting through the screen. Here is how you replace the grider (which was the true fix to the problem).

- Remove the feed tube like I listed above. You DO NOT need to uninstall your dishwasher.

- Use a Torx driver to remove the three visible bolts on the bottom of the washer tub.

- Pull up on the plastic piece you just removed the screws to remove it.

- Use a smaller sized Torx driver to remove the one screw from the Grinder plate. Once you have the screw off, use a pair of pliers to pull straight up on post sticking straight up on the grinder housing.

-You can now see the grinder. Pull the screen and grinder assembly out. If it is still intact, just clean it and replace it back into its groove. If it is in pieces, it is destroyed and buy a new one.

- Reverse all the steps to put the dish washer back together.

This screen that fits into the groove was jammed up with paper and was causing my my issues. Once I placed this the macine worked great.

My dishwasher motor was getting very noisy lately and finally died altogether. (the fwd bearing and seals had worn out. There was a small pile of what looked like white sand under the motor from the wear) I removed the dishwasher from the counter after turning off the power at the breaker box. I then turned the dishwasher on its side. The pump motor is removed by first removing the electrical connector, then loosening the retaining bolt and twisting the motor counterclockwise about a quarter turn. The gasket required a little force to become unseated from the housing but not to bad. Wiggle and pull! Be sure to take a look at the alignment at this point to facilitate reinstallation.To install the new motor, align the mark on the impeller(small delta) with the mark on the motor. Insert Motor into housing and turn clockwise one quarter turn till retaining bolt hole is aligned. Install retaining bolt. Be sure to note the position of the stainless steel screen where you insert the motor. Place it back in position before installing the pump if it is disturbed. I lubed the oring with vaseline prior to install also. The new oring was diffrent and did not feel very tight when i installed , but there were no leaks and the dishwasher is running like new. Partselect had the part at my door the next day with no upgrade in shipping charges and I will use them in the future. This forum helped me choose them and made the task easier to do. Hope this helps you as well.

To empty the water in the dishwater basin, I pushed the cancel button and closed the door. I then turned the electrical breaker to the off position that supplies electricity to the dishwasher. I confirmed the power was off by attempting to start the dishwaser. I removed the metal plate between the dishwater door and the floor by removing the two screws. I removed the two screws that connect the top of the dishwasher to the underside of the countertop. I shut the water valve that supplies hot water to the dishwasher (mine was located under the sink). I disconnected the drain hose (plastic) by using pliers to loosen the clamp the holds the hose on the outlet of the drain pump (drain pump is much smaller than the pump that needed replacement). A towell is handy to soak up the water that comes out the hoses. I loosened the nut on the water supply hose (this was difficult because of lack of room)using a wrench and pliers. I opened the door on the metal box that houses the wire nuts for the electrical connection to dishwater, and I removed the wire nuts and the screw for the ground wire. Once the white, black, and gound wires were disconnected, I could pull the dishwater out. I also had to pull the drain hose out from the clips on the side of the washer to pull the dishwasher out into the middle of the kitchen floor. I flipped the dishwasher on its back. I removed the single bolt that held the broken pump motor to the dishwasher, and then the motor twisted counterclockwise and I pulled it out. The pump shaft would not turn freely with my pliers, so I knew the motor was broken. I removed the pump end (impeller) from the dishwasher by tapping it with my screwdriver. The impeller end came out along with a metal screen. The metal screen was 50% plugged, so I cleaned it and put it back in place. I wet the gasket on the new pump motor and slid it back in place while rotating clockwise and locking it in place with the tabs. I replaced the bolt that holds the motor in place and reversed the repair procedure to re-install the dishwasher. Be sure to run the dishwasher and look for any leaks. The last step is to replace the metal plate between the floor and door. While I had the dishwasher pulled out, I discovered another problem with the pulleys and strings that prevent the heavy door from flopping down, but I won't include this repair. The pump and motor must have been failing for some time because the dishwasher is much quieter now and the dishwasher is much faster. I am sure the plugged screen didn't help either.

Primarily, I read the instructions on line and watched the great videos explaining the repair. While the DW was out, I decided to change out the Drain Pump and the Chopper Assembly, even though only the Circulation Pump and Motor was my problem. These three items are the primary mechanical wear components and it made sense to me to replace these items. Perhaps I'll get another 10 years out of the DW. Two notes about the repairs. If you replace the chopper it isn't clear in the video where exactly it fits into the housing as the video mechanic did a great job of blocking the view of this part of the procedure. It took me awhile to figure out the chopper screen didn't go in the narrow trough, but just outside of that trough. Also, to lubricate the gaskets when putting the motor and the drain pump back in, I use a light coating of petroleum jelly. It is a good lubricant to facilitate the insertion of the both pumps. The pumps slid in easily and there were no leaks when I test ran the DW outside of the cabinetry. If you have a modicum of mechanical ability this job is a very simple, straight forward process. Good Luck!

Turned off water and disconnected line, then disconnected drain, turned off power and slid dishwasher out and turned turned upside down and removed hold down bolt ( it is a 3/8 head bolt) removed wire from motor and twisted motor assembly approximately 1/4 turn counter clock wise and removed old motor and seal assembly reinstalled new motor with new seal and rewired. Turned washer back upright and removed filter assembly and lower jet arm, removed cover for food disposal and reinstalled disposal blade back on pump drive reinstalled cover and filter assembly and jet arm. Slid unit back in place and anchored down to cabinet and turned water and power back on ran washer through a short cycle to clean any soap build up that was left inside and that was it, it all works just like new.

I had a repair guide for my dishwasher which helped. First I removed the water distribution system inside the dishwasher and then removed the door panel. Next I removed the front bottom access panel. I placed a pan under the pump and hoses to catch water when I removed the outlet hose. Very important here! One must remove the pressure switch from the outlet port or else you can't get the pump clear of the washer tub. Next I removed the drain pump by releasing the catch and turning the pump counter clockwise. Now for one of the hard steps. I had to remove three pins which hold the pump assy to the wash tub. Two of them are out of sight so you have to weave you hand past all the hardware and "feel" for the back two. At this point the pump assy just lifts out. Remove the motor /pump by removing one bolt and turning it counter clockwise and withdrawing. I put the new one in. Don't forget to put the pump screen in as I missed this and had to redo the job. Reverse all the previous steps being careful to keep the motor guard out of the pump seal area. Use lots of silicon seal grease and check for leaks on first power up. It took me a couple of adjustments to get a leak-free seal.

Replace motor/pump assembly

My husband pulled out the dishwasher and removed the faulty part and installed the new one. We found info on the parts source website to assist us. Dishwasher works great!!! Someone from the company we purchased it from had replaced it several years ago, and the seal at the bottom had leaked and the motor had siezed because of the water. We also discoved that the water line was severly kinked in 2 places, so we installed a flexable hose. Now my dishwasher is quiet, fills much faster and all this for a fraction of the price of a new appliance. Would recommend this website.