dead kdc 17a... need part or replacement

[sibber]

hi, everyone.

i have a kitchenaid kdc-17a dishwasher. it came with the house when i bought it in '79.

i love it.

but it stopped cleaning dishes.

the repairman said that the upper washer arm needs replacing, but the part is no longer available. There's some kind of cover that goes on it, but it's missing... so the water just shoots straight up? He thought that would solve my problems for a while.

he said that longer term it would need a new motor... the seal broke & there's some corrosion. and that the lower washer arm is wobbly & will need replacing.

glasses are dirty on the inside, so i'm not sure that just replacing the upper arm would work... IF i could find a part.

so... i need advice...

do i

- search for parts

- try to find a similar, gently used dishwasher in upstate NY (rochester, to be specific). and how do i tell if it's a great one, like my hobart kitchenaid?

- buy a new washer... but what kind??? i LOVE the way dishes load in mine & can't stand the thought of learning how to load one of those new free form ones

 

[DADoES]

A KDC-17a with a spray arm under the upper rack? Is this some sort of transition-model between the 17 and 18 series? Pictures please!

 

[stevet]

this sounds weird!

Sounds like maybe the repair guy meant that the bushing in the washarm is gone and so the arm won't turn and sprays straight up? Or maybe the whole metal part of the support is loose and comes out of the support?
If the constant rinse was broken it would spray straight down!
As far as the wash arm support and washarm, you should definitley be able to get the washarm, and the support may be available as well thru Whirlpool parts or another supplier.
The motors are still available and reasonably priced as well thru Whirlpool. Only thing you need to know is to how to shim the drain and wash impellers correctly. If the machine is in great shape and you like it as many members here do, then rebuild it and save yourself some bucks on a new machine.

Pictures sure would help!

 

[qsd-dan]

Make every effort to repair the dishwasher. You'll be hard pressed to find ANYTHING that will clean as well as Hobart Kitchenaid dishwashers.

Watch out, it'll quickly turn into a hobby and the next thing you know you'll have multiple machines and boxes of spare parts :>)

 

[danemodsandy]

Here's a Parts Resource:

Before you make any decisions, try finding your parts through the link below. It sounds like your repair person either wanted to sell you a new dishwasher, or had limited parts resources, or didn't want to fool with an older machine. Some techs don't like fixing the old stuff, because they feel there will be other stuff wrong soon, the machine will break again, and the customer will be unhappy.

As has been pointed out, many parts are still available for your machine, and fixing a dishwasher is not rocket science, so you may well be able to repair it yourself. That will leave you WAY ahead of where you will be if you have to buy a new dishwasher- the new ones are not as good as the old, trust us.

If you do not find your parts through RepairClinic.com, please come back to us for more resources- there are people here who could find anything, LOL.

http://www.repairclinic.com/