Help! need a new Dishwasher

[lebron]

Hello all, I have this piece of junk LG dishwasher that is starting to abort mid cycle. Ran overnight so hard to tell where but dishes are relatively clean so maybe towards the end. It did this once awhile back and just now did it two cycles in a row. I read once that it could be some sort of thermal time out - which actually does coincide with the extreme heat and I don't have a/c... any ideas?

More importantly, I am going to put a feeler out to see if anyone has the hook up on a NOS old school Whirlpool. I'm sure they are as rare as hen's teeth! Older the better but I would like a control board one even though I'd prefer a mechanical timer. Obviously I'm going to start looking local, but just seeing if anything is out there. I can dream right. What are the best years for Whirlpool dishwasher? Around what year did the mechanical timers get phased out?

 

[lebron]

Found something

Just found this machine that is about 2 hours away from me for $50. Should I go for it?? What can you guys tell me about this machine?? Pros: mechanical timer. Cons: center tower... but I could work around that if this machine has grunt?? Are the machine "rebuildable" or "serviceable" to the point where it's worth having an older one like this? What do you guys think.

 

[nmassman44]

I have a similar LG dishwasher and dont have that issue you describe. That said, the Whirlpool PowerClean dishwasher in the pic is a fine choice. These dishwashers will clean the chrome off a truck with the power the wash system packs. And dont let the JetStream column in the lower rack deter you from getting it. These dishwashers hold a ton of dishes. The only thing is to make sure you load plates in the front of the lower rack so the wash arm can get as much water onto the silverware basket that is in the door. The upper rack also has a JetStream tower that shoots a jet of water into the top deflector that is molded into the tank. This dishwasher should have the first generation PowerClean module meaning its a closed system with no filter area on top of the module. This dishwasher is no slouch at moving 50 gallons per minute onto the load.
In my opinion if you are looking at the Whirlpool and its cheap and has low miles on it, get it. These Whirlpools are some of the best that hit the market back in the 90's. Better than what they offer today.

 

[qsd-dan]

What killed virtually all control board operated power clean dishwashers was....of course, a failed control board. When they were available, Whirlcharge wanted half to more than half the price of a new dishwasher for a new control board and that didn't include the price of a repairmen to remove/install if one wasn't capable of doing so. Most people just trashed them and bought a newer, shittier product. I would recommend buying a high end mechanical timer PC and keep an eye out for spare timers on Ebay and maybe a spare switch bank. For the most part, other power clean models shared the same running gear so either Ebay or trashed models can be pillaged for parts. I prefer the Kenmore models with the silverware located on the lower rack rather than the door.

 

[jakeseacrest]

100% get the Whirlpool. I personally would love it

 

[cam2s]

Get the Whirlpool. Very reliable and easy to fix if there is a problem. That’s looks to be a fairly TOL model, having the adjustable upper rack does help with loading. I have Kenmore Ultra Wash twin, I’ve never really had an issue loading around the tower. I think the silverware basket location is mostly a matter of preference. The whirlpool set up will yield more room for sure but the Ultra Wash set up does wash slightly better if you have a bunch of flatware. You could easily buy a lower rack from an Ultra Wash and switch it out if you want the other set up.

 

[appnut]

How old is the LG?

 

[combo52]

The number of Samsung and LG dishwashers we see on the trash pile. Every month is amazing.

Nobody wants to fix these same thing for LG washers and refrigerators. They’re just constantly on the trash pile. I picked up a Samsung refrigerator from the trash pile on Thursday. It was only a year and a half old, I thought it would be fun to see what went wrong with it.

People don’t wanna work on Bosch dishwashers either. I should take pictures of all the Bosch dishwashers on the scrap pile.

John.

 

[combo52]

Definitely get the whirlpool dishwasher

I put a new inlet valve on one just like that on Friday, the girls that were renting the place of live there five years and they’ve never taken a dirty thing out. If it works great, they loved it they thought it was cool.

 

[lebron]

Thanks

Thanks guys for your thoughts on the Whirlpool. Definitely going to go for it and I really hope for it to be super clean and low miles as possible! Hopefully can line something up with the guy soon. I'll have to start keeping my eyes peeled out for parts machines.

As far as my LG is concerned... My house was built new in 2018 and the dishwasher was installed new at that time. So that puts the dishwasher right at about 5 years old, which is the cut off for the electronics warranty I believe. I suppose I could call LG and find out for sure, but it's hard enough wasting time on that kind of thing, let alone if they just tell me it's out of warranty. Since it seems to run off and on again, I'll put it up for sale locally and try to get something back for it. The other problem is that the detergent dispenser is really difficult to latch shut. It takes about a minute of latching and re-latching for it to finally lock. Alternatively, it will get stuck in the cycle and not dispense... then leak detergent slowly all throughout the rinse cycle. So yeah I'm done with it.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

whirlpool dishwasher

If I were you, I would snag it while the supplies last. They were the greatest dishwasher Whirlpool ever built.

 

[johnb300m]

I think it would be nice if one day, John actually took pictures of said famous scrap piles, and shared them.
We all love visuals here.

 

[Chetlaham]

Scrap pile

John would become the most coveted member here by a mile.

 

The emotions each days worth of haul aways would bring!

 

I'm nearly certain each week John tosses away dozens of each 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s Potscrubbers, Filter Flos, Raytheons, Dependable Cares, all genenrations of Powercleans, Maytag Reverse racks, WCIs, Frigidaires along with every conceivable machine from that time frame. 

 

I remember in the 2000s looking at appliance dumpsters behind big box stores and local chains (after I noticed the one at my local apartment complex) and the stuff I would see in there would, no offense, make this site look rather dry. I would vacuum out what ever tech sheets I could from the machines at the top, often no idea what was at the bottom or just couldn't get to it.

 

Though I somehow feel that John does not have an appreciation of old, everyday machines like the rest of us do. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Chetlaham]

Greatest dishwasher Whirlpool ever built

More like the greatest dishwasher ever built, period. Not even commercial dishwashers are built to do what the Whirlpool Power Clean module is does. 

 

 Absolute tragedy they were discontinued, and a second one around that people just don't seem to be doing anything about it.

 

 

 

[mark_wpduet]

Isn't it crazy to think if you could go back to the 1990s...how these were available EVERYWHERE...and you really didn't even give it a second thought because if you ever needed one, you could just go buy one.

 

[Chetlaham]

Mark, now you know the exact feelings driving all my posts! Back in the 80s/90s an appliance store had absolutely everything you could need, available in the best engineering, performance, and durability humanity ever had to offer. 

 

How I wish I could buy a new Power Clean Module. How I wish Whirlpools entire BOL through MOL lineup was entirely PC for decades to come. From a single knob wonder, to a stainless steal tubs, to a computer touch screen model all with the same mechanism. 

 

If there is one vintage appliance China ought to copy it is the power clean.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

[johnb300m]

Maybe start a private vintage appliance commune?
You’re forgetting these companies are in business to make money for their shareholders.
Even Whirlpool’s engineering has has been truncated to save cost while making appliances customers today will buy.
Yeah I now have two Poweclean KAs. But they are loud and they don’t clean stains quite as well with the modern day detergents. But they’re fun!
It’s different for mass market. Which we are NOT in this forum.
First, Powecleans are loud. They’re not quiet enough for today. People would shun them for their offensive dBs.
Second, they use too much water. They use just over 6gal. of water on the Normal cycle.
A brand new WP or KA now uses just 2.3gal on the Normal cycle (with average soil) and they’re getting near 5 stars for washing on the online reviews.
Third, they’re too short! We’ve had tall tubs for over a decade now. That’s the standard. The PC module can’t fit in a tall tub. It would at least need a new pancake motor. But that won’t solve the first two issues.
While I have fun with my Powercleans, yes there are days I wish I had a tall tub back. They’re just not as flexible at loading.

We can appreciate this stuff that was cutting edge at the time, but it’s old now. And it’s not coming back. Nobody would buy it.

 

[mark_wpduet]

Very true... the shortness and loudness... I think the shortness would bother me more than the loudness.. Once you've had a tall tub for years, they feel so small in comparison...Before my grandma died and I was at her house visiting, her same dishwasher was there and still working.. I think it was a 1984 Whirlpool. I put something in it and was shocked at how small it felt (keep in mind, I had been so used to tall tubs at this point) I remember thinking how crazy it was that I don't remember this thing being that freaking small.

FYI - that dishwasher was still working in 2017.. my brother remodeled the house and moved into it.. I have no clue if he kept it because I haven't been back there since the remodel.. but I doubt it.