My dishwasher (whirlpool model WDF320PADS1) was running great and the very next day quit. It fills with water, tries to start the wash cycle, but doesn’t spray any water from the arms. I cleaned the arms after inspecting them and discovered there was a lot of hard water calcium buildup. I cleaned them really well with CLR and don’t believe that’s the real problem.
I also cleaned the screens/filters at the bottom and removed some caked up calcium deposits from the bottom where the filter sits. Next, I checked the impeller, which is hard to get to, to see if there was anything jamming it.
Unfortunately, there’s only enough room to stick my finger through the hole to inspect it. I believe it should turn freely but I couldn’t get it to. Whether it wouldn’t turn due to not enough room to get to the blades or being actually jammed I don’t know. Is there someway to take it off and inspect it for anything that might be jamming it up or is it better to buy a new one and hope that’s actually the problem?
I haven’t checked the motor yet to see if it’s jammed and don’t know how to get to it anyway outside of pulling the entire unit out and tipping it over. I hear a kind-of humming click noise when trying to run the wash cycle. I had to replace a motor in another machine prior to this and that one had a noticeable hum. This is very low and hard to hear. Does anyone have any ideas of a fix or do I have to call a repairman to see about it? After the labor and parts it might be just as cheap to buy a new one since it’s out of warranty now (1 1/2 years old). Again, any help would be greatly appreciated!