KDS 17 repair help

[wayon]

This site has given me a wealth of info so far and I hope you'll be able to help me out.

We own a Kitchen Aid KDS-17. It came with the house and we love it. Last week, it stopped filling with water. It would run the complete cycle just without any water. We ran through the suggestions by posters on this site (cleaned out the water valve, checked water pressure, etc). We finally figure out that the over-fill control switch isn't working correctly (part 17 in the diagram). When we bypass the switch, water flows with no problems.

I learned from this site that the KDS-17 is timed filled and the pressure switch is just for over-fill protection. I've looked everywhere for a replacement part. From my research, the original part #103249 can be replaced with part #4160570 by Whirlpool. Unfortunately (though not surprisingly), I can't seem to find these parts anywhere (even places that claim to have the part don't). A couple of questions:

Do I need this part? Is it okay to bypass the over-fill control switch or am I asking for trouble?

If I do need it, any ideas where I can get one? Or how to repair it? Or a substitute part to use?

We love this dishwasher and don't want to junk it to buy an inferior new one. Any help you could give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!

http://www.appliancepartspros.com/p...model_id=239860&diagram_id=28184060#d28184060

 

[rollermatic]

have you tried repair clinic

.com or parts select.com? i've gotten a lot of stuff from them in the past 3 years i have been on this site.

personally i would bypass it myself, it is timed filled. but i'm sure others will tell you not to. i tend to just do what i want when it comes to my appliances and try things, if it doesn't work i stop doing it! i don't see how it can possibly overfill unless the timer jams or you have extremely high water pressure which i doubt.

i have a lot of kitchenaids and i seriously doubt if even half of the pressure switches even work anymore. they tend to clog up a bit with age and i have not inspected most of them.

that's what i would do!

 

[combo52]

NON FILLING KD17 DW

Yes it would be safe to bypass the overfill sw for now, good new or used ones are around. It may also be a good idea if you really want to keep this machine as long as possible to buy a parts machine. These machines are still out there but they are being crushed for scrap metal everyday.