whirlpool dw filter clogs, pump pressure

Dishwasher Repair
,
1

Recently the wash quality has been poor.
Upon examining I discovered that fine food debris is building up inside the hollow doughnut like filter and if I used a household sqeeze trigger sprayer to clean the dishes would come out ok.
As of yesterday the filter cleaning routine no longer helps so observed the cycle with the door open by defeating the door close switch and the tub fills quickely but no water comes out of the upper spray arms and the lower spray arm barely rotates with jets almost too short to hit the dishes.
Should food be getting inside that filter?
There are no holes in it that I can see.
Help!

2

Looks like the pump has to be partially disassembled and inspected inside for a blockages and/or damages.

I would recommend to buy the impeller kit before you start it. Most likely you will need it.

Remove the upper dish rack.

Remove the water feeding tube (#24 on the [AP3115180](http://www.appliancepartspros.com/partsearch/model.aspx?diagram_id=132366&&model_id=265622"]water feed parts break down diagram[/URL]).

pump & motor break down diagramRemove all screws holding the pump outlet (#14 on the ) and remove the pump outlet.

pump & motor break down diagramRemove the screw (12 on the ) holding the wash impeller. Remove the wash impeller.

pump & motor break down diagramRemove all screws holding the filter assembly (#9 on the ). Remove the filter assembly.

Check the filter and all parts inside.

Here are the break down diagrams for the Whirlpool dishwasher http://www.appliancepartspros.com/partsearch/model.aspx?diagram_id=132365&&model_id=265622

Gene.

3

Thanks Gene for the help!
Do I need to get the "pump centering tool" to put in the new impeller and stuff?

4

It’s better to have it.

Sometime missing right tool can screw up a whole job.

Gene.

5

Hi Gene,

I found this thread, I am trying to follow the schematic you gave above, I need to clean out the filter to my dishwasher.

I can’t seem to remove the bolt (part 12). Unfortunately, I tried to use vice grips to hold #11 in place and ended up braking off a two sides of the hex plastic portion.

From the new diagram, I think the bolt is loc-tightened, how do I go about removing it? Also, since I broke off two sides of the hex, will that affect anything? From what I can see, the hex portion doesn’t fit into anything, but you would know better than me.

Thank-you,
Jordan

6

Jordan,

The screw (12) is not loc-tightened. Most likely it’s just rusted. The part with the reference #11 is the wash impeller. Its top hex portion designed to make easier that 12 screw removal and it does not affect anything, but in order to remove that rusted screw you probably have to break (chisel) this impeller in pieces. You will need the new impeller kit in such situation.

Gene.

7

Thank-you Gene,
I actually was able to remove the screw, it wasn’t lock tightened, but was in there very securely. I managed to wedge a pair of vice grips between the propeller and the wall, which allowed me to remove the screw.

Everything was able to be put back together correctly.

One other question, I tried to clean the filter, I couldn’t pry it apart, so I was forced to run hot water over the mesh coverings and proceeded to shake the caked debris out of it. Is there any other/better way that I could get the debris out?

This dishwasher is in a rental unit I currently occupy, so I don’t want to dump a lot of money into anything, and I was able to find a new filter online for $47. Should the dishwasher not get the dishes much cleaner, I assume I will have to replace this. Any other suggestions as to cleaning the dishwasher?

Thanks,
Jordan

8

Jordan,

I believe you can soak the filter in white vinegar for a few hours. Vinegar is very good to dissolve such things.

Gene.