let's see here
concerning that appliance site, i am leery of them because i find it hard to believe they have all these old parts for kitchenaids that go back that far. but i could be wrong. actually if they do, 168 bucks is not out of line for a timer i feel. i paid about that for a motor for my kd-17 from a local appliance store here in cinti. recently. motors and timers seem to be the priciest parts.
another reason i am leery is that i punched in parts for my kd-12 that don't even exist on that machine to see what the site would say and they popped up parts supposedly for that model! hmmmmmm??? maybe i missed a part on it, or two.
anyway one way to solve that problem is to call them, i intend to do that this week. i will post the results of that call.
i ran my kd-12 last nite manually and gave it a nice long wash and 3 rinses and it was great fun! altho i do want to get a timer on it again. but it will work that way, i do that to all my dishwashers, install external switches to turn off timer motor, turn on and off the drain and fill valves so i can create my own cycles!
all you need is a switch for the motor, drain solonoid, and fill solonoid, and dryer if you use that. i don't. if you turn motor off while it is filling it will fill to proper level and stop due to it's pressure switch design. if motor runs while it is filling all extra water will overflow into drain and be pumped away and machine will just keep on filling. i found a one minute fill was fine if i leave motor running.
low voltage relays is a great project and one i have done in the past on dishwashers. a bit of work but hey, like you said it's a fun project! radio shack has relays that will work. just bought a couple last week.
actually any of the older g.e. or hotpoint machines will have a timer that operates in a similiar fashion and you could use it. the g.e.'s ran the motor continuously and turned on and off the fill and drain solonoids with the pump running. i have an extra you could have if you decide to go that route. any dishwasher that uses a drain solonoid and does not reverse the motor to drain it will have a timer you could use. i see old g.e.'s and hotpoints in the trash all the time, they are quite common. again i have one for you if you like.
actually i have a kd-5 in michigan i bought a month ago waiting for me to pick up, i intend to get it this month. it is a top loader and i am excited, i've never had a top loader in my life! it must be fun to use! can't wait.
good luck, keep posting questions here, that's what the site is here for and if you want that g.e. timer let me know.
you can e mail me direct at
[email protected]
pete
