Q: Is there any kind of surging sound coming from the machine when it’s running? And if so, does it go away when you add water to it?
I don't think so. It sounds normal I think. Thanks for the info about how it's supposed to work and sound.
Q: Are you scraping food away or leaving big hunks of food on dishes? Or is it moderate small to microbits of food soils??
I'm rinsing the dishes completely at this point to avoid food bits, but they manage to get everywhere regardless. qsd-dan posted a link to a repair process, and I've seen that one a few months ago and tried to go as far as I thought I needed to. Everything looked OK in there.
Q: Is the filter mesh torn anywhere?
No, it looks in-tact. Let me know if you'd like to see a photo of anything specific.
Thanks, everyone for thinking about this dishwasher. I've ordered the inlet valve and I'll replace it because, why not? Of course, I'll let you know how it goes.