Help identifying KitchenAid dishwasher

[amajo319]

Hello,

I picked up this dishwasher from a guy doing a renovation in his rental. She has been well loved, but money is tight and my Bosch died leaving me with the mountains of dishes that result from cooking for nine people. Anyways, I was hoping to get some information on the year and model of this dishwasher so I could look up the manual and hopefully get some tips on installation has my husband is having a bit of trouble. I'm also on the lookout for a bottom panel. Thank you so much!

 

[jakeseacrest]

It is a KDC-18. I believe it came out in 1976

 

[rp2813]

The 18 series is considered to be the best KitchenAid ever produced, so you got a good one.  What sort of installation problems is your husband dealing with?  It's a fairly simple job.  The first thing I would suggest is checking to make sure the two L-shaped stabilizing tabs are present at the top of the tub.  The flat tops of these tabs get screwed into the underside of the countertop to keep the machine from tipping forward when the door is down.

 

Other than adjusting the feet to level the machine and the drain hose connections, there's not much to it.  This assumes there's a standard 3-prong cord to plug the machine in as opposed to hard wiring into a junction box, but even that is an easy thing to correct. 

 

Without the lower panel, this machine will make quite a bit of noise but it will do a good job.  In case you want to confirm the model number, it's on the sliver strip visible on the left front side of the tub when the door is open.

 

[DADoES]

 
Andrea, the model/serial tag is indicated by the red arrow I added to your pic.  Serial numbers are coded for the date of production.  Check the tag and cite it in a reply, someone can tell you the date for a more accurate age.

 

[amajo319]

Thank you!

Thanks so much for the identification tips. I believe my husband is having trouble finding a hose that connects properly, but I may be mistaken. We will try connecting her again after the parts we ordered come in. Hoping I can find a panel if I keep my eyes open.

 

[valvashon]

That's a KDC-18 or KDC-38 (if it was a portable at one time). A "Custom", it was the low priced leader at the time but still does a good job washing the dishes if you can supply it with water 145f or higher. Cooler water will impact washing performance. More and better pictures would help us identify the overall condition but from what I can see there is a part missing in the lower left of the pan, the overflow float, if the machine had one and I can't imagine that it didn't. I'll take a picture of my KDI-58 (very similar) and send it to you so you can see what is missing. I have the service manual and brochure from here (they aren't expensive, you should get them too) as they will be helpful in installation.
These units date from the late 70's but look older so that's why I added one to my 1961 kitchen because it fits right in.
And I went from a Bosch and it's "E24" code every time I tried to use it to an old KitchenAid too!

 

[gregingotham]

Bosch

i'm a bit surprised about the issues with the Bosch. i have one for 15 years without a single issue, other than really clean dishes left in the place when i moved out and now have a new one which seems to be doing great so far.