KDS 17 leaky intake

[quick-connect]

I recently bought thing while my wife was out of town thinking I'd install before she got home. Six months later I hooked it up outside to the garden hose and power to test it.

I hooked the water hose up to the intake valve (I don't know what else to call the valve with solenoids attached which connects to the water source). The metal plate that the intake valve is attached to is very corroded and there is a pinhole leak which shoots a teeny-weenie stream of water at the nearby drain solenoid. I applied a paliative piece of duct tape to protect the machine from this leak, and the full cycle continued without event.

After prewash commenced, I opened the compartment, and felt the water in the basin. It was cold. Later I realized the "energy saver" was probably on. It seems like it's a button, but it's not easy to push, or rather, it is hard to tell whether it has been pushed when you use pliers to impress the button fork. In any event, if it is a button, it's missing. The only other think it could be is a slider switch, perhaps.

The drier fired right up at the end, promtly drying the inside of the washer with hot air.

Where can I get a new intake assembly?
Where can I get a new energy saver button (or it is a slider)?
How common is it for the water heater on these things to die and how hard is it to replace? (not that it's dead, but with the energy saver mix-up, and the fact that I will not be able to test it, it would be good to know)?

I did not measure the water usage, but it would be good to know.

PS, I posted here in 2007 when I was given a perfect kds60A, and I never forgot the help I got. I lost the KDS60A in a breakup. Here's that thread for a fun read and some pictures of a fine kds60A specimen. http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?12793

 

[chachp]

Water Valve

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Many of them will work for your machine but the most common one is 4171000. They are all over eBay. </span>

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The Energy Saver switch is a button and you can only push it when the door latch is latched. It should pop out when you lift the handle.   Not sure where you'll find one.  Someone here may have one to share.</span>

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">As far as the water being cold. If you are putting cold water in that's what you'll get. This machine won't heat the water all the way to 140 or so. However, I am pretty sure the Element will be on when the water is circulating to help maintain hot water temps. Others will need to confirm that but I know it won't heat cold water all the way to an appropriate temp for washing dishes.</span>

 

[eronie]

Energy Saver

All the Energy Saver button does is cut the heat for the dry cycle.

 

[stevet]

Tony eronie is correct.

The energy saver cuts off the power to the drier heating element. In all full cycles, the heating element in the sump will come on at 700 watts and raise the water temp approx. 1.5 degrees a minute.If you are using cold water and the machine is outside or in a cold environment, it will not make much of a difference in the starting and ending temperature as Ralph mentioned
If you want to see if it is working at all, use the Sani Cycle which will stop at the final(3rd) rinse and will heat the water to approx 180 degrees.
The sheath heater in the sump is a dual wattage unit and will switch to 1400 watts to heat that water to the target temp. If it doesn't heat then you either have a bad heater or the thermostat that controls the heater is bad. If it is open, it won't heat the water at all and if it is closed, the timer will delay for a short time and then continue the cycle and again, very little heating will occur.

Do get yourself a new fill valve before you do more damage due to the water spraying out of it.
Keep us posted on what you find as you go along.
We will attack the stuck buttons in the next installment or someone may chime in after reading your post here.

 

[quick-connect]

Thanks!!!

I'll order that fill valve promptly and report back once it's installed.

 

[quick-connect]

well, I installed the new fill valve

I installed the new fill valve. An old dry cycle finished off, the machine clicked off, and now I can't get it to start again. I assumed it must be wiring, but the instructions from whirlpool that came with the replacement 4171000 valve are dead simple:

1) Install one white lead and one black lead to new valve. If harness has four lead wires, tape off remaining black and white leads not used.
2) turn on water supply.
3) Reconnect power or plug in dishwasher

Nonetheless, I tried some different wiring options, and still no luck. I checked if one of the connections in the machine came loose during installation, but no. It all looks great.

any ideas?

 

[barcoboy]

Silly question, but did you open the door handle after the timer clicked off at the end of the dry cycle? Opening the door at the end of the cycle causes the timer to reset for the start of the next program.

 

[quick-connect]

unfortunately, yes I tried that

I have also manually advanced the singer timer. All other components seem to be working.

Going from a dual inlet to a single, I notice that not all the white wires are interchangable like the instructions imply. One white lead comes from a sensor-looking thingy attached to the tub, another one comes from the timer. I suppose these both have to connect to the same post on the solenoid, but I've tried that, as well as one and then the other.

Putting on the inlet hose with that pesky clamp was a bit of a struggle. The most likely explanation I can think of is that I hurt a connection to the inlet during the struggle. I'm going to go through the wiring.

Does anyone know what I would expect to see if the inlet solenoid did not get power? Shouldn't the program be advancing anyway?

 

[barcoboy]

I believe the timer should continue to advance and the pump motor should be running the whole time. Are the cycle indicator lights illuminating?

 

[quick-connect]

it's working

To answer your question, the lights were advancing with the timer when manually advanced, but the program was not initiating without manual jogging. Not even the pump motor was coming on unless I forced the timer forward. Since the inlet was the only thing i'd changed, I'd assumed the timer had some way of "knowing" the inlet wasnt functioning. Thus getting the program past the point where the inlet conditions execution defeated that hurdle. I have no clue.

I went through all the wiring. Some connections had become heavily oxidized, so I remedied that.

I also ended up doing several things at once, any of which could have solved the problem. I took a fresh look at the wiring to the inlet. I also grounded the chasis because part of me believes these machines are omnicient.

To my mind the most likely scenario is that while struggling with the hose clamp I pulled on one of the oxidized connections, pulling its ancient "bite" as it were onto an area of lesser (nay nil) conductivity.

The machine just finished a sani cycle... oh and stevet, if you are reading this, the sani cycle got scalding hot! So the tub heater is working!

Thanks again guys! eronie, stevet, barcoboy and chachp!

This is one of my favorite sites on the internet of all time. Great community.

If anyone is reading this on the internet. Don't be afraid to fix your old machines.

 

[combo52]

Non Filling KDS-17 DW

The black wire that goes to the new inlet valve should go to the black plastic over fill switch near the IV, also make sure that the other dark colored wire from the DWs wiring harness is still connected to the other terminal on the OFS. If this does not solve the filling problem check the OFS for continuity or just connect its to wires together as a test, these OFSs often failed.

 

[quick-connect]

combo52

Thanks for taking the time to respond!

What is the OFS ?

(also, did I mention the fill valve is working now?)

 

[chachp]

Nice! I love it when a plan comes together.

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">That particular model is the favorite of many of us on this site.  Glad to see you wanted to save it.  How is the inside?  Are the racks in good shape?</span>

 

[quick-connect]

nice rack

Actually, if you look closely, there are some rust spots

There's a troubling rusty fistula in the rack glazing where the riser arm meets the glazed portion.

I had not noticed those spots before you said anything

All aboard the Ship of Theseus!

 

[chachp]

I've seen much worse.

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">I don't think they look so bad given how old that machine is.  As least none of your dishes will fall through! LOL.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Are you still planning to install it?</span>

 

[barcoboy]

OFS = Over Flow Switch (or sensor).

 

[quick-connect]

I am planning to install

I do plan to install.

Should I just go ahead and swap out the overflow sensors?