Whirlpool Dishwasher not draining entirely

Dishwasher Repair
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1

Greetings

I have a Whirlpool dishwasher, model number DU840CWDB3

Discovered the other day that there was a fair amount of water left in the tub after a cycle completed. Enough to cover the element.

The dishwasher will drain, if I manually advance the timer to the point where I can hear the motor kick into drain. But, the next cycle, the tub is full again and doesn’t drain.

I haven’t been able to sit in front of the dishwasher while an actual load is running, and verify it drains when it is supposed to.

I’ve had this problem before, and it turned out to be a drain hose that was clogged. However, this time, it’s clearly draining as I can look into the sink and watch it pour in the side of the disposal.

I’m not certain how I should troubleshoot the issue. Can someone point me in the right direction?

I’ve read the service manual, and it gives 3 possible problems

  1. Air gap is clogged - we don’t have an air gap, so I can rule that one out
  2. Pump motor is inoperable - I think the ability to drain the tub by manual advancement of the timer rules that one out
  3. Open timer contacts - would the manual advancement drain method I mentioned rule this out? I can certainly tear it apart, remove the timer, and test with my DMM. Do timers get gummed up over time? Not sure if there’s any sort of lubricant in them that dries up or anything like that.

Thoughts? I don’t know whether this dishwasher is a ‘Chevy Cavalier’ or a ‘Cadillac’ of dishwashers, the low end dishwashers are around $250 locally, and the timer assy is around half of that - seems like it might make sense to just replace the whole unit if the timer is truly the culprit, if a low end dishwasher would be comparable, if this were more comparable to the higher end dishwashers, then I’d want to look at the timer - I can easily budget for a low end to a mid grade dishwasher, but a high end one is out of reach at the moment.

Any advice is much appreciated!

3

I had a similar problem a few weeks ago. It turned out to be trash stuck in the check valve. I pulled it out and ran some fresh water through it and it seems to be fine now. The part is under the dw between the drain hose and motor. It’s the piece that the hose clamps to. Unclamp the hose and unscrew it. Check for trash inside and rinse in sink. Hope that works…

— Begin quote from johnwartjr;678192

Greetings

I have a Whirlpool dishwasher, model number DU840CWDB3

Discovered the other day that there was a fair amount of water left in the tub after a cycle completed. Enough to cover the element.

The dishwasher will drain, if I manually advance the timer to the point where I can hear the motor kick into drain. But, the next cycle, the tub is full again and doesn’t drain.

I haven’t been able to sit in front of the dishwasher while an actual load is running, and verify it drains when it is supposed to.

I’ve had this problem before, and it turned out to be a drain hose that was clogged. However, this time, it’s clearly draining as I can look into the sink and watch it pour in the side of the disposal.

I’m not certain how I should troubleshoot the issue. Can someone point me in the right direction?

I’ve read the service manual, and it gives 3 possible problems

  1. Air gap is clogged - we don’t have an air gap, so I can rule that one out
  2. Pump motor is inoperable - I think the ability to drain the tub by manual advancement of the timer rules that one out
  3. Open timer contacts - would the manual advancement drain method I mentioned rule this out? I can certainly tear it apart, remove the timer, and test with my DMM. Do timers get gummed up over time? Not sure if there’s any sort of lubricant in them that dries up or anything like that.

Thoughts? I don’t know whether this dishwasher is a ‘Chevy Cavalier’ or a ‘Cadillac’ of dishwashers, the low end dishwashers are around $250 locally, and the timer assy is around half of that - seems like it might make sense to just replace the whole unit if the timer is truly the culprit, if a low end dishwasher would be comparable, if this were more comparable to the higher end dishwashers, then I’d want to look at the timer - I can easily budget for a low end to a mid grade dishwasher, but a high end one is out of reach at the moment.

Any advice is much appreciated!

— End quote

4

Bill,

Thanks for the information. You nailed it!

The check valve was indeed restricted. Quite heavily. I ended up removing it entirely, placing it in a container of white vinegar, and letting it soak for a few hours to loosen up calcium deposits from our hard water supply.

The small rubber diaphragm was completely caked! I ended up using a small plastic pick to scrape a lot of crusty stuff off it.

Now, it runs great! I’ve run 3-4 loads of dishes through it since.

Guess I’ve avoided participating in our ‘disposable’ society, at least for another few days :slight_smile:

Thanks again!

5

— Begin quote from johnwartjr;679879

Bill,

Thanks for the information. You nailed it!

The check valve was indeed restricted. Quite heavily. I ended up removing it entirely, placing it in a container of white vinegar, and letting it soak for a few hours to loosen up calcium deposits from our hard water supply.

The small rubber diaphragm was completely caked! I ended up using a small plastic pick to scrape a lot of crusty stuff off it.

Now, it runs great! I’ve run 3-4 loads of dishes through it since.

Guess I’ve avoided participating in our ‘disposable’ society, at least for another few days :slight_smile:

Thanks again!

— End quote

was just curious about where the check valve would be located??

thanx

6

On the front of the dishwasher, it’s down towards the bottom behind the panels that cover the wiring, etc.

It has 2 rubber hoses running into it and is white in color. A single fastener retains it, I believe it’s 5/8ths, but I may have remembered incorrectly.

If you are going to remove it, you need to put a small container underneath it to catch any water that runs out of it.

7

thanx for this info johnwartjr, i will let my hon know this tonite…

k

8

ok, our’s was not under the front, but it was good for my husband to have a peek around…we had to take off the arm, and all of the other stuff under it…we cleaned it out, lint, a piece of fishing line, a piece of a chipped plate…put it all back, and it still has suds in the bottom of the washer when the cycle is done…almost as if the rinsing is screwy…so i called whirlpool, and the only thing i got from them that mite b useful is a cup of white vinegar in the bottom and run the washer…ughhhh, i hate wasting hot water, but this is what i am doing now.

k

this did not post yesterday for some reason…

so the vinegar did not work, and i am thinking the jet dry compartment is wonky, or the rinse cycle…i did not use soap, but there were still suds in the bottom of the dishwasher, and the whirlpool person did say that the whatever it is, forget the name (jet dry comp.) could b causing problems…

k :confused: