I am attempting to repair my mother-in-law’s dishwasher, but I would like some advice before we decide to buy a new wash pump.
Symptoms: Wash pump is making noise at different stages of operation and sometimes runs fine. With the door open and bypassing the interlock switch, I observed during the fill cycle the motor attempting to run, but no movement other than a loud hum. At this point I had all spray arms removed as well as the large cover from under the lower spray arm. I cancled the cycle and restarted and the pump took off this time.
Investigation:I removed everything from inside the tub hoping to find an obstruction, but found nothing. I then removed the dishwasher, disconnected the power and removed the wash pump. I hoped to find something impeding the impeller, but all was clear and the impeller turns freely on the bench.
Other options: A new motor is $230+. Have I missed something? Could there be an electrical issue I could investigate or another part that may be causing a problem, but leading me to believe it is the pump motor binding?