Hello, our Kenmore ultra-wash has recently been acting erratically. We first noticed when we were greeted in the morning with a burnt smell and saw melted plastic spatulas and Rubbermaid covers in the dish rack.
We noticed that the water heat light turned on and stayed on near the end of the wash cycle, although we always select the No water heat option Resetting the buttons did not turn the water heat light off, and the heating element was clearly hot to the touch and energized. During one wash, the system seemed to hang and stay in heat dry mode, even though we always select the "No heat dry" option. That's how our spatulas must have melted.
Diagnosing the problem, I found that the first wash cycle, which should have lasted 16 minutes according to the Timing Cycle Chart (Normal wash, no water heat), actually lasted only 6 minutes. For this short wash, the tank filled normally, for the correct duration.
The dishwasher then drained properly, but then followed this sequence:
I stopped the test at that point, and started a new load under the Pots & Pans cycle. The P&P wash didnt make an initial fill, but tried to run a wash without any water in the tank.
My conclusion is that the timer has a problem; either:
I opened the cover and studied the timer; no sign of small pieces of broken plastic, so conclude the detent cams are not necessarily physically shattered. Could the problem be the underlying Timer Cam Plate, part #337-8124; perhaps its mounted a few degrees off?
I should add that the dishwasher has never done a great job of cleaning; Ive followed the usual advice on this forum, but after checking and correcting most of the standard solutions (the filter is still somewhat clogged with hard water residue; Ill buy a brand new one if I can get this bigger problem fixed), washing has always been mediocre. I chalked the poor cleaning up to the clogged filter, but now Im wondering if the wash cycle has always been far shorter than it should have been.
Finally, I'd like to rehabilitate this machine if possible; Ive got a bunch of spare parts from a cannibalized machine, (including the motor, but not alas, the timer), and understand how it works.
Should I replace the entire timer unit, just the Timer Cam plate, or check something else....
Thanks for your advice!
- Leo
We noticed that the water heat light turned on and stayed on near the end of the wash cycle, although we always select the No water heat option Resetting the buttons did not turn the water heat light off, and the heating element was clearly hot to the touch and energized. During one wash, the system seemed to hang and stay in heat dry mode, even though we always select the "No heat dry" option. That's how our spatulas must have melted.
Diagnosing the problem, I found that the first wash cycle, which should have lasted 16 minutes according to the Timing Cycle Chart (Normal wash, no water heat), actually lasted only 6 minutes. For this short wash, the tank filled normally, for the correct duration.
The dishwasher then drained properly, but then followed this sequence:
- pause mode
- skipped the fill
- tried to run a wash cycle
I stopped the test at that point, and started a new load under the Pots & Pans cycle. The P&P wash didnt make an initial fill, but tried to run a wash without any water in the tank.
My conclusion is that the timer has a problem; either:
- Some or all of the detent cams are broken
- They have come loose from their spindle and are out of sync
- Possibly the Timer Cam Plate is mis-aligned?
I opened the cover and studied the timer; no sign of small pieces of broken plastic, so conclude the detent cams are not necessarily physically shattered. Could the problem be the underlying Timer Cam Plate, part #337-8124; perhaps its mounted a few degrees off?
I should add that the dishwasher has never done a great job of cleaning; Ive followed the usual advice on this forum, but after checking and correcting most of the standard solutions (the filter is still somewhat clogged with hard water residue; Ill buy a brand new one if I can get this bigger problem fixed), washing has always been mediocre. I chalked the poor cleaning up to the clogged filter, but now Im wondering if the wash cycle has always been far shorter than it should have been.
Finally, I'd like to rehabilitate this machine if possible; Ive got a bunch of spare parts from a cannibalized machine, (including the motor, but not alas, the timer), and understand how it works.
Should I replace the entire timer unit, just the Timer Cam plate, or check something else....
Thanks for your advice!
- Leo