Our Whirlpool DU810SWLQ0 came with a home purchased about a year ago - so, no idea of age of unit or repair history. Even after a good pre-rinse in the sink, we find small pieces of food and stuff left on the dishes and glasses. I’d say it gets about 70% of the dishes totally clean, but there are, say, tiny pieces of broccoli left on some things, or a bit of cheese, melted but not removed. I thought it was because this is a basic, no-frills dishwasher, but I’m starting to rethink that.
The first thing I did was remove the tower protector from the lower dishrack, and that seemed to help a little (we’re careful not to put items where the tower pops up during a wash). But now I’m wondering if the spray arm is the right size for this dishwasher. When I open the door and manually spin the arm, it scrapes a little against the sides of the dishwasher walls, as well as clips the float switch. So, I tried to jimmy the door so I could peek in while the arm spins, but as far as I could tell (after getting myself wet), it wasn’t moving past the walls or the float switch.
The spray arm installed looks just like what’s pictured in the part list - but I’m wondering if these were made in different sizes, and maybe the dishwasher was repaired at some point with the wrong part. Or I’m just totally crazy, which is always within the realm of possibility. So, does this sound even remotely feasable?
Also, how do you remove the grate from the bottom of the unit? I’d like to make sure that’s clear of any debris, but I can’t seem to locate any screws or other way of releasing it.
Wow, using the camera was a great idea – can’t believe I didn’t think of that! But it sounds like you’re describing the same issue, with what I’m sure is the same washer.
Sadly, no responses at all to this post, and I haven’t done much investigating since. I was thinking about calling Whirlpool, but I don’t have high hopes for that route. If I do come across something, I’ll be sure to post it here.
I figured out what the problem is with the dishwasher, and I bet the same thing can/will be said for yours…
In the parts list and diagram displayed on Whirpool’s website (http://shared.whirlpoolcorp.com/assets/pdfs/literature/Repair%20Part%20List%20-%208194503.pdf), part 5 (Motor Support) under "PUMP AND SPRAY ARM PARTS" was where the problem was. This thing was just hanging there and not actually connected to the dishwasher, and thus was not supporting the pump and motor assembly. Hopefully the attached image will help you out. Make sure that the support "arms" are locked into place on the dishwasher (red circled area). You should see two holes where each "arm" will go.
It’s been a while since I checked back here, and I just saw your post with the pic. I thought "no way…", but… you ROCK!!! This is exactly what was wrong! I can’t believe it was something so simple. I was convinced that someone had once repaired it with the wrong size spray arm.
THANK YOU for taking the time to take the pic and post it here – you’ve saved me from buying a new dishwasher!
Thank you both for the information! I am under the impression that my dishwasher has not worked properly since the day we moved in to our new house…that was in 2003! I fixed the problem with the motor hangers today in about 10 min total with just a number 2 phillips screwdriver.
hello i have an amana washer model lwa40aw2 It fills, agitates and drains but won’t spin. it also seems to be leaking a bit since it stopped spinning. Could someone please tell me why. thank you
I also have an Amana, mine is model LWA50AW and is doing the same thing your machine is: it fills and agitates, drains but will not spin to centrifuge the water. I would appreciate if you could tell me what you did and if you were able to correct the issue. Thank you!
