Kenmore Dishwasher - Leaky Boat Syndrome

Dishwasher Repair
,
1

Note: - This is the correct model number (665.13263K111) for our Kenmore/Whirlpool Dishwasher, but no one seems to list parts for this exact model.

The never ending saga of the ‘leaky boat’ Whirlpool, - made for Sears, 3 year old dishwasher has reared it’s ugly head yet again.

It is of course leaking from the sump where the diverter valve enters the bottom of the sump and appears to seal around an ‘o’ ring up on the sump housing.

I’ve read a few posts about quick fixes with silicone grease, homemade gaskets and the like, but it seems like sending myself on a fool’s errand to try and cobble a solution together. What I don’t see is a direct replacement part number for our specific machine that comes complete with a new pump motor, diverter and sump all pre-assembled.

The closest machine (66513263K110) appears to require Whirlpool part number: W10482482 but I don’t know if it will fit ours.

I figure it’s just a matter of time before the diverter finally quits, the motherboard shorts out and the machine dies entirely.

Thoughts?

3

After much thought, I’ve decided to apply the $200 it would cost to replace the swap out sump unit to the purchase of a new dishwasher; - this time from BestBuy.

Doesn’t make sense to fix it for another 3 years just so it can fail again.

4

Still considering a new Bosch unit, but not right away.

Too much time on my hands, I guess. Took the diverter valve / motor apart on Sunday and removed the tiny circuit board with the micro switch mounted on it.

The switch was corroded inside (ya, I took it apart, cleaned it up to remove the green / blue corrosion and brightened the contact surfaces), put the tiny flex disc back in the switch and attached my Fluke meter to measure resistance across the switch and fiddled with it until I got a consistent reading when the switch closed.

Put the micro switch back together and smeared a nice glob of silicone grease around it to keep moisture away.

Then I tackled the leak. I cut a small piece of 1/8" ID surgical tubing and slipped it over the shaft where it would contact the seal in the sump. You can do this from inside the tub by removing the lower arm, the turbo jets from the rear, and twisting the valve adapter so it will come off and expose the white disc diverter plate. With the plate removed, you can slip the tubing over the shaft being careful not to leave too much where the disc engages the shaft.

The surgical rubber tubing (with a small amount of silicone grease) increases the size of the shaft and creates a firm but not tight seal between the tubing and the sump seal. Incidentally, Amazon lists a part to replace the nefarious leaking seal for about $11, but I like my solution better. Will see how long it lasts. If necessary I can break down and buy a new diverter, but not just yet.

Put it all back together, ran a rinse cycle first, no-leak test successful.

Then set it up for a 1 hour wash and listened to the diverter as it clicked through its settings during the wash. Ran flawlessly. Will do a load of dishes tonight and report back.

Total cost: $0.00

Time required to remove the diverter, overhaul the switch and reinstall it: about 1 hour.

Satisfaction knowing the machine had not beaten me: Priceless!

5

Machine has run through 3 wash cycles since I posted the above repair outline. No leaks and it seems to follow a regular cycle of diverter sequencing.

Will just keep an eye on it and check the tupperware dish for leakage from time to time.

6

Well, it leaked again.

Guessing my repair to the seal end didn’t solve it. Will pull the washer out, remove the diverter and this time pop the seal / grommet out to see if it has deteriorated further.

Apparently Whirlpool part # W10195677 does not fit the sump on our 665.13263K111 dishwasher.

I’m determined to fix this sucker without too much pain on the wallet.

"…This is not the end, this is not the beginning of the end, but it is the end of the beginning!.." - Winston Churchill

7

Hi Folks!

Took the machine apart this morning. My repair using the surgical neoprene tubing failed and the seal / grommet leaked about 12 oz of water over night during a wash cycle. The first 6 oz was caught by a tuperware container, the second 6 oz ran on the floor. The neoprene tubing had actually been sliced in a spiral by the seal / grommet because I forced the neoprene and the shaft into the seal’s bore. The taper of the seal where it contacts the shaft is sharp enough to do this.

First time the machine has leaked in over 12 weeks since I repaired it. Also after over 100 loads as we ran it every night.

This time I removed the diverter motor, popped the seal and figured out where the diverter motor shaft bottomed out in the seal when attached to the bottom of the sump. I cut a new piece of neoprene to fit over the shaft.

I also inserted two neoprene O-rings (used for auto Air Conditioning) inside the seal to tighten it up and make the hole in the center a bit smaller and a tighter fit around the shaft. Sealed the O-rings in with some silicone sealant and set it aside to dry while I tackled the position of a new piece of neoprene. It took a few tries, but I finally got a good snug seal between the neoprene tubing and the bottom of the seal / grommet placed over the shaft and immediately under the seal. The two pieces interconnect, but are not one inside the other so should last longer.

I put a liberal amount of silicone grease in the cavity where the seals rests, pressed it back in with a 3/8" 6-point socket (I installed the seal with the O-rings and spring wire crush retainer UP rather than DOWN, (although installing it the other way would prevent the O-rings from popping out) and allowed the new neoprene tubing to come up against the tapered cavity in the seal, essentially creating a secondary seal that rotates with the shaft. Plenty of silicone grease here too. Re-assembled the innards and slide the machine back into the cabinet.

Re-connected the power, drain line and fired it up. NO Leaks, for now anyway. Will just have to keep an eye on the machine until we are ready to chuck it and replace it with a new one.

Took me about 2-1/2 hours to pull the machine apart, figure out a solution, do interference measurements and finally re-assemble everything.

Priceless! :smiley: