Kitchenaid by Hobart KDI-16 help - Tampa, FL area

[lbowling]

In early 2020, we bought a Kitchenaid KDI-16 dishwasher from a home nearby. It was pink and not something the new young homeowners saw fitting into their decor. Fast forward to Oct 2022 and we finally pulled the trigger on a kitchen remodel that includes “curated” (ok…used) appliances.

My threshold question is, does anyone know of an appliance repairman in the Tampa area who would be knowledgeable with vintage appliances?

Here’s my dilemma. We are having difficulties testing it before installation. My husband spent hours running to the hardware store trying to find different fittings for us to hook up to the hose outside so we could do a test run. None of the fittings worked so we moved forward and hooked up the electric for a preliminary test and it appears that the timer works.

Wiring is not in my husbands wheelhouse so we decided to get an appliance person to give it a go over. The service visit entailed the technician simply giving my husband prices for replacement parts. He never once plugged it in or hooked up the water. In lieu of us paying the service fee, he asked if he could have the door switch because he had a client who needed one. My husband thought it was a fair trade…I did not. The repairman understood and has since returned and reinstalled the switch. My husband, subsequently, was able to find a fitting for a hose but when we plugged it in, it did not start this time.

I really don't want to go down the road of buying one of todays appliances as I believe most of them are junk. This dishwasher looks to be in great shape to my untrained eyes and think it's worth putting a little bit of effort into her. However, my main hurdle is finding somebody who is familiar with older appliances. Thank you.

 

[qsd-dan]

I think you may be in over your head with this dishwasher. The last KD16 that left the factory was released in May, 1971. It's at least 51 years old and probably needs some attention before putting it back into full time service mode. I really wouldn't recommend someone installing one without the knowhow of repairing them.

At minimum, it should get a new seal and impeller kit installed. When this seal leaks, water runs down the motor shaft and into its bearings, quickly taking them out and its new motor time. If the leak is bad enough, water will get slung all around the floor. I've never been inside an old Kitchenaid dishwasher that didn't have broken glass inside the pump or a drain impeller that wasn't at least chipped or worn, if not broken.

A new water valve should be installed if the dishwasher was never connected to soft water since hard water deposits plug the inlet screen which will underfill the tank. When these valves get this old, sometimes they just leak or crack due to age and it's not worth destroying your floor or dealing with mold issues.

If the machine has racked up some mileage, the wash arm bearing needs to be checked for excessive wear. The upper wash arm support bearing needs to be checked for excessive wear and any "play" inside the upper housing. The soap dispensers need to be checked for leaks around the shafts and new o-rings installed.

One of the major drawbacks to the pre 18 series dishwashers is that there's no wash arm under the top rack. One must very carefully load the bottom rack in a way that doesn't block the flow of water to the dishes in the upper rack above. Unless one grew up with one of these dishwashers or is well versed of their shortcomings, the learning process can be a pretty steep curve.