KitchenAid by Hobart - Runs Hot Water Down the Drain

[cjhsa]

No more squirty/sudsy/washy.... I can see the water going in from the side of the now open to the world (since my old fridge failed) dishwasher. But I can also hear the water being sucked straight down the drain (and the drain gets warm). I had a mouse get in there and was electrocuted on some contacts, but they don't seem to be drain solenoid contacts, too high up. Not sure what they are exactly.

Is this now scrap? I have to admit I've never seen one of those central control boxes before, which appears to be a combination of relays and a music box (cam).

 

[cjhsa]

You'll have to turn your head clockwise or screen counter clockwise to see the mouse pic properly. Sorry, at least it's clear.

 

[tomturbomatic]

The drain valve is probably shorted open.

 

[gyrafoam]

Really nice machine. Will clean circles around most of the junk on the market today------ once it is operating properly.

 

[cjhsa]

So how do you fix a shorted out drain valve?

 

[tomturbomatic]

I would start by disconnecting the power from the machine and then removing the mouse. Reconnect the power then see what happens.

 

[cjhsa]

Did that. Cleaned contacts with a toothbrush. No luck.

 

[cjhsa]

Well, I will be opening the place up again soon. Wondering if anyone has any other suggestions for how to fix this thing? Should I just buy a new/used one off of Craigslist?

 

[eronie]

Something is in the drain valve keeping it from closing. Open it up could be a bit of glass toothpick etc. Easy fix.

 

[speedqueen]

Get some clip leads and a volt meter and find out if the solenoid is truly energized or that something is just sticking the valve open.

If the drain solenoid is getting line voltage during the fill, you have an electrical problem, if not, you have a mechanical problem like eronie suggested.

 

[cjhsa]

I did take the entire thing apart from the inside and found nothing blocking the drain. Any idea on that dishwasher where the drain solenoid is located? The mouse was way up high, not near the drain. And line power OPENS the solenoid? Thanks - not my area of expertise.

 

[stevet]

What did you take apart...

if you are asking where the drain valve is located? The drain valve is located on the lower cross member right in the middle of it. You should see a black, plastic coil with 2 wires going to it and a hose connecting it to the motor and one hose going to the drain. Take that apart and see if anything is in it.

Or try pinching the drain hose with a pliers and see if the water stays in the tub. If it does, then you have something stuck in the valve or the rubber of the sealing plunger is worn out and the valve needs to be replaced.

 

[cjhsa]

What did I take apart? I took apart the inside of the dishwasher - the only part you can take apart from the inside, where the drain and tower/sprayer are. I took everything out down to bare metal bottom of the tub. I could see the drain hole - nothing appeared to be stuck in it.

 

[stevet]

Getting warmer!

You took apart the wash and drain pumps inside the dishwasher. Follow the narrative in my previous response to find the drain valve.
Your machine was designed in such a way that there is always pressure to drain the dishwasher because the pump motor does not reverse to drain. Hobart/Kitchenaid used a drain valve/solenoid located outside of the tank to hold the water back in the tank until it was time to drain out and it then opened that valve to let the water go out of the machine and down the drain.
Does that help?

 

[realvanman]

All this talk of scrappier and replacing...

Any time a machine stops working correctly, it is almost always a single point failure. As such, the best course of action is almost always to repair. In the case of vintage machines that cannot be replaced (because they are no longer being made) the best course of action is always to repair. If that is *not possible*, the machine should be given to someone who can fix it.

Throwing away a machine when it stops working is like scrapping a car because it has a flat tire. Maybe ok for a modern car, but never for a classic!

I just wanted to point this out since the OP seems trigger happy to throw away and replace.

Whatever is wrong with that dishwasher, it CAN be repaired. If the faulty part cannot practically be repaired, and the part is no longer available, there is always a work around.

 

[cjhsa]

Then would anyone like the red Frigidaire (by GM) refrigerator that we have been unable to repair? This is a cabin in the woods in the middle of nowhere. I don't live there, it is extremely difficult to schedule repairs, and typically when someone does show up they cannot fix it and have to reschedule. This is a a 5-hour round trip for me.