The top rack in my dishwasher wont clean the dishes anymore. Instead it leaves a very greasy film on them especially on the clear plastics. Plus food debris is left also. I have replaced the feed tube (found a cracked rubber in one of the top rack flappers), the chopper assembly (found and removed all crud at the same time) and the check valve plus I have refilled my rinse agent compartment and ran a mix of vinegar and baking soda. i am at my wits end!! I have also opened and closed the door during a wash cycle and both upper and lower arms seem to be rotating. I am not sure how much water is supposed to be in the bottom during a cycle but there didn’t appear to be much (1/2" maybe??). Also it might be worth mentioning that my hot water heater is turned up and i do get go pressure. I am suspecting a bad fill valve? a float problem? computer sequencing wrong? New detergent with low phosphates?? I cant find the symptoms on any of the other forums or threads. I do have a water softner that i have had since before getting the dishwasher 3 years ago so cant imagine that is it? I recently repositioned the drain vent slightly (mounted it underneath new countertops). It only does it on the top rack which is the most confusing??? I would also like to know how the drying agent gets dispersed? there doesn’t seem to any hoses or openings in its container. Thanks you for any advice i hop ei have painted a good enough picture
Here are your parts
http://www.appliancepartspros.com/partsearch/modelsearch.aspx?model=kudl40cvss3
[COLOR="DarkRed"]I am not sure how much water is supposed to be in the bottom during a cycle but there didn’t appear to be much (1/2" maybe??).
I am suspecting a bad fill valve?[/COLOR]
Open the door after each fill and add a couple quarts of hot water.
Just be careful to not overfill the unit. Most units fill to just under the heating element.
Often a unit will be noisier if the pump is starving for water.
If it now washes OK then the fill valve is the probable cause.
There is a screen filter built into the input side of the valve. Remove the valve from the unit and check/clean the screen filter.
Do not permanently remove the screen filter from the valve as it is there to keep crud out of the valve which could hold it open and cause a flood.
If the screen is clean I would replace the valve.
a float problem?
I doubt it is the float
computer sequencing wrong?
Could be but unlikely
New detergent with low phosphates??
Also a possibility. In my opinion the detergents rate as follows.
- Good old powder
- Powder low phosphate. They are getting better but can vary greatly from brand to brand.
- Liquid.
- Capsules, pucks or whatever the marketing people call them.
I recently repositioned the drain vent slightly (mounted it underneath new countertops).
When you did this you may have knocked some crud off the inside of the water line and now the screen filter is partially clogged.
[COLOR="DarkRed"]
It only does it on the top rack which is the most confusing???[/COLOR]
Low fill will do this.
[COLOR="DarkRed"]
I would also like to know how the drying agent gets dispersed? there doesn’t seem to any hoses or openings in its container.[/COLOR]
Usually there is a hole under the detergent cups (pre-wash normally)
Denman or others,
My Kithchenaid DW is also not cleaning the top rack and i removed the food chopper and it was clogged around the perimeter but by no means clogged throughout. Under the filter, however, was a mess of dried and wet detergent. Based on Denman’s response below, does the lack of wholesale chopper clogging suggest maybe a fill valve problem?
Thx!
Todd
I cannot say if it is related to a low fill.
any advice as to what to do next? should i replace the chopper if it was not overly clogged? white shaft part also seemed to be in good shape. should i try diagnosing any fill valve problem as you described in a previous post in a similar thread (adding a couple of qts after each fill)?
thx!
If the chopper is clean and not slipping an the motor shaft there is no reason to replace it.
Yes I would check the fill level.
It is easy and can narrow down the possibilities quickly.
By adding water to the fill cycles, I have determined that i have a bad fill valve. Now how do i remove the old one? i have attached a pic of what i believe is the fill valve. I also attached a pic of the screws holding it in but it’s really hard to get a pic of decent image quality. Any idea what kind of screws hold this in? seems like they i might need allen wrench, which would make sense given the low clearance off the floor. Is this right? thanks!
Here are the parts
http://www.appliancepartspros.com/partsearch/modelsearch.aspx?model=kudl40cvss3
If you look at the parts Item 7 in Section 4 you will see that it comes with the bracket.
Click on the parts picture for more views and info.
Looks like it should release if pushed to the left.
Not sure what is holding it to the right.
Then all you have to do is tranfer the elbow you are using to the new valve and connect it in again.
It appears to me that there is no way to get to the chopper/screen. Is it beneath the Stainless Steel tub bottom? I removed the sprayarm but it gave me no view to anything that looks like the chopper in the parts diagrams. How do I access it to be sure it’s clean before I make the $200+ phone call?
You have to remove the filter screen and a chopper cover to see it.
Here is the chopper. Click on the picture for more info and a Q&A about this part.
AP4260709
I’m sorry, I have indeed sen the previously posted info, but here is my real problem. I know where the chopper is but I cannot get to it as I am afraid to break something.
I can remove 3 of the 4 screws on the pump cover/screen but I cannot seem to move the feed tube from the inlet valve. there is not enough room to remove it from just unclipping the first top clip. It cannot move to the 2 oc position while still attached.
You also mentioned that the water feed tube can be removed from the upper clips on the back wall. Are they the small metal on each side halfway up on either sid on the round fitting that the upper spray arm enters when the top tray is rolled back? It just seems that this is an awful lot of parts that have to come off to access a screw and a cover.
I do really appreciate your help but the cure seems so easy if I can just get past these assemblies…
I have never taken a unit apart that has the manifold at the back.
A far as I know the rear feed tube (Item 2 in Section 7) should un-clip from the feed tube (Item 12 in Section 2) so you can remove it
Perhaps clicking on the different parts pictures will help as there is often more views ans a Q&A about that part.
I am having the exact same problem with a 13 month old Kitchen Aid Model KUDC10FXSS. Did you find a solution?