KDS-20 Leak

[thechadwick]

Hi all, I've had a new-to-me KitchenAid dishwasher for a few weeks and after a few runs it's leaking out the bottom. I'm guessing something rubber dry-rotted but wasn't able to identify exactly where it was coming from.

Also, the motor makes a loud buzzing sound and I'm wondering if there's anything else that needs maintenance work. So far we've just been waiting until we leave the kitchen to run it.

 

[qsd-dan]

You'll have to run it with the lower panel and toe kick panel off. I suspect it's the motor shaft seals. When these start leaking, water makes its way down the motor shaft and into the bearings, taking them out. The bearings will be loud from this point on until they seize up and trip the breaker from too much amp draw. This is why I always recommend installing a seal and impeller kit if it has been 20 years or if one was just picked up. It'll save a motor replacement down the road, along with a potentially costly leak if it's on a wood or sub floor.

The lower panel can be tricky to remove and install. Here's an old video thanks to a member who passed away couple of years back. RIP, Ed

 

[phillymatt53]

On mine, a few years ago, the hose clamp on the water discharge hose let loose a bunch of water on the floor and made its way to the basement. UGH!.... what a mess!
I put the hose back on with a smear of Permatex "red" gasket seal and tightened the clamp. - job done!
Last spring, another leak started, not as bad though.....
This time the leak was from where the upper spray arm hose connects to the pump housing. - that "L" shaped flexible rubber connector.
It's pressed into the lower housing from the inside, and the top housing merely presses against it. - thus, it was a dry seal that let water seep through.
Some Permatex "red" sealer cured that issue too.
And just for good measure, I ran a small bead of Permatex over the O ring seal before re-attaching the upper housing.
No more leaks!

 

[jil1000]

You'll have to run it with the lower panel and toe kick panel off. I suspect it's the motor shaft seals. When these start leaking, water makes its way down the motor shaft and into the bearings, taking them out. The bearings will be loud from this point on until they seize up and trip the breaker from too much amp draw. This is why I always recommend installing a seal and impeller kit if it has been 20 years or if one was just picked up. It'll save a motor replacement down the road, along with a potentially costly leak if it's on a wood or sub floor.

The lower panel can be tricky to remove and install. Here's an old video thanks to a member who passed away couple of years back. RIP, Ed

We need an archive for all these old videos to easily get to! It took me 2 weeks of maneuvering the the bottom panel here and there to finally figure out how to put it back on

 

[pstehle]

Hi all, I've had a new-to-me KitchenAid dishwasher for a few weeks and after a few runs it's leaking out the bottom. I'm guessing something rubber dry-rotted but wasn't able to identify exactly where it was coming from.

Also, the motor makes a loud buzzing sound and I'm wondering if there's anything else that needs maintenance work. So far we've just been waiting until we leave the kitchen to run it.

View attachment 318604

Ditto the others replies, I don't think I've ever dealt with a good old KD-anything that was leaking from anyplace besides the pump seal. If it's gotten noisy as well, the leak may have damaged the bearings. They put a slinger ring/disc on the shaft, but it's not effective enough for more than a drop or two now and then. You can probably pull the motor apart and replace the bearings by themselves if you're so inclined -that may well restore the motor to near new. There's nothing else that really wears out on the motor circuit besides maybe the start relay or cap (don't recall which they used).

This design, like the old GE washers with the great big dry clutch under the pump, was not so great. Even Kitchenaid with their commercial lineage and excellent quality doesn't last forever. One of the few advantages of the old GE "Sidewinder" two-wire DW pumps, though those were prone to stuck seals in vacation homes that sat all summer or winter. They had so little starting torque, they'd just sit there and hum...

p.s. they're not known for "quiet", even when they were new. they make all sorts of humming and chugging noises, depending on how far they've filled or when draining... there was never a doubt they were doing their job, no need for an LED projection on the floor to see if they were running, like nowadays!